Montana Natural History Center

Nature Journaling at the Fort Garden
2025-08-26 09:00 - 11:00 (America/Denver) | Montana Natural History Center
Date: Tuesday, August 26
Time: 9:00-11:00 a.m.
Location: Native Plant Garden at Fort Missoula
Cost: $30 MNHC members/$35 non-members
(children 17 and under are free when accompanied by a ticketed adult)
REGISTER HERE.
Are you curious about how to keep a nature journal? Or are you a seasoned nature journalist looking for some new techniques and ideas? The Fort Garden is a treasure trove of interesting plants and animals with plenty of subject matter to add to a journal. Supplies including paper, pencils, colored pencils, watercolor paint, paintbrushes and magnifying loupes will be provided.
DIG IN! For more information on programs happening at the Fort Missoula Native Plant Garden, click here!
FAQs
What’s the refund policy?
The course fee (minus a 25% administrative fee) is refundable if a cancellation is made up to 7 days before the event. No refunds will be issued for cancellations made after this deadline. See our full refund/cancellation policy here.
Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?
Nope! We will have a list of all the attendees.

miniNaturalist Pre-K Program
2025-09-02 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-09-09 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-09-16 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-09-23 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-09-30 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-10-07 10:00 - 11:00 | Montana Natural History Center
The miniNaturalist pre-K program encourages curiosity for the natural world.
Dates: Every Tuesday, September – May
Time: 10:00-11:00 am
Location: Montana Natural History Center, 120 Hickory Street.
The miniNaturalist program encourages curiosity for the natural world through exploration and play. We sing songs, read books, play games, and develop skills with art and science tools. Each program begins with songs, movement, and stories. We then provide materials for learner directed discovery in our garden. We look for bugs and birds, color on rocks, build with branches, experiment with science tools and play with a variety of art materials.
Please bring clothes for outdoor play! We have some snow clothes to borrow.
Best for ages 2-4, though any age is welcome!
Cost: FREE!

Fall Online Master Naturalist
2025-09-03 10:00 - 12:00 | Montana Natural History Center
Date: Wednesday, September 3 – November 19, 2025
Time: 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. (online)
Location: Online with Field Day Weekend
In-Person Field Weekend: September 13-14
Cost: $325 MNHC members/$355 non-members
Are you a self-directed, curious learner, eager to explore your natural surroundings? Our immersive online certification course will help you develop naturalist skills and a deeper understanding of the natural world through a blend of live online classes, recorded lectures, guided independent study, and an in-person field weekend.
Fall Online Certification Course 2025
Wednesdays, September 3rd – November 19th, 2025
10:00 a.m.-noon MDT

Field Weekend, September 13-14
Engage with the course anytime, anywhere. The online format can fit your schedule. Though attending the field weekend and live online classes is highly encouraged, they will be recorded and supplemental material can be provided. This class works best for independent learners who can complete activities outside of the traditional classroom format. Your instructors will be available throughout the course for one-on-one guidance and mentorship.
(REGISTRATION CLOSED Thursday, August, 21.)
Taught by MNHC Naturalist Christine Morris, this class includes:

a live Zoom or recorded lecture once per week for 12 weeks. 6 classes are live, 6 are recorded lectures.
weekly assignments
in-person weekend field experience in Missoula on September 13-14
course workbook
an online classroom platform to engage with instructors and fellow students throughout the course

We’ll cover a wide breadth of topics with the goal of giving you a foundation of naturalist skills and knowledge on which you can build. Learn how to identify common birds, plants, butterflies, insects, mammal tracks, and more. From landscape processes to lichen we will look at specific details and how each part contributes to the greater ecology.
Instructors:

Christine Morris, community programs coordinator MNHC
Kelly Dix, naturalist, MNHC
Allison De Jong, Naturalist Magazine editor/outreach coordinator, MNHC
Ylva Lekberg, soil scientist/ecologist, MPG ranch
Jenah Mead, artist/naturalist
Peter Lesica, botanist, author
Greg Peters, botanist, Missoula College instructor
Geoff Farinholt, BLM fuels technician
Angela Hornsby, previous Philip L. Wright Zoological Museum curator
Glenn Marangelo, Missoula Butterfly House and Insectarium
Rob Rich, naturalist/writer

