miniNaturalist Pre-K Program
2025-02-10 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-02-17 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-02-24 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-03-03 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-03-10 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-03-17 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-03-24 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-03-31 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Denver) and 1 more date | Montana Natural History Center
The miniNaturalist pre-K program encourages curiosity for the natural world.
Dates: Every Monday, 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!

Nature Writing "Hush Hour(s)"
2025-02-10 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.

Spring 2025 Master Naturalist Certification Course
2025-02-11 08:00 - 17:00, 2025-02-11 10:00 - 13:00 | Montana Natural History Center
Spring 2025 Master Naturalist Certification Course
Tuesdays, February 11 – May 6, 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Our certification courses consist of at least 40 hours of instruction in a mix of lectures, in-class labs, and outdoor field trips. We’ll cover a wide breadth of topics with the goal of giving you an essential foundation of skill and knowledge on which you can build.
“The course has helped me to be more curious, observant, and connected with my surroundings. I’ve met people who share this passion, their experiences, and curiosity with whom I can wander and wonder.”– 2023 Program participant
Register now for the Spring 2024 Montana Master Naturalist Course!
Taught by MNHC Naturalist Christine Morris, this class:

is a 12-week course
runs on Tuesdays from 10:00a.m -1:00 pm (no class March 18, the week of UM’s spring break)
includes 2 full-day Saturday field trips, 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., tentatively scheduled on February 22 and April 12, and 1 half-day Saturday field trip, 9:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. on March 29.

This course will enable you to interpret the landscape on your own; to pry out its secrets and share those secrets with others; to take in the natural world first hand rather than through a guide. This confidence begins with knowing the details: the names of the local flowers, birds, trees, and butterflies. Throughout the course you will practice specific naturalist skills and gain foundational knowledge that will assist in your engagement with the natural world for years to come.
See our local forests in new light as you learn about the role our conifers play in a coordinated ecology with fire and snow pack moisture. Or marvel in the diversity of lichen. Spend an entire day identifying winter raptors in the Mission valley. Become attuned to bird songs and butterfly wings. Get a handle on flower identification by recognizing patterns in form. Our emphasis will be on learning how to identify local flora, fauna, and landscape processes while gaining insight on how each part is connected.
Knowledgeable guest instructors include botanist and author Peter Lesica, botanist Greg Peters, birder Chadwick Moore, MNHC editor Allison De Jong, and conservation biologist Erim Gomez.
The class will be be based at the Montana Natural History Center. Travel to field sites will be by MNHC bus.
Registration Information:

Cost: $450/$425 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.
3 UM credits available (pending approval). This course is listed at UM ENST 391. A $155 fee is required to the School of Extended and Lifelong Learning to take the class for credit. Payment and information will be collected at the first class.
Some scholarships are available–please contact us at 327.0405 for details.
REGISTRATION Coming soon

Master Naturalist Certification requirements:

Attend at least 40 hours of instruction.
Complete journal entries and a final project.

If you want to maintain your certification in years to come (and earn successive Master Naturalist pins), you’ll have to log 20 hours of volunteer service per year with organizations connected with the natural world, as well as 8 hours of continuing education per year.
*If you have a significant background in the natural sciences or hold a Master Naturalist certificate from another state or Montana provider, you may want to start with Master Naturalist II.
For more information on volunteer service & continuing education requirements, click here.
Recommended Materials:
The only required material is a blank journal. We will provide details and recommendations on the first day of class. Everything else can be borrowed or used in class from our supply. Each student will receive a Master Naturalist Handbook.

binoculars (we have plenty to borrow)
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 Wildflowers of Montana or Plants of the Rocky Mountains
insect guide such as Kaufman’s Guide to Insects of North America

See sample syllabus here (some elements could be subject to change).

Buy tickets

Virtual Naturalist Book Club #1
2025-02-11 18:30 - 20:30, 2025-03-11 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.

Counting Bunny Poop: How Forest Thinning Projects Impact Wildlife Habitat - Partners & Public Lands Seminar Series
2025-02-12 19:00 - 20:00 | Montana Natural History Center
Date: Wednesday, February 12
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Montana Natural History Center
Cost: Free!, but please register
FREE REGISTRATION HERE!

