Imagine knowing that you could not eat or drink for the next few months. Every autumn the grizzlies of Yellowstone face exactly that situation. During grizzly bear hibernation, the bears will not eat or drink for 4- to 6-months, and they can lose up to 30 percent of their weight. Before hibernating, bears enter hyperphagia, when they feed intensively to prepare for the long winter sleep. Bears are known for their voracious appetites, but during hyperphagia they become positively gluttonous - spending most of their time foraging for food and gaining more than three pounds a day!

This is also the time of year when several of the grizzly's most important food stocks become available. White-bark pine seeds and army cut-worm moths are rich sources of nutrition the bears need to make it through the winter. Autumn also brings a rich crop of berries, roots, and grasses that round out the bears' diet.

Many people visit Yellowstone to enjoy the autumn colors and maybe spot a bear. However, as grizzlies move into the lower, more visited areas of the park seeking food, the chance of conflict with humans increases, and areas of the park may be closed. Visitors can check with a ranger station for the most up-to-date information.

The increased chances of seeing a grizzly bear in the crisp autumn season provide a once in a lifetime opportunity for many park visitors. Regardless of whether you see a bear, fall is a great time to visit. The steam from Yellowstone's thermal features is extraordinary in the cooler temperatures, autumn colors provide a dramatic flare, and relatively few tourists means that you can almost imagine that there is no one else in the park but a few hungry bears.

How would you like to spend the summer living and working inside Yellowstone National Park? The Yellowstone Association is currently recruiting Sales Associates to work at our busy educational Park Stores throughout Yellowstone National Park during the summer of 2008. Core responsibilities include ringing up sales, providing park information and offering Yellowstone Association memberships. This is a paid position and is approximately 30 to 35 hours per week. Applicants must have their own recreational vehicle and be able to work from the middle of May through the end of September. The application deadline for these positions is January 15, 2007.

It's not too late to join Institute and National Park Service educators for two upcoming teacher workshops:

What Lies Beneath runs October 18- 21, 2007 and focuses on the geological forces that continue to shape Yellowstone. This Old Faithful- based course is $400 (meals and lodging extra).

Hunter, Hunted runs November 8-11, 2007 and will examine predator/prey interactions. This Lamar-based course is $335 (lodging is extra).

Both courses correlate to Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho education standards. To sign up, call our registrar at 307-344-2294.

On a warm July day, Kathy Russell was busy helping customers in Yellowstone's Madison Park Book Store when a family approached the register. Kathy asked if they needed assistance. The mother replied by directing Kathy's attention to her eight-year old son Nathaniel. He had decided to join the Yellowstone Association, and needed Kathy's help in doing so.

Kathy was touched by Nathaniel's action, "Nathaniel and his parents should be commended. At such a young age, he already has a strong sense of responsibility and philanthropy towards natural places. To have raised a son with such traits is remarkable." She continued, "They helped renew my faith in humanity at a time when more people are becoming disconnected from the natural world."

To read more about Nathaniel, and why he became a Yellowstone Association member, read the upcoming issue of Yellowstone Discovery.

Do you find yourself dreaming about fall in Yellowstone? You can now bring Yellowstone's autumn directly into the comfort of your own home and imagination with this book of words and photographs by Tom Murphy. His photos reveal details in Yellowstone's landscape and wildlife that only a seasoned photographer could capture, and his elegant, thoughtful text further illuminates this colorful season and its activity. Price $35 (member price $29.75)