Date: Monthly, on the second Wednesday of the month
Time: 2:00-4:00 p.m. JULY EVENT IS 1:00-5:30
Location: Various – contact club host

Share outdoor explorations and learning experiences with other curious naturalists at our monthly Master Naturalist Club! We will connect with experts and hone our skills, meeting at field locations around Missoula.

July Topic: Dedication and Ecology of the DeVoto Cedar Grove

Time: 1:00-5:30 p.m., including drive time to the Grove and back from Missoula

Location: Carpool from Missoula to the Grove

Did you know that there is a cedar grove, with trails, just beyond Lolo Pass? I didn’t!

Ashley Martens of the Old Growth Forest Network will begin our event with a short dedication ceremony to enter the DeVoto Cedar Grove trail into the Old Growth Forest Network. She’ll include history and the ecological importance of the place, and then teach us about the biology of old growth forests.

In describing her offering, Ashley says: “I am an experienced environmental educator with a special passion for ancient forests and birds. It will be an engaging, exploratory investigation of old-growth forest ecology, and a training to help people recognize features of old-growth forests across the northern Rockies (with visual materials provided). It will count as education hours and then, if people choose, volunteer hours for our organization as we try to fulfill our mission of celebrating at least one protected old-growth forest per county in our nation!”

We’ll meet at MNHC at 12:30 p.m., organize carpools, then head out by 1:00 p.m.

Please respond to the club hosts if you plan to attend, and let us know if you can drive and how many in your car. Please also register (for free!) on Eventbrite. Ashley is providing food, and needs a head count! We’ll be walking on trails. Bring water, comfortable walking shoes, and layers for the weather. This looks like a wonderful event! Hope to see you there!

If you are a Master Naturalist and would like to join the club, please contact Christine at cmorris@montananaturalist.org.

Club hosts: Master Naturalists Sarah Elsasser, Bill Buseman, and Elizabeth Johns

Interested in joining? There are spaces available! Email Christine at cmorris@montananaturalist.org to sign up.