PARTNERS & PUBLIC LANDS SEMINAR SERIES: Conversations with BLM Missoula Field Office
Featuring Speakers John Fothergill (BLM), Jodi Wetzstein (BLM), Michael Schaedel (TNC), and Dr. Andrew Larson (University of Montana)
BLM Missoula Field Office and our partners, The Nature Conservancy and University of Montana, are in the midst of a long-term research study understanding snowshoe hare habitat and impacts from forest management treatments. Yep, quite literally, counting bunny poop. Come learn about young forest management treatments and how BLM and our partners are on the cutting edge of adaptive complexity thinning research!
First 30 people can enjoy a complimentary beer with the lecture! Beer for this lecture is sponsored by Christine Morris and Geoff Farinholt. If you would like to sponsor one of our lectures with beer, please let us know!
The Missoula Field Office, Bureau of Land Management is excited to announce the “Partners & Public Lands” seminar series! Hosted by the Montana Natural History Center, staff from BLM will be teaming up with our partners to share some of our common treatment activities and deep dive into the “why” behind these land restoration actions. In this 4-part series, we’ll share about forest management, riparian treatments, recreation management, and BLM’s new co-stewardship partnership with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes.
February 12 – Counting Bunny Poop – How Forest Thinning Treatments Impact Wildlife Habitat; with special guests from The Nature Conservancy and University of Montana
March 19 – Busy Beavers – Using Low Tech Stream Restoration Techniques to Restore Riparian Areas; with special guests from Trout Unlimited and others TBA
April 16 – Recreation Resiliency – Exploring a Community-Driven Approach to Recreation Stewardship; featuring Blackfoot Challenge
May 21 – Tribal Reconnections – Sharing BLM & CSKT’s Tribal Co-stewardship Partnership and what this means for land management; featuring partners from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe

Master Naturalist II
2025-02-13 08:00 - 17:00 | Montana Natural History Center
Summer 2027 Master Naturalist Certification II Course
Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.
REGISTER HERE registration coming January 1. 2027
This course is for anyone who has certified as a Master Naturalist in Montana or elsewhere or has the professional/academic background to begin with a level II course. This level II certification course consists of at of instruction in a mix of lectures, in-class labs, and outdoor field trips. We will build on the foundations established in our Master Naturalist level I course by advancing skills in topics such as birding by ear, nature journalling, plant family ID, grasses, ecology, and invertebrate ID.
If you are taking this for your initial certification you will have pre-course and homework throughout the week to reach the requred 40 hours of content.
The course will be taught by an amazing selection of instructors, all experts in their field.
More information coming soon.
The class will be be based at the Montana Natural History Center. Travel to field sites will be by MNHC bus. Activity level will be easy to moderate with potential extended time standing and/or sitting in the field.
Registration Information:

Cost: $450/$425 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.
Some scholarships are available–please contact us at 406.327.0405 for details

Master Naturalist Certification requirements:

Full attendance
Complete your field journal and final exercise
If you want to maintain your certification in years to come (and earn successive Master Naturalist pins), you’ll have to log 20 hours of volunteer service per year with organizations connected to the natural world, as well as 8 hours of continuing education per year.

For more information on volunteer service & continuing education requirements, click here.
Recommended Materials:
The only required material is a blank journal. We will provide details and recommendations for your journal on the first day of class. Everything else can be borrowed or used in class from our supply. Each student will receive a Master Naturalist Handbook.

binoculars (we have plenty to borrow)
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 Wildflowers of Montana or Plants of the Rocky Mountains
insect guide such as Kaufman’s Guide to Insects of North America

Fornicating Fossils With Kallie Moore
2025-02-13 19:00 - 20:00 | Montana Natural History Center
Date: Thursday February 13
Time: 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Location: Montana Natural History Center
Cost: $10 members/$12 non-members
Register Here
Join UM Paleo Collections Manager, Kallie Moore, for Fornicating Fossils: a spicy lecture about evidence for reproduction and mating in the fossil record, attempting to answer the age-old question, “How did dinosaurs do it?”

Beverages included in the price of admission. This is an 18 and over event, please.

Tips, Tricks, and Techniques for Sketching in Your Nature Journal #2 with Jason C. Poole
2025-02-15 13:00 - 15:00 | Montana Natural History Center
Date: Saturday, February 15
Time: 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Location: Montana Natural History Center
Cost: $40 for MNHC members, $45 for non-members (some scholarships available – call 406.327.0405 for more information)
REGISTER HERE
Get in the nature journaling flow with guidance and practice! This class is a great follow-up to January’s session with new activities and time to practice your technique. It is also a wonderful immersion and introduction to nature journaling if this is your first time taking the class!
Illustrator and incurable sketcher Jason C. Poole will help you hone your nature journaling skills. Incredible reference specimens from MNHC’s collection including mammals, birds, insects, bone, horn, shells, and rocks will be used for guided practice exercises and longer study time. Discover techniques to bring your drawings to life. Practice with line weight and density, ratio and perspective, detail and focus and much more.
“Art is harmony parallel with nature.”- Paul Cezanne
Materials: We will have everything you need! Plus tea and cocoa! However, feel free to bring your favorite media to work with. We recommend pencils, pens, and a good mixed media or sketch paper.