View the course syllabus (some elements may be subject to change).
Upon course completion, students:

Will receive a Master Naturalist certificate and pin
Be a part of an engaged and curious Master Naturalist community
Have the knowledge and skills to perform environmental stewardship

To complete this certification course, students are expected to attend classes/view recorded lectures, complete weekly self-guided study assignments, keep a nature journal, and complete a final class project.
Plan on putting in about 5-6 hours per week including class time, independent study assignments, nature journaling, and final assignment.
Master Naturalist Certification is maintained by completing 20 hours of volunteer service and 8 hours of continuing education each year. You will receive a new pin each year you certify!
Recommended Materials:

binoculars
hand lens or loupe
blank journal (required)
micron or small sharpie pen
colored pencils or watercolor pencils
bird guide such as Sibley’s Field Guide to Birds of Western North America
Botany in a Day by Thomas J. Elpel
plant/flower guide such as Plants of the Rocky Mountains or Wildflowers of Montana (depending on what you can find in print)

Registration Information:

Cost: $355/$325 members
Full payment due upon registration. The course fee (minus a $100 administrative fee) is refundable ONLY if a cancellation is made 30 days before the first day of class. No refunds will be issued for cancellations made after this deadline. Read our full refund/cancellation policy.
Some scholarships are available! Please contact cmorris@montananaturalist.or for more information
REGISTRATION CLOSED Thursday, August 21

Volunteering at Fort Missoula Native Plant Garden
2025-09-07 09:00 - 11:00, 2025-09-21 09:00 - 11:00 | Montana Natural History Center
Dates: Sundays, September 7 & 21, 2025
Time: 9:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.
Location: Fort Missoula Native Plant Garden
The beautiful Native Plant Garden at Fort Missoula could use volunteers to weed, transplant plants out of the walkways and prune shrubs. Volunteering is available most Sunday mornings from 9:00-11:00 a.m. and you can pop in and out any time during that period. We will supply the gloves and tools but if you have your own feel free to bring them. In addition to working, you can learn about the plants, birds and ecology of the garden from Elena Ulev, the Garden Manager.
DIG IN! For more information on programs happening at the Fort Missoula Native Plant Garden, click here!

Nature Writing "Hush Hour(s)"
2025-09-08 18:00 - 20:00, 2025-10-13 18:00 - 20:00 | Montana Natural History Center
Date: Second Monday of the Month
Time: 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Location: Montana Natural History Center
Cost: Free, but please register
REGISTER HERE
Whatever genre you prefer — poetry, essay, prose, flash, etc. — writing can help us connect with and reflect on our natural surroundings in deeply personal, unexpected, rewarding ways. But finding the time to write can often be challenging. This writing “hush hour(s)” is designed to provide nature writers with a quiet, supportive setting to work on your craft. This isn’t a workshop; this is space to write.
In this group, we’ll spend roughly the first 20 minutes inviting individuals to share what projects you’re working on, questions you might have about your work, suggest resources, any hurdles or writing blocks, and writing successes! Then we’ll write, write, write.
Bring your notebook, journal, or computer. Writing prompts will be available if you’re feeling stuck, or just want to play with words. Your MNHC group leaders are Allison De Jong (Montana Naturalist magazine editor and MNHC Field Notes instructor, and writer) and Beth Conway (Events and Marketing Coordinator, and writer).
Feel free to BYOB and snacks. We’ll have light refreshments available.

