While it isn’t wise to run in bear country, that is exactly what it feels like we’ve been doing. Running from one wildlife jam to another. In just this past week, we and our Sunday-thru-Wednesday colleagues on the brigade ran *52 jams in just the four days* of our shift. That’s just the ones weContinue reading ““Dispatch, I’ve got bears coming out of the woodwork.””
Tag Archives: Volunteer-In-Park
snow, Snow, SNOW!
— our first two weeks in the park — Dear Friends, Already life in Pennsylvania and the crazy efforts to get packed and across the country seems like months ago. Our favorite camp site is reserved for us and most of the snow is already plowed off. After shoveling a stubborn ice & snow bank,Continue reading “snow, Snow, SNOW!”
Wildlife Brigade Part II – Animal Jams and Dispatch Calls
From the emergence in early March of male grizzly bears, through the elk and moose rut of the fall, until the last bear heads for their den in December, the animals of the park keep the Wildlife Brigade working seven days a week, from dawn until dark. Jams of All Sizes We may find ourselvesContinue reading “Wildlife Brigade Part II – Animal Jams and Dispatch Calls”
True or False: Park Rangers Always Know Where Every Animal Is In The Park
True or False: Park Rangers Always Know Where Every Animal Is In The Park. False! True or False: All of the animals in the park “are chipped.” False again. True or False: Wildlife Management does not always mean just the four-legged kind. Absolutely true! According to many visitors that we meet on the side ofContinue reading “True or False: Park Rangers Always Know Where Every Animal Is In The Park”
Launch ‘Em! Embarking on Our Third Year as National Park Volunteers
A good friend recently asked how we felt about “getting back in the saddle” as we begin our third year as volunteers at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. So many thoughts came up I felt tongue tied! After our first afternoon working Dave and I laughed to think how very much returning here feltContinue reading “Launch ‘Em! Embarking on Our Third Year as National Park Volunteers”
Birthday Surprises
For many of us, working on our personal holiday (aka birthday) is not a thing to be celebrated. However, yesterday I explored two park wildlife jobs that made for an eye-opening and memorable day. It began with the alarm going off at 5am …
This Is Not A Drill!
The Day We Earned Our Adult Beverages!! This morning we arrived for duty Sunday at String Lake at 8am. The smoke had drifted out of the valley, so the mountains were looking more perky and inviting than they had in a few days. Already, the first two parking lots were full! With the forecast forContinue reading “This Is Not A Drill!”
Summer is Here!
Summer is emphatically here in the Tetons, breaking both average high temperatures and visitor attendance records.
Smooth Sailing for the Newbie
Fair winds and sunny skies for my first official day as a String Lake Brigade member! We had many challenging and fun questions from visitors ….
Just in Time: Bear Training!
This week has been a full gas week, between Dave’s efforts with Wildlife Brigade, two days of lecture style in-person (not Zoom!) training sessions, and helping prep for the start of operations at String Lake. On Monday alone the brigade worked five bear jams, and an elk jam near Signal Mountain. Apparently there is aContinue reading “Just in Time: Bear Training!”