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 and South and North America. Paralititan, Dreadnoughtus and Suuwassea are three dinosaurs Jason has worked on. All three were new to science when discovered and two are supermassive titanosaurs. Jason 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 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.

Scavengers Photography Club
2025-02-20 18:00 - 20:00, 2025-03-20 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.
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!

Drop-In Nature Journaling at MNHC
2025-02-26 11:30 - 13:00, 2025-03-26 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 in the new year? We’re excited to offer monthly drop-in nature journaling / phenology wheel / nature writing sessions this year. 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!

Naturalist Trivia Night!
2025-02-27 19:00 - 21:00 | Montana Natural History Center
Date: February 27, 2025
Time: 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Location: Montana Natural History Center
Show off your skills or come to learn something new—trivia nights are fun for any background level. Join a team when you arrive or bring a crew to compete in Naturalist Trivia Night. The night’s theme is Invasive Species. MNHC teaching naturalist Ryan Mahar is running the show with hosts from the Great Burn Conservation Alliance in celebration of National Invasive Species Awareness Week. We’re excited to bring you another fun trivia night!
This is a FREE event, but registration is required so we don’t overcrowd the space!
REGISTER HERE.
WE JUST “SOLD OUT” of this event! But have no fear — join us on Monday, March 3rd for WILD LOVE trivia to get your naturalist trivia-fix! Learn more — CLICK HERE!
BYOB and snacks.
How does Naturalist Trivia Work?
Come with a team or join up with new friends when you arrive. MNHC staff will help you find a table.
There are usually 4 rounds of questions each frequently on a common theme such as “Montana cats” or “poisonous plants.” Some rounds are verbal, others are visual, or auditory (guess that bird call!).
After each round the answers are divulged and a score for each team is displayed.
Two hours later there will be a winner!

Wild Soups & Stocks, Teas, & Broths
2025-03-01 13:00 - 15:00 | Montana Natural History Center
Date: Saturday, March 1
Time: 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Location: Montana Natural History Center
Cost: $50 for MNHC members, $55 for non-members (some scholarships available – call 406.327.0405 for more information)
REGISTER HERE!
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” –Hippocrates
Herbal medicine doesn’t just come in tinctures and salves. Come explore how to add wild medicinals to your daily meals with winter’s most flexible food group: soup! With our palates as our guide, we’ll be exploring the many tasting notes of different herbs, seaweeds, and mushrooms, talking about their medicinal properties, preparations, sourcing quality ingredients and wild harvesting ethics. Come ready to sample some new flavors and learn about the luscious landscape that surrounds you!
Instructors: Sydney Morical and Cathryn Raan of Wild Wanders are both passionate and longtime gatherers of wild food and medicine. They have also served on the Board of Directors for the Western Montana Mycological Association since 2018, planning events, teaching a wide variety of mushroom classes and keeping the fungal community engaged and connected. They both have experience in herbal medicine and agriculture (they will teach you about all the wonderful “weeds” around town), and a deep love of this land and all the plants living in their midst. They are humbled and delighted to be two of many on a long strand of plant-loving humans sharing their experience and knowledge with others.
Check out their May program at MNHC too! Nutrient-Dense Eating with Wild Foods.
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.

Nature Writing "Hush Hour(s)"
2025-03-10 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.

Busy Beavers - Partners & Public Lands Seminar Series
2025-03-12 19:00 - 20:00 | Montana Natural History Center
Busy Beavers: Using Low-tech Stream Restoration Techniques to Restore Riparian Areas
Date: Wednesday, March 12
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Montana Natural History Center
Cost: Free! But please register.
FREE REGISTRATION HERE!
PARTNERS & PUBLIC LANDS SEMINAR SERIES: Conversations with BLM Missoula Field Office
Featuring Speakers Claire Romanko (BLM), Tess Scanlon (Trout Unlimited), and more TBA
Beavers are having a moment. Scientists and land managers alike have caught the beaver fever. As you’ll hear from BLM and partners with Trout Unlimited, National Wildlife Federation, and Clark Fork Coalition, there are many merits to using low-tech process-based restoration techniques for stream restoration to help restore stream function and hold back the snowpack for greater drought resiliency.
We’ll share the science behind these treatments, and some of our recent project success stories.
Enjoy a complimentary beer with the lecture!
The Missoula Field Office, Bureau of Land Management is excited to announce the “Partners & Public Lands” seminar series! Hosted by the Montana Natural History Center, staff from BLM will be teaming up with our partners to share some of our common treatment activities and deep dive into the “why” behind these land restoration actions. In this 4-part series, we’ll share about forest management, riparian treatments, recreation management, and BLM’s new co-stewardship partnership with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes.
February 12 – Counting Bunny Poop – How Forest Thinning Treatments Impact Wildlife Habitat; with special guests from The Nature Conservancy and University of Montana
March 12 – Busy Beavers – Using Low Tech Stream Restoration Techniques to Restore Riparian Areas; with special guests from Trout Unlimited and others TBA
April 16 – Recreation Resiliency – Exploring a Community-Driven Approach to Recreation Stewardship; featuring Blackfoot Challenge
May 21 – Tribal Reconnections – Sharing BLM & CSKT’s Tribal Co-stewardship Partnership and what this means for land management; featuring partners from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe

