Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center
January 2, 2014
DISCOVERY
News from The Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center
In This Issue
Around the Center
Bears, Wolves, and Birds
Education
Developments
Eye Candy
Quick Links

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, and 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!
Jenn Lemmond 9
101
Around The Center
What's Happening at the GWDC

Happy New Year!! It's finally here! It's finally time to get the date wrong for a few weeks, see how long your resolutions will last, ring in a new year of health and wealth and shaking your head at how fast the time goes. We hope 2014 is your best, happiest, most fulfilling year yet. Thank you for sharing it with us, and for helping us celebrate every animal, every project, and every accomplishment on the horizon. Here's to a terrific 2014!

As you clean up after the holidays, remember if you live nearby to drop off your live Christmas tree for the bears and wolves, clean and tinsel-free please! The trees are placed into the bear habitat & dens for the bears to play with, gnaw on, tug, toss, roll around and scratch their backs on. The trees are then mulched and used for ground cover in the habitats for the bears and wolves to dig in. It's the Christmas tree that keeps on giving! If you're not too far from us, please bring your Christmas tree to the Center or call us at 406-646-7003 for a pick-up. Thank you in advance for enriching the lives of the bears and wolves!
 
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.

Curtis L 3
Adara
Bears, Wolves, and Birds
(Oh My!)
Animal Updates
 
If you've ever wondered why we talk so much about changing the feeding schedule for the wolves in the winter, or how grateful we are for rib cage and carcass donations from large game hunters and processors, you may see from this picture that we're not the only ones who appreciate the enrichment and the change of pace. In 2013 we received 20 elk rib cages and 35-40 deer! These pieces of fur, meat and bone should engage the wolves through most of the winter. 

Another gift that keeps giving, especially to the wolves, is scented oils and essences. If you missed the series of photos of McKinley rolling in a scent enrichment, click here. We've added a few new scents to our Amazon Wish List if you want to see what the wolves will be encountering in the habitats over the coming months.

 

Stay tuned 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 the animals, and we will still be sending quarterly newsletters through the mail. We hope you'll stay tuned and please come visit us soon.

  Check out our wolves... 

Maeve Tuley Sam
Sam
Education 
Knowledge Is a Powerful Tool 
  
As you plan your 2014 vacation to West Yellowstone and the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center, remember it's not a winter wonderland all year 'round. We thought you'd like to know about nine admission-free days to the National Park System in 2014, falling throughout the year, with only one during the peak vacation months of summer. Although admission to the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center will be charged, maybe you can plan your trip to see us around these 2014 entrance fee-free days to Yellowstone National Park:

 

January 20: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
February 15-17: Presidents Day weekend
April 19-20: National Park Week's opening weekend
August 25: National Park Service's 98th birthday
September 27: National Public Lands Day
November 11: Veterans Day

 

Of course we'd love to see you ANY time, snow, sunshine, rain, or shine. If you have questions about planning a visit or scheduling a trip, please call or email us. 

 
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 are currently adding materials to our Teaching Trunks (Thanks Kelly!), and adding programs to our roster. We will customize the program or the Teaching Trunk for your group and areas of special interest.  

 

Chip Raptorfest
Chip!
Developments
New and Exciting Opportunities to Support the GWDC
 
Thank you, thank you, thank you for year-end gifts, Amazon Wish List items, and Christmas for the Critter donations. You make our world go around, and you have made our 2013 the best year yet. Thank you for all you did last year, and for sticking with us as we look forward to a busy and joyful 2014!
 
This year we are working on publishing a somewhat low-key Annual Report in the March Howls & Growls. We want to quantify for you just what a huge difference you make in our operations and special projects, and show you how your gifts and donations support the animals, the Center, and the work we do. If you'd like to add your name to the Howls & Growls mailing list, please become a member, adopt an animal, or reply to this newsletter for more information about donating to the Center. We'll let you know how to join us in celebrating all our good news.
 
If you can stand a little MORE celebrating, we want to cheer all the animal adoptions that have come in over the last few weeks. ALL the animals were adopted during the holiday season except Chip and Nahani! We don't think their feelings are hurt, and they are certainly receiving excellent care, but how can anyone resist a face like this? If you're looking for a perfect gift or just feel like doing something special to ring in the New Year, you can still adopt Chip, Nahani, or any of the GWDC animals.  
 
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... 

Takoda Gretchen
Takoda
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 Maeve Tuley, Curtis L, Gretchen Heine, and Jenn Lemmond for this week's photographs. We also want to thank Leslie Newman for her beautiful painting of Illie. It is hanging in the new bear kitchen, so that Illie will always be with us.
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 healthy and happy New Year, and we'll look forward to seeing you soon.

Thanks again for keeping up with us and for all you do.

Sincerely,
Curtis L 4
Akela

The GWDC Staff
Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center
 
Gift Shop
Happenings

Free shipping on any website purchase* on or before January 3, 2014!

                                  *Excluding International and Paypal orders.

Happy, happy 2014! Here in the Gift Shop we have exciting changes coming your way in the New Year. Look for a special Riparian section, featuring information, souvenirs, and gift items all about river otters, water birds, amphibians, and trout! Proceeds from these items will not only benefit the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center, they will go directly to building our new exhibit! Come be part of the greatest new habitat yet, and be sure to visit all the amazing animals and displays.

 

Thank you for supporting and shopping at the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center! Don't forget to shop online until you can visit us again. We'll see you soon!    
 

 

 
Snow Bears