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August 14, 2013
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DISCOVERY
News from The Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center
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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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Around The Center
What's Happening at the GWDC
Welcome back! Hope your summer isn't flying by TOO quickly. We're glad to spend a few minutes of August with you. As you peruse the rest of the newsletter you'll notice this issue won't be winning many artistic awards, but it's full of info and updates. For instance, we want to announce the first winner of the Candy Guessing Contest being held at the fundraising table in the Naturalist Cabin this summer. Rylee Z. from Pennsylvania just received more chocolate than the Easter Bunny can carry for her best guess. We hope it did NOT arrive in one piece, but in the 315 pieces it started out as. Great work Rylee! Don't get a stomachache. We hope you will all stop by the "Fun Table" during your next visit.
Our summer hours will change beginning September 2nd. We always open at 8:30, and after the 1st of September we'll be closing at 7:00 p.m. Another sign that summer is drawing to an end is the deadline for the summer raffles. The deadline for buying raffle tickets for Ken Takata's stunning photo of the South Fork of the Madison, and Wendy Bishop's breath-taking embroidered quilt of Yellowstone wildlife is October 31st. You don't have to be present to win, but you do have to buy a ticket. Or two. Don't let time get away from you!
One of the perks of working here is learning about all sorts of bear- and wolf-related news. For instance, a new study has just come out stating the return of wolves to Yellowstone National Park may be helping imperiled grizzly bears to survive by keeping elk herds on the move and preventing them from destroying berries that are a staple food for grizzlies. It's all about the berries! You can read the article here.
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! We welcome your feedback and suggestions. Thanks again for tuning in.
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Bears, Wolves, and Birds
(Oh My!)
Animal Updates
On rare occasions, to tell you how the animals are doing we have to give you a little news about the people. This week we are sad to say that one of our keepers, Jen O, will be leaving at the end of August. We wish you all the best, and thank you for all your hard work and great ideas. We'll miss you. We enjoyed spending a day with the Executive Director of AZA last week. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums ( AZA) is a nonprofit organization that accredits zoos and aquariums that have met rigorous standards for animal welfare, veterinary care, wildlife conservation, scientific research, education, expert staffing, and safety. Our guest had a great visit and was impressed with our facility. We think this speaks volumes for the animals and their care. We received another load of live fish last Tuesday, which is always a treat for the animals and visitors alike. We are hoping for one more donation, and then the fish deliveries will be over for the summer. Finally, the keepers have been collecting trees from the surrounding public lands to place in the habitats. If you visit in the coming weeks you'll notice greener, fresher trees in the bear habitat, which will later be placed in the wolf habitats, and finally used as mulch around the Center. You can read more about the entire life cycle of donated and collected trees at the GWDC in the June Howls & Growls.
Stay tuned here and we'll keep you posted on the reason we're all here - the animals! Remember to check out our webcams when you're wondering what's going on around at the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center or wanting to stay connected until your next visit. Every issue of our email newsletter will have updates on our animals, and we will still be sending quarterly newsletters through the mail. Read more about these Howls & Growls newsletters below, and please come visit us soon.
Check out our bears...
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 | AJ & Acadia at the Children's Museum of Bozeman
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Education
Knowledge Is a Powerful Tool
The ABCs of KBDs, Songs of the Wild, and Hibernation Magic are just part of the lineup our Education team is offering visitors and outreach audiences this summer. Programming at the Nature Conservancy's Flat Ranch in Idaho had kids and adults tapping their toes and laughing while they learned last week, while an outreach at the Children's Museum made the news! Read about it here.
The Bear Safe Community Project is almost complete. After a busy summer of educational games, brainstorming, and hands-on work in the community, West Yellowstone's Summer Recreation participants have completed and administered the Bear Safe Community checklist and the interns have almost completed the curriculum. The parents and residents have been invited to the final Open House, which will take place at the end of this month. Our hope is to continue to see bear-safe property around town and Bear Safe Community Project decals in business and residential windows. We look forward to making the lesson plans available to scouting groups, public and private school teachers, and home-schooling networks throughout bear country so that other communities can be Bear Safe too!
 | | Acadia wows another crowd at Trent's Birds-of-Prey program |
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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 | While not eligible for our GWDC Fall Photo Contest, ravens are definitely part of the family here...
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Developments
New and Exciting Opportunities to Support the GWDC
Thanks to those who have responded to our summer appeal to build a new den for Grant and Roosevelt and improve the High Country habitat for Leopold. It's amazing to watch your generous and thoughtful gifts come in. Your kindness continues to support these animals and surprise these humans. Thank you so much!
The Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center is pleased to announce our 2nd Annual Autumn Discovery Photography Contest for amateur and professional photographers! The contest will run from September 1st - October 31st, so start planning your fall visit now.
Amateur and professional photographers may submit up to six works in digital format for consideration. The photographs must be taken here at the GWDC of the bears, wolves, and raptors in September or October of this year and available for Center use with photo credit. Extreme photo alteration will not be considered. Deadline for submission is November 1st.
Six winners will be announced and awarded in the following categories: Amateur Bear, Amateur Wolf, and Amateur Raptor photograph, and Professional Bear, Professional Wolf, and Professional Raptor photograph. The winning photographs will be featured in both print and digital format in future newsletters, marketing and fundraising materials, and social media, like right here in email newsletters. For more information, email jenniferh@grizzlydiscoveryctr.com.
Your support makes a world of difference to the animals here at the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center. We hope to hear from you and see 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 Brandi Nichols, Gretchen Heine, and Kimberly Shields 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 a fantastic summer, and we'll look forward to seeing you soon.
Thanks again for keeping up with us and for all you do.
Sincerely,
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 | | Did you know wolves can sing and demonstrate safety in bear country? |
The GWDC Staff
Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center |
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Gift Shop
Happenings
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Greetings from the Gift Shop!
What if we said "I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!" right here in the last section of the email newsletter? Could we get away with it? Too silly? Too predictable? We think not. It's August after all, and when do you want a refreshing milkshake or smoothie, blended before your very eyes, more than you do in August? AND who knew you could get that frozen, blended treat right here in the Gift Shop? We have a whole new blending bar and new flavors to choose from! Come cool off with us soon.
Thank you for supporting and shopping at the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center!
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