Nature Center Events, Summer 2018
Week of June 25 - July 1
Greetings from the Nature Center,
On Monday, June 25, please note our annual talk on Bears and Bear Safety.. with guest speaker Steve Cain. Nature Center, 3:30 PM. We will provide Inert bear spray canisters to practice with following a short presentation.
Where for us the summer is just getting started, for most all wildlife the summer season has already moved well past the mid-season..songbirds have fledged their young and some pairs are on their second clutch of eggs, Red-tailed hawks and many other raptors are becoming fully feathered and will be fledging in a few weeks. I watched a Green-winged Teal female with 11 ducklings this afternoon in Spring Creek just below the Nature Center. Keep an eye out for this and other duck families if on evening walks around the property. The young Elk, Moose and Pronghorn are romping around while their moms try to keep them hidden down in the tall grass and sage fields..Mules-ears, or Wyethia is beginning to bloom as the Arrow-leaf Balsamroot is going to seed. The large yellow clouds of Lodgepole Pine pollen are almost ending-a welcome site to those with allergies..and several species of aquatic insects are emerging. Beth Fazzio and I nearly chased off the front deck of the Nature Center this afternoon by new hatch of caddis flies..stream flows are beginning to drop here at 3 Creek Ranch and around the valley...fish are happy!
Respectfully,
Roger
Weekly Schedule
Monday, June 25
Day Hike: Ski Lake Ridgeline
Time: 9 AM - 1:30 PM
Place: Meet at the Nature Center at 9 AM
Difficulty: Moderate
Mileage: 7.3 miles R/T Maximum Elevation: 9,710' Elevation Gain: 1,880'
Description: This is a very enjoyable hike along a well-traveled trail to the ridgeline above Ski Lake. The trailhead starts half-way up Teton Pass at the ‘PhillipsPass’ sign, with a parking area on both sides of the road. After an easy 2.5 mile hike to the lake, and depending on the snow line, we’ll gain another 980’ of elevation in 1.5 miles to a beautiful ridgeline that offers expansive views of the valley. Abundant wildflowers this time of year as well.
Bring: daypack, food, rain jacket, sunscreen, bear spray.
Notes: Dogs are welcome to join us!
Notes from the Field
Time: 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Place: Meet at the Nature Center at 3:30 PM.
Description: Please join me and our special guest Steve Cain, SeniorWildlife Biologist, GTNP (retired), for our annual discussion on bears, bear safety, and the use of Bear Spray. Collectively, we will bring over 50 years of experience studying, handling and teaching about grizzly and black bear behavior and ecology. We will focus our program on recreating safely in bear country and the proper use and handling of bear spray, including the opportunity for everyone to practice using actual bear spray with INERTTraining Canisters. This is a great opportunity to gain real experience firing bear spray, and bring all the questions about bears that you’ve wanted to ask. Guests are welcome.
Tuesday, June 26
Day Hike: Atherton Ridge
Time: 9 AM - 2:30 PM
Place: Meet at the Nature Center at 9 AM
Difficulty: Moderate
Mileage: 4.5 miles R/T Maximum Elevation: 8,306' Elevation Gain: 1,345'
Description: This is a variation on the main gully trail to Atherton Ridge. We start from the same place at the Slide Lake campground, but quickly veer off to the south and begin climbing a beautiful ridgeline trail that gains about 1,200’ of elevation in the first 2 miles. This hike offers so much for the naturalist hiker in all of us..from hiking along an old forest fire burn area, wide vistas of the Red Hills and GrosVentre Slide, endless sign of bighorn sheep, elk and deer, even an active high-elevation beaver lodge and ponds…and a spectacular panorama of the entire Teton Range from our destination. We will hike downhill for the remaining 2.5 miles back to our vehicle. This is a very enjoyable loop hike that offers a nice workout but with a high scenic reward at the end!
Bring: daypack, plenty of water, snacks, lunch, hiking poles, bear spray.
Notes: Dogs are welcome.
Wednesday, June 27
Road Cycling: Moose to Antelope Flats Loop
Time: 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Place: Meet at the Nature Center at 8:30 AM
Difficulty: Moderate
Mileage: 21 miles R/T Maximum Elevation: 6,900' Elevation Gain: 600'
Description: We’ll load up our bikes at the Nature Center and begin/end this ride in Moose. We’ll follow the bike path NORTH for about 1 mile to the north entrance of Antelope Flats Road. From this junction, we’ll gain roughly 270’ of elevation over 3.25 miles to ‘mailbox corner’ at6,780’ and the highest elevation of our ride. We’ll continue past the Kelly Store and into Gros Ventre Junction where we will encounter a bit of road and pathway construction.Expect flat to gentle rolling terrain with the potential of seeing wildlife on what I consider one of the most scenic bike rides in the world.
Bring: bike, helmet, water bottles, warm layer, sunscreen.
Notes: Please stop by or give me a call if you need help preparing your bike or other cycling needs.
Thursday, JUNE 28
Day Hike: Cache Creek to Game Creek
Time: 9 AM - 2:30 PM
Place: Meet at the Nature Center at 9 AM
Difficulty: Moderate
Mileage: 9.7 miles R/T Maximum Elevation: 7,418' Elevation Gain: 1,435'
Description: This is a popular hiking and mountain destination trail along a well maintained trail. We begin this hike at the Cache Creek trailhead, maintaining a very easy and gradual uphill gain of only 700 feet in the first 3.7 miles. We then cross over CacheCreek, and hit our only short but steeper section of trail, gaining just 250 feet to the pass between Cache and Game Creek. From the pass, we descend 1,290 feet over the next 5.5miles through beautiful aspen and pine forests to the game Creek trailhead. Every point along the way offers gorgeous vistas of open meadows, timbered stands of spruce and fir, and abundant wildflowers. This hike requires a shuttle vehicle.
Bring: daypack, snack, rain jacket, warm layer, hat, sunscreen, hiking shoes.
Notes: We will need to shuttle a vehicle to Game Creek. Dogs are welcome.
Friday, JUNE 29
Day Hike: Birds along the Old Pass Road to Crater Lake
Time: 7:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Place: Meet at the Nature Center at 7:30 AM
Difficulty: Easy
Mileage: 2.6 miles R/T Maximum Elevation: 7,190' Elevation Gain: 690'
Description: Join us for a casual stroll up the paved Old Pass Road to do a little bird watching and take a few photos of the wildflowers. We’ll stop at Crater Lake, or continue up a short ways, then return down the forested trail adjacent to the Old Pass Road. A few birds we hope to see or hear: Red-breasted Nuthatch, Swainson’s Thrush (one of my favorites), MountainChickadees, Red Crossbills and Kinglets and Warblers.
Bring: Daypack, snack, water, sunscreen
Notes: We will drive to the trailhead of the Old pass Road just a short distance past Wilson.
Office Hours, Friday
Time: 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Location: Nature Center
Notes: Stop by the Nature Center for a casual visit to say hello, request some help planning your next outdoor adventure, or bring your guests for a tour of the Center.
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