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Hello and welcome!
Thanks for dropping in to the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center, a not-for-profit, AZA-accredited wildlife park and educational facility, with a diverse crew of staff and volunteers. We're glad you're here with us, and we hope to see you in person soon.
As usual, there's a lot going on in this issue. Enjoy the photos and the news. Get to know our amazing cast of characters, and share us with your friends. Please come visit us, right here in West Yellowstone, relax and watch the animals, or participate in one of our interactive programs and displays. Until then we wish you all the best. We hope we can bring a little discovery and excitement your way. See you soon!
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Takoda and Adara
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Around The Center
What's Happening at the GWDC
We hope it's beginning to feel like spring where you are. Even if it's just up the road. It still looks and feels a lot like winter here in West Yellowstone, but no one seems to mind very much. Summer will be here before we know it, with all the activity and excitement it brings. A few more weeks of cozy winter afternoons are welcome around these parts.
If you're sitting at your desk or your kitchen table, just opening this newsletter for a mid-week pick-me-up, and hoping to spend a little time with wolves, we've got just what you're looking for. First check out our wolf cam, and see what the River Valley Wolf Pack is up to minute to minute. Then, or maybe simultaneously if you have the technology and the know-how, check out a recent YouTube video inspired by the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center's wolves. A friend to the Center composed the music himself and used photographs of many of the wolves here at the Center for the video. Thank you for sharing your passion and talent Steve! We're always glad to inspire, so fire up those creative juices everyone. Watch the video here, but don't forget to come back and finish the newsletter!
We have had some other good friends visiting and corresponding lately. It's nice to hear from you this time of year, especially when we can help you plan an upcoming trip, or welcome you as you come through town. We are staying busy throughout the winter, and one of our favorite ways to be productive is showing you around! Please come by!
Remember if you have any questions, or just want to know more about any aspect of the Center, you can always give us a call at 406.646.7001, reply to this newsletter, or email
info@grizzlydiscoveryctr.com. We will try to keep you informed and up to date in as many ways as we can. Your involvement and interest in what we do keeps us doing it! Thanks again for tuning in.
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Bears, Wolves, and Birds
(Oh My!)
Animal Updates
Sometimes the best animal updates are news about our animal keepers! We have good news about our seasonal animal keepers, who will work from May to September. Welcome Anna, our volunteer, to one of those positions! We'll be glad to have you. We'll keep you posted on who will be filling the other spot. We'll also be seeing some of our favorite volunteers this summer, along with an intern from the Philadelphia Zoo who will help us for a couple weeks. These ladies and gentlemen are behind the scenes working hard to enrich the lives of the animals you know and love. We are keeping the bears on their toes by rotating the schedule often. This keeps active bears active, and keeps the animals from sinking into routines. As the days get longer, we are all trying to make the most of the sunshine, so we will continue to change the schedule as needed. As we move into spring, we are coming to the end of the rib cages out in the wolf habitats. A big thank you to all who had a hand in providing these large enrichment items for the wolves this year. And as summer approaches, we are working toward having more birds on display in our Aviary. Finally, Nakiska, our young bear dog, is getting better & better with behavior commands and specialized training. Every issue of our email newsletter will have updates on our animals, and we will still be sending quarterly newsletters through the mail. You should be seeing a new Howls & Growls any day! We know it's not the people who draw you to the GWDC, as magnetic as we are, so we'll keep you posted on the reason we're all here: the bears, wolves, and birds. Remember to check out our webcams when you're staring at your computer. It'll make you feel a little bit closer, and it's way more fun than work!
Read about our bears...
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Education
Knowledge Is a Powerful Tool
Our Education team has as much fun as these bears. One of our favorite things about the school year, besides visiting school groups, is spending time with our local After School Program. Last week the Education Team and the kids from West Yellowstone School talked about owls. First the students brainstormed all the things they know about owls - and they knew a lot! Owls are nocturnal, they hunt with their feet, they have really powerful vision and hearing, and they eat mice, snakes, and all kinds of small animals, even bugs. The kids even knew that owls eat their food whole. What they didn't know was that they regurgitate the fur and bones, scales and shells of these animals. When Andreina told them they were going to be dissecting owl puke, she was met with a sea of horrified expressions, and a chorus of "NO WAY!" and "EEEEEWWWW!" Then she put the owl pellets in front of them, handed them forceps and toothpicks, and told them that the owl pellets had been totally sanitized. They dug right in, with many of the kids begging to bring home the bones they found in the pellets. They all had a great time! The Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center, in partnership with the National Association for Interpretation, is offering the Certified Interpretive Guide program, a course designed for anyone who delivers interpretive programs to the public. It will be taught here in West Yellowstone April 12 - 15, at the Visitor's Center. Anyone age 16 or over with a desire to increase their knowledge and skills related to interpretation may participate. Membership in NAI is not required, but NAI members pay a discounted fee to participate in the program. You can also elect to take the training without becoming certified. For more information or to register, please contact Trent Redfield or AJ Chlebnik at education@grizzlydiscoveryctr.com or 406-646-7001. If you're interested in visiting the GWDC with your family or with your students, or if you'd like to sponsor a Teaching Trunk or outreach program, let us know. One of the Center's naturalists can visit your school for special assemblies, programs or activities. As you know, some of our birds-of-prey can travel for such programs as can our large collection of wolf and bear artifacts. We will customize the program or the Teaching Trunk for your group and areas of special interest.
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Developments
New and Exciting Opportunities to Support the GWDC
We have a couple new "developments" to tell you about this time around. We've been busy writing grant applications, welcoming new and renewing members and adopters, and thanking some very generous donors and gift-givers. Wait until you see the quilt we've been given for our summer raffle! We are constantly amazed by your kindness and thoughtfulness.
We have started talking about Planned Giving here at the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center. You can read about it on our website, and request a brochure by filling out a form at the bottom of the page. Click here to learn more about the ways you can support the GWDC with gifts that don't impact cash flow, lifestyle, or family security. Learn more about giving through honorary and memorial gifts, beneficiary designations, or through your will or bequest.
Be on the lookout for a new edition of the Howls & Growls newsletter in the next week or two, and don't forget our gorgeous winter raffle. You can buy tickets here.
Thanks again for all you do. We look forward to hearing from you soon!
Keep reading about other ways to support the GWDC...
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Eye Candy
Photographs and Artwork from the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center
We are honored to have many artists and photographers visit and support the GWDC. Their vision and talents inspire and enliven our work here, so we thought it would be nice to feature some of their work in every issue of our newsletter. If you'd like to see your artwork here, send us an image! Paintings, sculptures, and mixed media are welcome too.
Our thanks to Jim Harrison, Shanna Arneson, and Gretchen H. for this week's photographs.
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We hope you enjoy this issue, learn a little something, and feel like you are here with us for just a few minutes. It's a pretty special place to be. Have a great couple of weeks, and make plans to come see us soon. Thanks again for all you do.
Sincerely,
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The GWDC Staff
Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center |
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