Participants in a field expedition to Oregon Basin train their optics on eagles. C.R. Preston photo.

Greater Yellowstone Natural History Programs

Natural history programming takes participants beyond the walls of the Historical Center. Through field trips, presentations by experts in their fields, and special events, there are many opportunities to experience Yellowstone's nature first-hand and up-close.

Lunchtime Expeditions

Our popular series of monthly natural history lunchtime lectures is back! Join us the first Thursday of each month at 12:15 p.m. in our Coe Auditorium for these free programs that cover a variety of natural history topics and issues. They are free and open to the public. Coming up:

• June 7: Cheryl Jaworowski, Yellowstone's Hydrothermal System.
• July 12: Dr. James Meacham, The Atlas of Yellowstone.
• August 2: Tom Easterly, Sage-grouse Management in the Big Horn Basin: An Update.
• September 7: Gretchen Hurley, Whispers in the Rock: Geological Stories from Northwestern Wyoming Strata.
• October 4: Whitney Tilt, Wildflowers, Wildlands, and Tomorrow's Stewards.
• December 6: Greg Brown, The Berry Biodiversity Conservation Center and the University of Wyoming Biodiversity Initiative.

Greater Yellowstone Raptor Experience

The Greater Yellowstone Raptor Experience is a live raptor education program of the Draper Museum of Natural History. What better way to celebrate the wildness of this wonderful area than by sharing some of its most spectacular wild animals with our guests? Soon, visitors will be able to get an up-close-and-personal view of some of Wyoming's most recognized predators—the birds of prey! Click through to the Raptor Experience page, or visit our blog and facebook page to find out more!

This program of the Draper Museum is funded in part by the W.H. Donner Foundation and the Donner Canadian Foundation—the latter in partnership with the University of Wyoming's Berry Biodiversity Conservation Center.

Field Expeditions

The staff of the Draper Museum of Natural History lead a variety of popular field expeditions each year. Past trips have taken participants to the field in search of golden eagles, owls, the predators of Yellowstone, and Big Horn Basin geological wonders.

For more information about any of our Field Expeditions e-mail Natural History Curator Dr. Charles Preston or call 307.578.4078, or e-mail Interpretive Specialists for Programs Emily Buckles or call 307.578.4110.

A Night at the Museum: Natural History Sleepovers

We offer a limited number of sleepovers for organized groups of young people and chaperones. If you have a scout troop, youth group, or other organized group, we can create a unique and memorable event for you. Typical activites include:

• Nature-themed crafts
• Active nature-themed games
• Flashlight scavenger hunt though the Alpine-to-Plains trail gallery

Please e-mail Natural History Curator Dr. Charles Preston or call 307.578.4078.

Girl scouts discover a black-footed ferret by flashlight during a Draper Musuem of Natural History Sleepover. Photo by Chris Gimmeson.

Special Exhibitions

The popular photography exhibition Yellowstone to Yukon: Freedom to Roam is open and runs through the 2012 summer season. The exhibition was organized by the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture at the University of Washington and The Mountaineers Books, Seattle, in collaboration with the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative.

Please e-mail Dr. Charles Preston or call 307.578.4078 for more information.

The northern lights in Tombstone Range Provincial Park, Yukon Territory, photograph by Florian Schulz. Yellowstone to Yukon: Freedom to Roam, organized by the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture in Seattle, WA.

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