Online Field Notes Writing Workshop, 6-Part Class - Spring 2025
2025-03-18 10:00 - 11:30 | Virtual Zoom Classroom
Location: Virtual Classroom on Zoom
Dates: Tuesdays, March 18, 25, and April 1, 8, 15, 22
Time: 10:00-11:30 a.m.
Explore various forms of nature writing, then research and write your own Field Note during this online, workshop-based six-part class!
Instructors:
Allison De Jong, writer, naturalist, and editor of Montana Naturalist magazine and Field Notes on Montana Public Radio
Drew Lefebvre, naturalist, writer, and owner of Turnstone Nature Education
REGISTER HERE.
In this six-part class, you’ll work with Field Notes editor Allison De Jong, naturalist Drew Lefebvre, and your fellow participants to research, write, and workshop your very own Field Note. We’ll read and discuss a variety of nature writing; brainstorm ideas; practice writing prompts; discuss tone, style, and research methods; and provide feedback for each other’s Field Notes. And you’ll have the opportunity to record your Field Note with Montana Public Radio sometime later this year, if interested. Many of the Field Notes aired since 2021 were written in previous workshops! (You can read and listen to them here.)
This class will be a delightful combination of natural history and creativity. You’ll get to explore a natural history topic of your choice, practice different writing techniques, get and give feedback on your and others’ writing in a small, supportive workshop setting, and finish the class with a lovely natural history essay that’s ready to be shared with the Montana Public Radio listening area (if you wish!).
Course fee includes a copy of our beautiful Field Notes from the Montana Natural History Center book*, a collection of 134 Field Notes as well as original artwork from dozens of naturalists from the program’s first 25 years. We’ll read and discuss several of these Field Notes in class, and the rest of the book is yours to enjoy at your leisure.
Cost: $225 MNHC members, $245 non-members. You can add your MNHC membership to your order when you check out.
REGISTER FOR THE FIELD NOTES WORKSHOP HERE.
What participants are saying about this workshop:
“The course was very engaging. The encouragement, group support, community formed, and great instruction was profoundly rewarding. The reading and writing prompts were inspiring. There was a great integration of emotion, creativity, naturalist’s knowledge, scientific knowledge and shared experiences.”
~Cynthia Swidler, Spring 2020
“I loved this class. Learning to write field notes was way different than what I expected. Allison and Drew both really brought to life the importance of sharing personal experience and scientific information in story form. I learned so much about the writing process, how to refine pieces for reading aloud, and how to give a voice to the voiceless. I have much more confidence about writing field notes now, and many ideas!!”
~Marnie Craig, Spring 2020
“A complete and successful experience! Involving, stimulating. Great to experience the writing and expression abilities of the other writers. I was often amazed how the leaders and the other writers could analyze, dissect, and interpret our reading assignments and any topic of discussion. I loved the class. A learning and writing experience for sure, thank you!”
~Terry Habeger, Spring 2020
“Thank you, thank you, thank you. This class was extremely grounding in a period of big transition in my life, and it really bolstered my self-confidence to sit with a group of strangers every week and feel seen and heard. Knowing that I have the capacity to sit down and write words that make people feel excited to go outside is an incredible gift, and I am very grateful for this class for it.”
~Zola Kell, Fall 2021
“I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and the classroom community. Would recommend taking this class for anyone interested in creative science/nature writing, either for fun or as a career.”
~Kayla Heinze, Spring 2023
“It was all so rewarding! I loved crafting a piece that felt digestible to get me back into a writing routine. I loved our 10-minute writes. The [workshopping] session was really helpful as well as the detailed suggestions and feedback from both Allison and Drew. I loved the poetry and writing pieces we read and discussed in class. It was a great class!”
~Victoria Yee, Fall 2024
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.
*The cost of the Field Notes book is non-refundable (if you cancel after you’ve received the book).
*If you are unable to pick up the book from the Montana Natural History Center, we will ship it to you for an additional fee. (Choose the Field Notes Book Shipping add-on when you check out.)

