Dear Montana,

Though 2024 has just started, Montana Audubon has been busy:

This month we’ve welcomed a new Big Sky Watershed Corps (BSWC) member to the Helena office, and are preparing to welcome other BSWC members to the Center later this month. The arctic winter weather hasn’t stopped the classes at the Center, who take every opportunity to head outside for winter adventures. Our Science Team has been busy preparing for a big season of Citizen Science and Conservation Ranching projects. And, there’s still time to sign up for Climate Watch surveys- we’ve put together a step-by-step guide to help.

The summer warmth of May & June may feel like a distant memory, but our annual Wings Across the Big Sky Birding Festival is only a few short months away. We’re hard at work finalizing details, and are excited to share more information about festival events and registration with you very soon.

We hope you are all staying safe and warm! 

Yours in Conservation,

Larry Berrin

Executive Director

As a Big Sky Watershed Corps member, Gwynne will be working primarily with our conservation & science team, focusing on citizen science projects.

Gwynne grew up in Dayton, OH, and graduated from the University of Toledo with a B.S. in Environmental Science with a minor in Biology. In 2021, she worked a summer job in Yellowstone National Park, where she developed an appreciation for the region’s wildlife and landscape. After a few years attending college in Ohio and working seasonally in Alaska, she is excited to return to the Western U.S. with the Big Sky Watershed Corps. Gwynne is looking forward to participating in field surveys and working on volunteer projects. Outside of work she can be found hiking, fishing, painting, or watching movies.

Welcome Gwynne! We are glad to have you on board!

Audubon’s Climate Watch program started on January 15th and goes until February 15th, 2024.

Interested in participating? We have a step-by-step guide on our website to help you sign up, select a survey area, and submit data.

Each survey includes 12 short point-counts, recording observations with three target species: Pygmy Nuthatch, Red-Breasted Nuthatch, and White-Breasted Nuthatch.

Please email Gwynne at gwynne@mtaudubon.org or Peter at peter@mtaudubon.org if you have any questions. 

The Audubon Conservation Ranching program has a new look!

Early this year, Audubon rolled out a new ACR bison logo- just in time for Christian to present the Audubon Conservation Ranching program to members at the Montana Bison Association meeting in Lolo Hot Springs on January 5, 2024. This new logo will be used by bison producers in the ACR program.

Learn more about ACR on our website:

We’re gearing up for the new year and are thrilled to embark on this journey with you!

While winter is just now settling in, we’re already busy planning exciting programs for spring and summer, including our much-anticipated annual Evening Under the Big Sky event scheduled for September 14th, 2024- so be sure to mark your calendars!

This year, we’re also celebrating the 15th anniversary of our building and the revitalization of the Shepard Nature Play Space, thanks to the generous support from the Mary Alice Fortin Foundation and Nick Cladis. 

While we’ve enjoyed the mild weather as of late, we’re equally excited for the winter blasts January notoriously brings. Thankfully, our indoor spaces provide shelter and security, keeping groups and visitors safe and engaged during these arctic blasts. When the weather allows, we also take every opportunity to head outside, which is where all of the fun happens.

This month our Fledglings Preschool will be immersing themselves in discovering and appreciating the winter weather. ANTS field trips are gearing up for winter adventures, and Homeschool Science classes will be Flying Wild, delving into the world of winged creatures, exploring the science of flight, and engineering their own flying creations. 

There’s always something to check out and do at the Audubon Center. Don’t miss out on our upcoming Community Programs- details can be found on our website, or by following us on our on our Facebook and Instagram pages.

We hope you can join us in making the most of every opportunity to connect with nature and look forward to sharing an enriching and enjoyable year ahead! 

Upcoming Programs: 

• Nature Nuts- Toddler & Me program, every Tuesday @ 10 am 
• New Moon Night Hikes - Jan. 19 and Feb. 9 @ 6:30 pm
• Discover the Language of Love with poet Anne Holub - Feb. 10 @ 3 pm 
• Owl Prowl - Feb. 23 @ 6:30 pm

Provide structured nature-based lessons to local and surrounding schools as a Teacher Naturalist with our Audubon Naturalist in The Schools (ANTS) program.

• Part-time temporary or regular, (avg 30hrs/week)
• Start Date: Immediate Placement
• Schedule: 8:00 am – 3:30 pm, Monday- Friday (work days may vary)

Learn more about the position and how to apply on our website:

Earlier this year, the University of Montana welcomed Dr. Thomas Riecke to the faculty of the Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Science.

Dr. Riecke specializes in quantitative modeling of bird populations; among many other things, he studies how environmental conditions and animal behavior affect reproductive success and rates of population change in waterfowl.

Learn more about Dr. Riecke’s previous research in this new post on the Montana eBird site:

May 31 - June 2, 2024

This bitterly cold weather has us dreaming of the warmer days to come… so this particular Festival field trip jumped out at us. Maybe thinking warm thoughts about visiting Warm Springs this summer will keep us from freezing?

Typically difficult to access, the Warm Springs Ponds Complex field trip will visit areas not generally open to the public. This tour will traverse areas of riparian, wetland, and lake/stream habitats in the Deer Lodge Valley. Bird species will include: waterfowl, grebes, Black-crowned Night-heron, Great Blue Heron, Wilson’s Snipe, Wilson’s Phalarope, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Marsh Wren, Willow Flycatcher, and numerous sparrow species. The trip will be mostly driving interspersed with short walks on mostly level ground.

More festival information- including registration details- coming very soon!

Winter can be a great time to watch hawks and other diurnal raptors in Montana. However, these birds can be tricky to identify… to put it mildly!

Follow Montana Audubon on Facebook and Instagram as we share ID basics for some of the most common species you may come across during your winter birding.

So far we've covered Bald and Golden Eagles and Northern Harriers. Up next: Buteos!

Follow along and view previous posts on our social media:

Dec 18: Owen Sowerwine Natural Area Granted Permanent Conservation Easement (The Montana Land Board unanimously voted to support permanent protections for the property) | Micah Drew, Flathead Beacon

Dec 18: A Westerner’s guide to the Endangered Species Act (2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act) | Michelle Nijhuis, High Country News

Dec 19: Land Board approves Owen Sowerwine conservation easement | Kate Heston, Daily Inter Lake

Dec 26: Flathead Land Trust set to purchase 400-acre conservation easement | Sean Wells, KPAX

Winter 2023: A force of conservation, the Endangered Species Act faces a fraught future (mentions the Recovering America's Wildlife Act as an important bill that could help take the pressure off the ESA) | Rene Ebersole, Audubon Magazine

Dec 2023: 124 Food and Agriculture Organizations to Watch in 2024! (Audubon Conservation Ranching is #5 on the list) | Liza Greene, Elena Seeley, and Alessandra Uriarte, Food Tank

Jan 3: Christmas Bird Count participants find partridges in a field, rather than a pear tree (Join Sacajawea Audubon members in the field for their CBC) | Ellis Juhlin, Montana Public Radio

Jan 5: Dispatches from the Wild: Grassland survival (Conservation Ranching on the O'Connor Ranch) | Benjamin Alva Polley, Explore Big Sky

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