Virtual Naturalist Book Club #2
2025-09-08 18:30 - 20:30, 2025-10-13 18:30 - 20:30 | Virtual Zoom Classroom
Date: Monthly, on the second Monday of the month (except January, June, July, and August)
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location/Platform: Virtual Zoom Classroom
The only thing better than reading a fascinating natural history book (and there are so many of them!) is getting to discuss it with a wonderful group of like-minded people. We can help you do that! Join one of our free naturalist book clubs, where you can read and discuss a great new book each month, enjoying various perspectives and insights, all from the comfort of your own home. (Cozy pjs are perfectly acceptable attire.) This book club meets September-May and breaks for the summer.
Book List
September: Light Eaters
October: The Serviceberry
November: The Stubborn Light of Things
December: Flight Paths
January: no meeting this month
February: Woman Among Wolves
March: What an Owl Knows
April: Restoring the Kinship Worldview May: Tenacious Beasts
Your hosts will be Sherry Staub and Cas Kendley. Sherry has led the Sacajawea book club for over two years in Bozeman and has extensively read in the nature book genre. Cas started and led a book club as a UM student and is looking forward to starting an advanced degree in forestry at the UM.
You will need a computer that can access the internet and Zoom platform in order to participate.
Interested in joining? There are spaces available! Email Christine at cmorris [at] montananaturalist [dot] org to sign up.
Group is limited to 10 participants.

Virtual Naturalist Book Club #1
2025-09-09 18:30 - 20:30 | Virtual Zoom Classroom
Date: Monthly, on the second Tuesday of the month
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location/Platform: Virtual Zoom Classroom
The only thing better than reading a fascinating natural history book (and there are so many of them!) is getting to discuss it with a wonderful group of like-minded people. We can help you do that! Join one of our free naturalist book clubs, where you can read and discuss a great new book each month, enjoying various perspectives and insights, all from the comfort of your own home. (Cozy pjs are perfectly acceptable attire.)
Your hosts are Master Naturalist Suzanne Hendrich and Deborah Drain.
You will need a computer that can access the internet and Zoom platform in order to participate.
There are some spaces available in this book club. Contact cmorris (at) montananaturalist.org to sign up.
Group is limited to 10 participants.

Hush of the Land: Stories from the Bob Marshall Wilderness
2025-09-10 19:00 - 20:30 | Montana Natural History Center
Date: Wednesday, September 10th
Time: 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Location: Montana Natural History Center
Cost: Free, but please register! (Donations are always appreciated.***)
REGISTER HERE
In Hush of the Land: Stories from the Bob Marshall Wilderness, Arnold “Smoke” Elser and Eva-Maria Maggi take the audience on a journey with horses and mules deep into the mountains of Western Montana. This engaging, hands-on campfire storytelling event is based on the inspiring memoir Hush of the Land, which chronicles the six-decade quest of packer and outfitter Smoke Elser to protect wild lands by bringing thousands of people deep into Montana’s mountains on horseback. Experience the joys and thrills of summer rides, harrowing grizzly bear encounters, fishing in clear mountain streams, and many nights around a campfire in some of the West’s last wild places. In this lively program, Eva shares how meeting Smoke ignited her love for storytelling, while Smoke recounts how his testimony for the Wilderness Act and his fight to preserve and expand Montana’s wilderness lands influenced his career as an outfitter and educator, giving him a voice at the center of Montana’s conservation movement.
About the presenters: Arnold “Smoke” Elser is a legendary packer, author, teacher, and U.S. conservationist who has traveled every trail of the 1.5 million-acre Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex in Western Montana on horseback over the past sixty years. As a professional wilderness outfitter, he has provided a once-in-a-lifetime experience deep in the mountains for thousands of people, many of whom had never ridden a horse before. His famous “Horse and Mule Packing Class” has been taken by the U.S. Navy SEALs, U.S. Army, U.S. National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, as well as thousands of civilians and college students. He is the co-author of the leading textbook on horse and mule packing, Packin’ in on Horses and Mules. His skills, life, and persistent work to preserve public lands and wilderness for future generations have been featured in the PBS documentary 3 Miles an Hour, National Geographic, The Guardian, The New York Times, and The Washington Post, among others. Smoke is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Montana, the Distinguished Citizen Award from the Boy Scouts of America, the Lifetime Conservation Achievement Award from The Conservation Roundtable, and the Backcountry Horseman of America award. He is honored to be the only inductee of both the Montana Outdoor Hall of Fame and the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame. He lives with his wife Thelma, their dog Spunky, and their horses and mules in Missoula, MT.
Eva-Maria Maggi is a writer, teacher, and packer. Her new book, Hush of the Land: A Lifetime in the Bob Marshall Wilderness (Bison Books), is co-written with and about Montana outfitter, conservationist, and packer Arnold “Smoke” Elser. She holds a Ph.D. in political science and has been teaching college classes and giving public talks for over 15 years. Currently, she teaches Wilderness Policy and Packing at the University of Montana, Missoula. Her recent work has been published in Big Sky Journal and the Montana Magazine of Western History (both forthcoming). Her past research on Europe and the Middle East was published as the book The Will of Change (2018, Springer) and in several academic journals, newspapers, and magazines. She grew up in Germany, lived in Italy and Morocco, and now calls Missoula home.
***This program was previously offered free to the community thanks to support from Humanities Montana, which has since lost their federal funding and shuttered their Montana Conversations programming. Smoke and Eva are committed to keeping their program accessible to the community; this is a free event and open to the public. Any donations are greatly appreciated and will support MNHC and these knowledgeable speakers.