Naturalist Trivia Night!
2025-03-27 19:00 - 21:00 | Montana Natural History Center
Date: March 27, 2025
Time: 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Location: Montana Natural History Center
Show off your skills or come to learn something new—trivia nights are fun for any background level. Join a team when you arrive or bring a crew to compete in Naturalist Trivia Night. MNHC teaching naturalist Ryan Mahar is running the show. March’s theme is beetles!! We’re excited to bring you another fun trivia night!
This is a FREE event, but registration is required so we don’t overcrowd the space!
REGISTER HERE.
BYOB and snacks.
How does Naturalist Trivia Work?
Come with a team or join up with new friends when you arrive. MNHC staff will help you find a table.
There are usually 4 rounds of questions each frequently on a common theme such as “Montana cats” or “poisonous plants.” Some rounds are verbal, others are visual, or auditory (guess that bird call!).
After each round the answers are divulged and a score for each team is displayed.
Two hours later there will be a winner!

"Booming" to Lee Metcalf NWR with Birder/Author Sneed Collard
2025-03-29 09:00 - 13:00 | Montana Natural History Center
Date: Saturday, March 29
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: Meet at MNHC to bus or carpool with MNHC staff at 9:00 a.m. or at Lee Metcalf Wildlife Refuge at 10:00 a.m.
Cost: $50 for MNHC members, $55 for non-members (some scholarships available – call 406.327.0405 for more information)
REGISTER HERE
Enjoy an early spring birding trip to one of western Montana’s premier birding locations with veteran birder Sneed Collard, author of the new book Birding for Boomers—and Everyone Else Brave Enough to Embrace the World’s Most Rewarding and Frustrating Activity. The trip will focus on waterfowl, raptors, and early spring migrants as well as our resident year-round species, and is appropriate for birders of all ages and abilities. Along the way, Sneed will share a flock of birding tips for beginning birders and those with special challenges.
Sneed’s Birding for Boomers was recently recognized as a 2024 Honor Book by the Montana Book Award!
Instructor: Sneed B. Collard III is the author of more than one hundred books for children and adults including Birding for Boomers; Warblers & Woodpeckers: A Father-Son Big Year of Birding; and his recent picture book Border Crossings, which won the prestigious Orbis Pictus Award for the best nonfiction children’s book of 2023.
What to Bring:

Clothes/layers appropriate for changing Montana weather conditions. In spring, anything can happen!
Walking shoes or boots
Water/snacks
Binoculars (optional, we have some to borrow)
Writing implement and journal (optional)
Whatever you need to be comfortable walking, standing, and being outside in the elements for two hours

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.

First Friday: Lives and Lessons of Zoo Animals
2025-04-04 17:00 - 19:00 | Montana Natural History Center
Date: April 4, 2025
Time: 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Location: Montana Natural History Center
Join us for a First Friday event with artist and student Nicole Emlen, as she shares her photography series Lives and Lessons of Zoo Animals. Nicole will provide a brief introduction about her project and about the future of her work. Come meet the artist, and enjoy an inspiring night at MNHC!
Light snacks and beverages provided.
From “Lives and Lessons of Zoo Animals” series by Nicole Emlen
About Nicole Emlen:
I am a graduating senior at the University of Montana studying Biology. Biology has always been part of my story. I see beauty and diversity in every life form—from grizzly bears to wood frogs, crane flies, and glacier lilies. I have been privileged to grow up surrounded by science, and I’m in the process of cultivating my own relationship with it. For me, science and biology are intertwined with art and self-expression.
Photography helps me capture some of the beauty that exists in the world and share what I see with others. Beauty is all around us, whether we notice it or not, and photographs give us a chance to study nature with a perspective we couldn’t get in real time. I hope to curate curiosity with my photographs and inspire people to ask questions, rather than dismissing something because it’s gross or scary or cute.
I aspire to work with animals, either at a zoo, sanctuary, or educational non-profit. It is unfortunate that so many animals are in captivity, and while many are there for good reasons, it means they won’t live like they could in the wild. My goal is to make the life of every individual I work with better in some way and share their stories with the world. There is so much we can learn from other forms of life, and I strive to listen when they
speak.
