Montana Natural History Center

miniNaturalist Pre-K Program
2024-12-23 10:00 - 11:00, 2024-12-30 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-01-06 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-01-13 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-01-20 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-01-27 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-02-03 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-02-10 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!

MNHC Closed for the Holidays!
2024-12-25 - 2025-01-01 | Montana Natural History Center
We will be closed from Wednesday, December 25th, through Wednesday, January 1st, so our staff can celebrate the holidays with their families! We will open again on Thursday, January 2nd.
Happy Holidays!

Scavengers Photography Club
2024-12-26 18:00 - 20:00 | Montana Natural History Center
Dates: Last 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.
*During the holiday season, photography club has been moved from the last Thursday of the month to Oct 24, Nov 21, and Dec 19, 2024.
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!

MNHC CLOSED
2025-01-10 12:00 - 2025-01-11 17:00 | Montana Natural History Center
MNHC will be closing at noon on Friday, January 10th. We are also closed on Saturday, January 11th.
We will be open for our miniNaturalist program from 10-11 a.m. on Monday, January 13th, and back to our regular hours on Tuesday, January 14th.

Virtual Naturalist Book Club #1
2025-01-14 18:30 - 20:30, 2025-02-11 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.

Winter Writing Immersion: Imagination, Memory, and Messaging
2025-01-15 16:00 - 20:00 | Montana Natural History Center
Date: Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Time: 4:00-8:00 p.m.
Location: Montana Natural History Center
Cost: $110 MNHC members, $125 non-members
REGISTER HERE!
This workshop is open to anyone who is curious about writing. No prior experience is necessary. Please just bring your open mind – a willingness to experiment and think in new ways.
This refreshing four-hour evening workshop is an invitation to explore both our interior and exterior ecosystems, paying attention to the quiet or invisible things all around us. We will imagine the different ways in which humans and animals receive and send messages, and how those messages traverse time and geography. We’ll consider how messages are stored in individual and collective memories, in landscapes, and in water.
We will discuss the benefit of taking notes – field notes and observations, as well as notes from our interiors – considering two distinct spheres of noticing. We will explore strategies for “unsticking” our creative selves, even on the darkest of winter days. Calling on poetry, science, images, and our own imaginations, we will spiral between internal and external systems, exploring new forms and sensations in our physical bodies, our thinking minds, and our creative work.
You can expect to come away with material to spark future writing projects. You will receive a reading and resource list one week before the workshop, meant to orient you and offer context for our time together. You will leave the workshop connected to an emerging community of local writers and creators.
Instructor Chandra Brown is an educator, river guide, and writer originally from Alaska. She has worked within the realm of river conservation since her 2010 Fulbright grant to Ecuador, and she founded Freeflow Institute in 2017. Her stories can be found in places like Adventure Journal, The Dirtbag Diaries, Kayak Session, NRS, and Patagonia. Chandra earned her M.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana and has called Missoula home since 2014.
Light refreshments provided. Attendees are welcome to bring additional food, snacks, and/or drinks.
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.

Scavengers Photography Club
2025-01-16 18:00 - 20:00, 2025-02-20 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!

Tips, Tricks, and Techniques for Sketching in Your Nature Journal with Jason C. Poole
2025-01-25 13:00 - 15:00 | Montana Natural History Center
Date: Saturday January 25
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 327-0405 for information)
REGISTER HERE!
Illustrator and incurable sketcher, Jason C. Poole, will help you hone your nature journaling skills during this class. 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. This class will jumpstart your sketching in January for a year of nature journaling. Discover techniques to bring your drawings to life. Practice with line weight and density, ratio and perspective, detail and focus and much more.
“I have learned that what I have not drawn, I have never really seen.”- Frederick Franck
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, 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.

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 at MNHC
2025-01-28 11:30 - 13:00 | Montana Natural History Center
Date: Tuesday, January 28, 2025
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!