Hunting Dinosaur Fossils in the Bighorn Basin!
2025-09-16 18:00 - 19:30 | Montana Natural History Center
Date: Tuesday, September 16
Time: 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Location: Montana Natural History Center
Cost: $15 for MNHC members, $20 for non-members
(Children 17 and under free with ticketed adult.)
REGISTER HERE!
If you’re a fan of dinosaurs, this evening program is for you!
MNHC has partnered with Elevation Science Institute to prepare and conserve dinosaur fossils collected by their paleontologists and citizen-scientists each summer in southern Montana. These fossils come from the world-famous Morrison Formation of southern Montana, rocks dating back over 150 million years!
It has been a record year for the team from Elevation Science Institute. Join Jason Poole to hear the latest from this summer’s field work digging up dinosaur bones in Montana’s Bighorn Basin, some of which will be exposed over the next few months at the Montana Natural History Center before your very eyes!
Drinks and light refreshments/snacks provided.
Instructor: Jason C. Poole has worn many hats, Adjunct Professor of Paleontology, Scientific Illustrator, art teacher, and Paleontology field instructor. Jason has excavated dinosaurs on three continents, including Africa, South and North America. Paralititan, Dreadnoughtus and Suuwassea are three dinosaurs worked on by Poole, all were new to science when discovered and two of which are supermassive titanosaurs. Poole is also a Paleontological Artist who has published in National Geographic and whose art work appears in many museum and private collections. Jason resides in Missoula, Montana and can often be found sketching in the studio and the great outdoors.
What’s the refund policy?
The course fee (minus a 25% administrative fee) is refundable if a cancellation is made up to 7 days before the event. No refunds will be issued for cancellations made after this deadline. See our full refund/cancellation policy here.
Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?
Nope! We will have a list of all the attendees.

Fall Tree Fruits with Marilyn Marler
2025-09-17 17:30 - 19:00 | Montana Natural History Center
Date: Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Time: 5:30-7:00 p.m.
Location: Meet at the Root Interpretive Center at University of Montana, between Main Hall and the Natural Sciences Greenhouse. Free parking after 5 pm.
Cost: Free, and open to the public
Come on a short, shady walk with botanist Marilyn Marler (MNHC’s Executive Director) to learn about fall fruit types in the State of Montana Arboretum at UM. Many trees produce fruit, but they go way beyond the sweet edible varieties. Instead of pears and apples, we’ll talk about legumes, samaras, capsules, nuts and maybe a few berries. Non-crop tree fruits are beautiful and diverse.
Wheelchair accessible, no prior knowledge needed. Kiddos welcome with a grown up but no dogs please (except service dogs).

Scavengers Photography Club
2025-09-18 18:00 - 20:00 | Montana Natural History Center
Dates: Third Thursday of the Month
Time: 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Location: Montana Natural History Center
Come find community and inspiration for your nature photography passion at our Scavengers Photography Club! Everyone is welcome – hobbyists, enthusiasts, professionals, and new beginners! Peggy Christian, artist, author, and Master Naturalist, hosts this unique club.
At each session we will share our photos (up to 6 per person) and discuss current projects, interests, successes, and challenges. Some sessions will feature a guest presentation on an aspect of photography.
For our September class, Marcy James, owner of Paper & Ink Studio in Missoula, joins us for a guest critique focused on composition and intention behind the image(s). If you would like to have your pictures critiqued, please email 3-5 large JPEG files to eyster.kathy@gmail.com by September 16.
Photo by Marcy James
Note: Please bring your photos to share on a thumb drive to use in our computer.
“A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels, in the deepest sense, about what is being photographed.”
― Ansel Adams
Share your perspective and connection to nature through photography!

