Nature Center Events, Summer 2019

Week of August 12 - August 18

Greetings from the Nature Center, 

I am sending, as an attachment, the Schedule of Events for the upcoming week of August 8-12.Although many species of plants have gone to seed, true signs of fall are not yet conspicuous.  Several berry-producing shrubs are beginning to ripen, and won’t be long before its time to start picking huckleberries. 

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if I can be of assistance.

Respectfully,
Roger

Road Cycling: 3 Creek Ranch to National Museum of Wildlife Art
Time: 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Place: Meet at the Nature Center at 9:00 AM
Difficulty: Easy
Mileage:  15.5 miles R/T   
 
Join us for this very special outing and private guided tour of the remarkable National Museum of Wildlife Art and the most recent exhibits. This is a bike ride suitable for all types of bikes, with just a short section where we share the road through town. We can spend as much time there as we’d like, with delicious refreshments available at the Palate Restaurant. Admission is $14.00. We will travel on a combination of bike paths and wide bike lanes the entire way.

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.

Day Hike: Cache Divide and back
Time: 8:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Place: Meet at the Nature Center at 8:30 AM
Difficulty: Moderate
Mileage:  8.4 miles R/T      Maximum Elevation: 7,418'      Elevation Gain: 1,225'

This is an up-and-back hike to the Cache-Game Divide. Cache Creek is a popular hiking trail just minutes from tow and follows a two-track road and a well-maintained trail.We’ll begin at the Cache Creek trailhead, maintaining a very easy and gradual uphill gain of only 1,000 feet in the first 3.7 miles. We then cross over Cache Creek, and climb a short steep section of trail, gaining 225’ feet to the pass between Cache and Game Creek. From the pass, we’ll return back down the way we came to the Cache Creek trailhead. This is a very casual and enjoyable hike close to town.
 
Bring: daypack, snack, rain jacket, warm layer, hat, sunscreen, hiking shoes.
Notes: Dogs are welcome.
             
NATURE CENTER
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Location: Nature Center
Notes: Stop by the Nature Center for a casual visit to say hello, relax on the front lawn overlooking Spring Creek with a magnificent Teton Range backdrop, request some help planning your next outdoor adventure, or perhaps bring your guests for a tour of the Center.

Road Cycling:  3 Creek Ranch - Jenny Lake
Time: 8:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Place: Meet at the Nature Center at 8:00 AM
Difficulty: Strenuous 
Mileage:  49 miles R/T      Maximum Elevation: 6,790'      Elevation Gain: 970'

We will start this ride from the Nature Center, follow the bike path into town and continue north the entire day on the bike path to Jenny Lake. Although this is one of the longest bike rides on the schedule, it is a stress-free ride along mostly flat terrain on the pathway system. Expect two short climbs to our day, Fish Hatchery Hill and to the top of windy Point just past the Moose entrance station. Water, food and restrooms in Moose andJenny Lake.
 
Bring: bike, helmet, water bottles, sunscreen.
Notes: Food is available in both Moose and Jenny Lake, but I recommend starting out with some of your favorite foods. Please stop by or give me a call if you need help preparing your bike or other cycling needs. 

NATURALIST NOTES - Beyond Borders - Raptor Migration in the GYE
~ Bird Migrations to, from, and through the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem ~
Time: 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Location: Nature Center

Research Director for Teton Raptor Center, Bryan Bedrosian, will discuss the wonder of bird migrations and all that is currently known about bird migrations in JacksonHole. In the presentation, we'll explore how scientists have learned about bird migrations and where some Jackson birds migrate to and from. Bryan has been studying raptor migration in and around the valley for over a decade and will present both his results and those of other researchers across the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. We'll learn why bird migrations are important and some of the wonders of how and why birds travel thousands of miles each year across North America.
Notes: light refreshments will be provided. 

Thursday, august 15

Day Hike: Crater Lake and the Big Rocks Trail 
Time: 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Place: Meet at the Nature Center at 9:00 AM
Difficulty: Moderate 
Mileage:  4.9 miles R/T      Maximum Elevation: 7,212'      Elevation Gain: 1,150'

We begin this hike from the parking area at the base of the Old Pass Road, just pastTrail Creek Ranch. We’ll hike up almost 700’ in the first 1.5 miles to Crater Lake along the‘History Trail’, and return down along the Crater Lake Trail. Both travel through beautiful forests and open meadows along a well-worn trail, and offer a pleasant alternative to the paved ‘old pass road’ that winds to the top of Teton Pass. Once back to the bottom, we’ll climb back up about 350’ and hike a beautiful trail around the ‘Big Rocks’ trail, so named for several massive boulders, or ‘glacial erratics’ that we encounter on the trail. These glacial erratics’ were transported to this location on top of huge glaciers that once filled the valley to an estimated 1,500 feet above the valley floor. Great views of Mt. Glory, matureDouglas fir forests and plenty of interesting birding. 

Bring: daypack, snack, rain jacket, warm layer, hat, sunscreen, hiking shoes.
Notes: Dogs are welcome to join us!

Friday, august 16

Birding Walk: Bring your binoculars and bird book! At 3 Creek Ranch
Time: 7:30 AM - 9:30 AM 
Location: Meet at the Nature Center at 7:30 AM
Difficulty: Easy

We’ll spend the morning looking for birds from the NatureCenter and along 3 Creek Drive. I have enjoyed watching birds from this road for the past16 years, noting a diversity of waterfowl in the ponds, grassland birds in the meadows, shorebirds and raptors to name a few. This is a pleasant walk to start your day, as I know many of you do while walking dogs or with friends.

Bring: Binoculars and a Bird book! Water bottle, sunscreen. 
Notes: Note the early start, we will leave promptly! I have three pair of binoculars to loanfor the morning. Please stop by or give me a call if I can answer any questions.

NATURE CENTER
Time: 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Location: Nature Center
Notes: Stop by the Nature Center for a casual visit to say hello, relax on the front lawn overlooking Spring Creek with a magnificent Teton Range backdrop, request some help planning your next outdoor adventure, or perhaps bring your guests for a tour of the Center.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 18

NATURE CENTER
Time: 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Location: Nature Center
Notes: Stop by the Nature Center for a casual visit to say hello, relax on the front lawn overlooking Spring Creek with a magnificent Teton Range backdrop, request some help planning your next outdoor adventure, or perhaps bring your guests for a tour of the Center.