On November 9, the Flathead Land Trust, with its partners Flathead Lakers and Flathead Audubon Society, hosted the “Flathead River in Paint” auction event at Montana Modern Fine Art on Main Street in Kalispell. The event featured outstanding original “plein air” paintings by 14 local artists of iconic river, farm, and wetland landscapes of the…
Read MoreAuthor: Jake Bramante
Using Radar and Saving Birds at the 9/11 Tribute in Light
As bright beams illuminate the New York City skies above the National 9/11 Museum & Memorial’s Tribute in Light, thousands of migratory birds circle and call, disoriented by the lights. As the swirl intensifies, Cornell Lab of Ornithology scientist Andrew Farnsworth gives the signal, the lights turn off, and the birds disperse into the night….
Read MoreConservation Educator’s Niche – November 2022
by Denny Olson Owen Sowerwine Our Local Outdoor Classroom A couple of days ago, I led a small group of three on a field trip to Owen Sowerwine, that roughly 442-acre parcel of State School Trust land located along the Stillwater and Flathead Rivers just east of Willow Glen near Kalispell. The trip emphasized the…
Read MorePika Patrol
Rocky Mountain Wild has developed a new Pika Patrol mobile app.This new app will help the community and scientists alike to track observations and monitor populations of the climate-sensitive American pika. By making it easier for hikers, community members, and visitors to record pika observations, we can gather even more data on this charismatic mountain…
Read MoreField Trip Summary – Bison Range
by Darcy Thomas A small group of four birders spent a lovely Indian Summer Day at the Bison Range. Our bird count was not large (23 taxa) but was varied as we saw both resident birds and migrators. The list included Red Crossbills, Evening Grosbeak, Townsend Solitaire, eagles, hawks, harriers, kestrel, kinglets, siskins, nuthatches, chickadees…
Read MoreField Trip Summary – Waking Up with the Cranes
by Darcy Thomas At dawn on September 29 a group of six early risers braved stormy skies to meet field trip leader Darcy Thomas to watch Sandhill Cranes as they lifted off the West Valley Ponds to forage and refuel in nearby agricultural fields before continuing their southward migration. There were close to 500 cranes…
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