Saturday Kids' Activity: Montana Wildlife!
2025-09-20 13:00 - 15:00 | Montana Natural History Center
Date: Saturday, September 20th
Time: 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Location: Montana Natural History Center
Cost: Free with membership / cost of admission
Join us for exciting and educational Saturdays filled with delightful activities designed to captivate young minds and inspire a love for nature!
Our drop-in Saturday programs feature activities, art, science experiments, and more. Stop in anytime between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. for the fun! Kids might look for Osprey with binoculars, dissect owl pellets, or walk a model of the solar system. Every month features a new topic. The whole family can be involved, as the exploration and activities are suitable for a wide age range.
On Saturday, September 20th we’ll explore some of the best of Montana’s Wildlife!
Saturday Kids’ Activities are great for kids ages pre-k through elementary school.

Voyage to the Varves: Glacial Lake Missoula Field Day
2025-09-24 09:00 - 13:00 | Montana Natural History Center
Date: Wednesday, September 24, 2025
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: Meet at MNHC, travel by MNHC bus
Cost: $40 MNHC and/or GLM Chapter members/$60 non-members
REGISTER HERE
See Glacial Lake Missoula’s seasonal calendar recorded in sediment with geologist Jim Shelden!
Varves are annual sediment depositions, often recording seasons in differently colored bands. Darker bands are deposited in winter as organic matter settles, and lighter bands are deposited in the summer as glacial flour and run-off sediments drift to the lake bed. Varves also give a minimum depth of water greater than 300 feet. Glacial lake varves are often beautifully preserved.
The Ninemile varves are crucial to understanding the story of Glacial Lake Missoula. Not only do they record the minimum number of years Glacial Lake Missoula existed, they also record the number of times the glacial lake emptied in catastrophic floods, forever changing the landscape. See these varves up close and hold pieces of them in your hands!
Jim Shelden will recount the story of Glacial Lake Missoula and the importance of the varves using materials and displays at the Montana Natural History Center. Then we will travel by MNHC bus to the Ninemile varves roadcut. You will be able to inspect the varves and take samples home. This program is a wonderful way to learn more about one of the major and defining geological events in Western Montana.
Activity level: easy.
What to Bring:

Water/snacks
Clothes for changing Montana weather conditions
Sneakers or boots
Sack lunch for the bus if desired
Anything you need to be comforatable standing, sitting on the bus, or walking

FAQs
What’s the refund policy?
The course fee (minus a 25% administrative fee) is refundable if a cancellation is made up to 7 days before the event. No refunds will be issued for cancellations made after this deadline. See our full refund/cancellation policy here.
Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?
Nope! We will have a list of all the attendees.

Drop-In Nature Journaling
2025-09-24 11:30 - 13:00 | Montana Natural History Center
Date: Last Wednesday of the Month
Time: 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: Montana Natural History Center
Cost: Free with admission/membership!
Fellow naturalists! Are you looking for community, accountability, inspiration, and more? We’re excited to offer monthly drop-in nature journaling / phenology wheel / nature writing sessions September-May. Bring your nature journals, phenology wheels, pens, pencils, and paints, and have fun crafting your observations in community. We’ll have some supplies available (colored pencils, micron pens, watercolor pencils, etc.), as well as field guides and specimens, and we’ll provide a fun journal prompt, too! For those working on phenology wheels – whether daily, monthly, or seasonal – this is a great time to work on your wheel template for the next month or catch up on your daily or monthly observations.
Scheduled over the lunch hour, this is a perfect mid-day break; please feel free to bring lunch or snacks.
This program is FREE with admission/membership!
Come join us for fun, creativity, and naturalist exploration!
2025-2026 dates:
September 24th, 2025
October 29th, 2025
November 26th, 2025
NO SESSION in DECEMBER
January 28th, 2026
February 25th, 2026
March 25th, 2026
April 29th, 2026
May 27th, 2026
We’ll be back in September!

