July 24, 2009. This is the day I will be going to the Lamar Buffalo Ranch to start with my workshops. We left the lodging house at Gardiner very early and spotted some bighorn sheep on our way. We stopped at the site of the petrified tree. It was a big red maple tree which indicates that Yellowstone used to have a warmer climate. A pair of marmots were on a rock just past the petrified tree site. Thousands of bisons were feeding on the Lamar Valley. Ground squirrels were everywhere and butterflies and birds flutted around. The ranch was quiet and the volunteers were very warm and accomodating. I organized my kitchen space, sign up a couple of books from the library and settled in my cabin. This will be my home for the next 10 days.
Participants came in starting at 4:00 p.m. We started with formal introductions and orientation at 7:00 p.m and were introduced to the mesocarnivores of Yellowstone – the wolverine, the lynx, and the fisher. The day ended at 9:00. It was so quiet and the subdued lighting made the air a little bit eerie.
