Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center
February 26, 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!
WQW 1
Warriors & Quiet Waters with Spirit
Around The Center
What's Happening at the GWDC
 
Snow, snow, a little more snow, Valentine's Day, President's Day, and a fantastic visit from the Warriors & Quiet Waters Foundation (WQW) marked our February. We hope your month has been safe and sweet and memorable in some way, and that as March waits around the corner that spring will bring you one step closer to West Yellowstone and the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center. We have a lot of new things to show you this year, so if you haven't planned your summer trip yet, let's get a move on. 
 
Earlier this month we were honored to host a group from the Warriors & Quiet Waters Foundation. This Bozeman-based organization's mission is to provide traumatically injured U.S. servicemen and women from Iraq and Afghanistan with a high quality restorative program utilizing the therapeutic experience of fly fishing on Montana waters, and just this year they have expanded to include winter recreational and equine activities. Seven warriors along with their companions and volunteers came to the Center to learn about the bears and wolves. See more photos below, and read more about this amazing organization at http://www.warriorsandquietwaters.org/.
 
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.

Granite Pack
Granite Pack
Bears, Wolves, and Birds
(Oh My!)
Animal Updates

Please join us in officially welcoming the Granite Pack to our viewing area! 
 
Leopold and Summit were moved into their new habitat on February 10th. Their new habitat, which your donations and support last fall helped us build, borders the High Country Pack, so Leopold is close to his brother McKinley and his old pack mates Adara & Takoda. Summit was able to 'meet' these wolves along the fence line, and they were all very interested in him. Leopold and Summit have settled in nicely and have been named the Granite Pack.
 
We have another introduction to look forward to, and we'll keep you posted as it draws near. We anticipate introducing Sam to another bear this spring in the outdoor habitat. More news soon!

 

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... 

 
WQW 3
WQW with Naturalist
 Education 
Knowledge Is a Powerful Tool 
   
The Education team has been busy this month with tours, guests, outreach programs, the West Yellowstone After School program, Kids N Snow events, and much more.

Three Dogs is a new program you'll see on our roster about foxes, coyotes, and wolves in Yellowstone. We're working on a prey/predator program, and if you haven't seen our new Trophic Cascade presentation, book your ticket now. 

 

At 2:00pm every Saturday and Sunday through March 9th we are enjoying a Yellowstone Park Ranger presentation highlighting the fascinating aspects of Yellowstone Park's natural, cultural and scenic wonders. February 1st the program was "Winter: the Great Equalizer", about the winter survival strategies of the animals in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The next program "Bears & Wolves of Yellowstone National Park" delved into the natural history of these animals, their current status and their place in the human world. The topics vary and the program is free but there is a fee if you choose to visit the rest of the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center. Catch the rest if you're in the area.

 
Thanks to Sunrift Studios for WQW photos, and thanks to WQW for your visit. Every tour and every group is special, and we're always glad when groups choose to visit the Center. We are especially proud to be part of the work you are doing. 
 
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, and adding programs to our roster. We will customize the program or the Teaching Trunk for your group and areas of special interest.  

 

Winter Raffle
Kobuk Winter Raffle
Developments
New and Exciting Opportunities to Support the GWDC
 
We showed you our amazing Winter Raffle a few months ago, but as time ticks away, we wanted to remind you that you have a chance to bring this beauty home. This beautifully framed graphite pencil drawing of Kobuk the bear was generously donated by artist Doug Monson. We are deeply grateful for this spectacular gift from Doug. You can view his other western & wildlife scenes at http://monsonart.com/. This raffle will end on April 30, 2014, and you do not have to be present to win. Tickets are $10.00 each. You can purchase them online here (just write "raffle" in the project field) or by calling the Center at 800-257-2570.

Monthly Giving is a great way to make a little count a LOT. Please consider clicking YES on the donation page (I'd like to make this a recurring monthly donation). We will be developing this opportunity into a more exciting level of giving as the year proceeds. This kind of commitment creates a gift that keeps giving: $5 turns into $60, $10 becomes $120, and so on! It's a fabulous and painless way to multiply your donation and commitment to the animals at the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center. Please check YES!
 
Thanks for ALL you do to help the GWDC. Your support makes a world of difference to the animals here, and to the work we do. We hope to hear from you and see you soon.

 

Keep reading about other ways to support the GWDC... 

Nakina
Nakina
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 Gretchen Heine, Mike Polkowske, and Sunrift Studios for this week's eye-catching photographs. We don't blame you if you just look at the pictures! Everyone knows they speak louder than all these words. Enjoy!
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 month and enjoy all March has to offer, and we'll look forward to seeing you soon.

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

Sincerely,
Akela and Kootenai
Akela and Kootenai Romp in the Snow

The GWDC Staff
Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center
 
Gift Shop
Happenings

 
Greetings from the Gift Shop! We have exciting changes coming your way this year. Look for a special Riparian section here in the Gift Shop, 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! We can't wait to see you here.

We are beginning the hiring process for summer seasonal positions in Admissions and Gift Shop. Full-time and Part-time (20-25 hours/week) positions are available. If you are interested or know someone who would like to spend a season here, please call the Center at 406.646.7001 and ask for Oly, or email resumes to olyw@grizzlydiscoveryctr.com.

 

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!  
New Riparian Artwork
New Riparian Artwork Coming Soon!