Saving the Big Sky
2025-09-24 18:00 - 19:30 | Montana Natural History Center
Date: Wednesday, September 24
Time: 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Location: Montana Natural History Center
Cost: Free and open to the public, but please register
Join authors Bruce A. Bugbee, Robert J. Kiesling, and John B. Wright for a presentation of their book Saving the Big Sky: A Chronicle of Land Conservation in Montana. In documenting conservation accomplishments and suggesting what more can be done, Saving the Big Sky invites readers to participate in conserving Montana—or whatever cherished landscape they call home.
REGISTER HERE
During this lecture, we’ll learn more about the compelling study of how six million acres of biodiverse land were conserved in Montana over the past fifty years. Indigenous and non-Indigenous knowledge about land stewardship has evolved and since the 1970s tribes, nonprofit organizations, land trusts, and government agencies have conserved land in many creative ways.
Light refreshments and book signings, too. Offered in partnership with Fact and Fiction.
About the authors:
Bruce A. Bugbee is a land conservation consultant and founder of American Public Land Exchange.
Robert J. Kiesling is a real estate broker, conservation consultant, and former executive director of the Montana Environmental Information Center and the Big Sky (Montana/Wyoming) office of The Nature Conservancy.
John B. Wright has completed over one hundred conservation easements in Montana and the Rocky Mountain West and is professor emeritus of geography and environmental studies at New Mexico State University.

Saturday Kids' Activity: Creatures of the Night!
2025-09-27 13:00 - 15:00 | Montana Natural History Center
Date: Saturday, September 27th
Time: 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Location: Montana Natural History Center
Cost: Free with membership/cost of admission
Join us for exciting and educational Saturdays filled with delightful activities designed to captivate young minds and inspire a love for nature!
Our drop-in Saturday programs feature activities, art, science experiments, and more. Stop in anytime between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. for the fun! Kids might look for Osprey with binoculars, dissect owl pellets, or walk a model of the solar system. Every month features a new topic. The whole family can be involved, as the exploration and activities are suitable for a wide age range.
On Saturday, September 27th we’ll explore creatures of the night!
Saturday Kids’ Activities are great for kids ages pre-k through elementary school.

Climate Solutions Week: Garden Tour & Seed Ball Workshop
2025-09-29 12:00 - 13:00 | Montana Natural History Center
Date: Monday, September 29th
Time: 12:00-1:00 p.m.
Location: Montana Natural History Center
Cost: Free and open to the public
The Montana Natural History Center is honored to participate in Climate Smart Missoula’s Climate Solutions Week again this year! Check out all the great events happening from September 27th to October 5th on their website.
Join us at MNHC for a garden tour & seed ball workshop! Come tour our garden to learn tips for attracting pollinators, the impact of climate on native habitats, and how creating a native plant garden can help. You’ll take home your own native seed ball to get started!

Rooted at the Edge: Reading and Book Signing with Donna Erickson
2025-10-02 19:00 - 20:30 | Montana Natural History Center
Date: Thursday, October 2
Time: 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Location: Montana Natural History Center
Cost: Free, and open to the public
MNHC is excited to host author Donna Erickson for a reading and signing of her book, Rooted at the Edge: Ranching Where the Old West and New West Collide.
Rooted at the Edge paints a portrait of a ranching community in a threatened landscape steeped in history, conflict, and beauty.
Across the West rural lifestyles are increasingly compromised by suburbanization, economic hardship, and family dynamics; a way of life and a way of work are vanishing. Ranchland may be simultaneously cherished by a family for the life its members have made there and coveted by urban neighbors for open space. Community residents may love a place for its scenery and wildlife habitat while others wish it converted to a commercial parking lot. Complex ecological relationships can be bulldozed in a single afternoon. And the threats of climate change and shifting populations compromise the edge even more.
Light refreshments provided. This event is offered in partnership with Fact and Fiction.
About the Author: Donna Erickson is the author of Rooted at the Edge: Ranching Where the Old West and New West Collide (2025), published by the University of Nebraska Press. Erickson grew up on a ranch in Missoula’s North Hills and was a professor of landscape architecture and planning at the University of Michigan for 16 years. She has consulted with land conservation groups across the west from her home in Missoula and has published extensively in design and planning. Erickson’s previous book is MetroGreen: Connecting Open Space in North American Cities.