Cabin Fever Lecture! New Interpretations of Old Strandlines: How Many Times Did Glacial Lake Missoula Fill and Fail?
2025-01-29 19:00 - 20:00 | Montana Natural History Center
Date: Wednesday, January 29
Time: 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Location: Montana Natural History Center
Cost: Free! Donations accepted.
It’s that time of the year! Time to contemplate ice ages and glacial lakes.Time for the Glacial Lake Missoula Chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute’s Cabin Fever Lecture! Warm up your curiosity about those iconic strandlines we can see from town with a lecture from renowned geologist James W. Sears.
New “LiDAR ” mapping techniques may imply that the famous Lake Missoula strandlines on Mount Sentinel and Mount Jumbo record only one draining of the ice-age lake. The draining coincided with massive erosion at the bottom of the lake, but passive lowering of lake level at the top, marked by short-term strandlines cut a few inches into thin colluvial soil on the mountainsides.
About the Instructor: Dr. James W. Sears received his PhD from Queen’s University, Canada, in 1979, and has taught at the University of Montana since 1982. He researches the structure and tectonics of the Rocky Mountain region. Jim has authored dozens of publications and geologic maps.

Naturalist Trivia Night!
2025-01-30 19:00 - 21:00 | Montana Natural History Center
Date: January 30, 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 Urban Ecology. MNHC teaching naturalist Ryan Mahar is running the show and is excited to host 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!

First Friday with Illustrator and Paleo Artist Jason C. Poole
2025-02-07 17:00 - 19:00 | Montana Natural History Center
Date: Friday, February 7, 2025
Time: 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Location: Montana Natural History Center
Cost: FREE
Join us for a Dino-mite First Friday event with illustrator and paleo artist, Jason C. Poole!
Jason has worn many hats: Adjunct Professor of Paleontology, scientific illustrator, art teacher, and paleontology field instructor. He 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 were new to science when discovered and two are supermassive titanosaurs. Jason is also a Paleontological Artist who’s been 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. Or you may find him at MNHC: Jason has taught various drawing and painting classes, has hosted lectures on Montana’s ancient past, and is currently spending Tuesdays-Fridays at MNHC preparing and conserving 150-million-year-old dinosaur fossils collected by Elevation Science Institute in Carbon County, Montana, during the 2024 field season.
Signed or personalized copies of Jason’s education and coloring books will be available for purchase (authored by Jason P. Schein of Elevation Science Institute), along with one-of-a-kind artwork. Jason’s knowledge and enthusiasm about the prehistoric world and its wildlife are contagious! Bring your questions and curiosity and we’ll see you on Friday, February 7th!
Light snacks and beverages provided.

Poets in the 'Root
2025-02-08 13:00 - 15:00 | Montana Natural History Center
Date: February 8, 2025
Time: 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Location: The Barn at Teller, 1180 Chaffin Ln Corvallis, Montana
Cost: FREE
Join MNHC and Teller Wildlife Refuge for Poets in the ‘Root!
Nature in nearly all manifestations has inspired poets since there were poets! And at least since the Roman poet Horace wrote Ars Poetica or the Art of Poetry in 19BC, literature, including poetry, sought to both instruct and delight.
Poets in the ‘Root combines these two aims in an uncommon but simple way. One person reads a poem or part of a poem that uses an element of nature to convey its message. Then, the same or another person gives an explanation (5 minutes max) of some aspect of that nature element. The explanation focuses on nature interpretation, not literary interpretation. Listeners get a bit of poetry and a bit of natural history.
This is a FREE event, but registration is required.
We’ll have refreshments, including coffee, tea, wine, and snacks!
Anyone can volunteer to read poetry and/or offer the nature interpretation. This is a fun way for Master Naturalists to earn credit towards their certification. Free and open to the public.
To volunteer or to ask questions, please contact Micki Long at mickilong@gmail.com
*art by Deb Goslin

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

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.