Owl Pellet Bone Box Sip & Build
2025-10-04 13:00 - 15:00 | Montana Natural History Center
Date: Saturday, October 4, 2025
Time: 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Location: MNHC
Cost: $30 MNHC members/$35 non-members
REGISTER HERE
Create a uniquely naturalist spooky display with bones from an owl pellet!
Owl pellets are a treasure trove. Filled with bones, fur, and feathers, they tell us what an owl has been eating. We will discuss the science behind owl pellets and we will use charts and guides to identify the bones we find within. After our forensic practice, we will clean the bones and prepare them for our bone box! Materials will include: owl pellets, small boxes, glue, paint, and your own sense of design. These mini shadow boxes are perfect for Halloween decorations or as art to be enjoyed all year. They definitely adorn some desks here at MNHC!
Enjoy a beer, fizzy water, or cocoa and spend a crafty afternoon with us!
Best for ages 12 and up.
Cost: $30 MNHC members, $35 non-members. Add your MNHC membership to your order when you check out!

FAQs
What’s the refund policy?
The course fee (minus a 25% administrative fee) is refundable if a cancellation is made up to 7 days before the event. No refunds will be issued for cancellations made after this deadline. See our full refund/cancellation policy here.
Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?
Nope! We will have a list of all the attendees.

Volunteering at Fort Missoula Native Plant Garden
2025-10-05 09:00 - 11:00 | Montana Natural History Center
Dates: Sundays, October 5 & 19, 2025
Time: 9:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.
Location: Fort Missoula Native Plant Garden
The beautiful Native Plant Garden at Fort Missoula could use volunteers to weed, transplant plants out of the walkways and prune shrubs. Volunteering is available most Sunday mornings from 9:00-11:00 a.m. and you can pop in and out any time during that period. We will supply the gloves and tools but if you have your own feel free to bring them. In addition to working, you can learn about the plants, birds and ecology of the garden from Elena Ulev, the Garden Manager.
DIG IN! For more information on programs happening at the Fort Missoula Native Plant Garden, click here!

Our Sacred Objects, The Long Trip Home with Tyson and Lona Running Wolf
2025-10-08 18:00 - 19:30 | Montana Natural History Center
Date: Wednesday, October 8
Time: 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Location: Montana Natural History Center
Cost: $10 MNHC members/$15 non-members
Free for Native people.
REGISTER HERE
Join MNHC, and Tyson and Lona Running Wolf of Blackfeet ECO Knowledge, as they share their work to recover Blackfeet sacred objects from museums in the United States and abroad. Tyson and Lona are based in Browning — their reputations as educators, outfitters, and policy makers reach across Montana.
About Blackfeet ECO Knowledge: Blackfeet ECO Knowledge’s mission is to revive, preserve, and promote Indigenous traditional knowledge systems. We focus on the reciprocal relationships between bio-cultural diversity, where people and the environment work together for environmental sustainability for future generations. The goals are to ensure cultural perpetuity, pass on knowledge to future generations, and protect the environment in ways aligned with our cultural principles. We seek to share this knowledge with the world to develop a better understanding of the importance of balanced and respectful human-environment interactions. https://www.blackfeetecoknowledge.org/
Light refreshments provided.
FAQs
What’s the refund policy?
The course fee (minus a 25% administrative fee) is refundable if a cancellation is made up to 7 days before the event. No refunds will be issued for cancellations made after this deadline. See our full refund/cancellation policy here.
Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?
Nope! We will have a list of all the attendees.

Ravens, Crows, and Magpies, OH MY! with John and Colleen Marzluff
2025-10-11 09:00 - 14:00 | Montana Natural History Center
Date: Saturday, October 11, 2025
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Location: Meet at MNHC, travel by MNHC bus
Cost: $150 MNHC members/$160 non-members
REGISTER HERE
Join acclaimed researchers John and Colleen Marzluff on a scientific exploration of the corvid’s world.
Check out a clip from the PBS Nature documentary: A Murder of Crows: As the Crow Flies, on their groundbreaking research.
Corvids are a family of songbirds including crows, ravens, magpies, nutcrackers, and jays. The Marzluffs have spent four decades studying corvids throughout the Northern Hemisphere and continue to do so in Yellowstone, where they are unraveling the connections between ravens, wolves, and people. Their work highlights the long-standing influence these birds have on people, the mental acuity they use to solve problems, the complexity of their behavior, and the challenges they pose to conservation efforts. Missoula is home to ravens that will thrill us with their acrobatic flight, crows that will sidle up to us for a close look, magpies that are as colorful as they are noisy, nutcrackers that are busy stashing seeds for winter, and jays that give away their moods by raising and lowering their blue crests.
We will combine in-class lectures with field observations to nearby locations to learn about the remarkable behaviors, habits, and influences of these common, but often underappreciated, birds.
Instructors:
John Marzluff is Professor Emeritus of Wildlife Science at the University of Washington. His research has been the focus of articles in the New York Times, National Geographic, Audubon, Boys Life, The Seattle Times, National Wildlife, Consumer Reports, Time, and Science. PBS’s NATURE featured his raven research in its production, “Ravens,” and his crow research in the film documentary, “A Murder of Crows.” His current research focuses on the interactions of ravens and wolves in Yellowstone. He teaches field ecology courses at the University of Washington and for Yellowstone Forever.
Dr. Marzluff has written six books and edited several others. His graduate research in communication, social organization, demography, and foraging behavior was reveled in The Pinyon Jay, 1992, Academic Press (coauthored with his advisor Russell Balda). His book, In the Company of Crows and Ravens (with Tony Angell, 2005 Yale U. Press) blends biology, conservation, and anthropology to suggest that human and crow cultures have co-evolved. This book won the 2006 Washington State Book Award for general nonfiction. With his wife, Colleen, he published Dog Days, Raven Nights (2011 Yale University Press), which combines reflection with biology and the recreational pursuit of dog sledding to show how a life in science blooms. Gifts of the Crow (2012 Free Press, coauthored with Tony Angell) applies a neurobiological perspective to understand the amazing feats of corvids. His Welcome to Subirdia (2014 Yale) discovers that moderately settled lands host a splendid array of biological diversity and suggests ways in which people can steward these riches to benefit birds and themselves. His most recent In Search of Meadowlarks (2020 Yale) connects our agriculture and diets to the conservation of birds and other wildlife.
Dr. Marzluff has mentored over 40 graduate students and authored over 170 scientific papers on various aspects of bird behavior and wildlife management. He is a Fellow of the American Ornithologist’s Union, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a National Geographic Explorer.
Colleen Marzluff completed her bachelor’s degree at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, in 1982. She returned to her native southwest to study biology at Northern Arizona University, where she completed a Master’s thesis on the feeding ecology of Abert’s squirrels. After completing her degree, she worked with Dr. Russell Balda as a technician in his Avian Cognition Lab until leaving for Maine. After moving to Idaho, she was hired by a private consulting company as an administrative assistant. She continued part-time as an administrative assistant when the company split off to a nonprofit group. Because running sled dogs wasn’t a well-known sport in Boise, Idaho, she developed a curriculum for and taught a class every fall. Later, in Washington, she became a full-time mother to daughters and dogs. Today she is involved in several local organizations and her daughters’ schools. To keep her animal behavior skills sharp, she is participating in pet therapy, agility, and recently, herding.
What to Bring:

clothes for changing Montana weather conditions – layers, good shoes, rain or sun gear
water/snacks
lunch
binoculars (we have some to borrow)
notebooks and writing implement (optional)
anything you need to be comfortable in the classroom, on the bus, or in the field

FAQs
What’s the refund policy?
The course fee (minus a 25% administrative fee) is refundable if a cancellation is made up to 7 days before the event. No refunds will be issued for cancellations made after this deadline. See our full refund/cancellation policy here.
Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?
Nope! We will have a list of all the attendees.
