August 9, 2010

Intern Happenings
by Colleen Ferris and Brooke Stallings

Colleen hiking along Piegan Pass in Glacier National Park.

Intern Update
Hello Swan Valley! After six weeks of field studies at the Flathead Biological Station in Yellow Bay, MT,
I have returned to the Barn. As part of the summer session I took classes in field and alpine ecology, I studied and completed research projects in Glacier National Park and Banff, Alberta, Canada on alpine cushion plants, and now, I have relocated to the beautiful Beck Homestead to fill in the final piece of
the NwC intern puzzle. With true Montana style I jumped off my horse and hit the ground running- for
the first two weeks I joined the NwC field work crew on the Bear DNA Project and also helped prepare for the 3rd Annual Bear Fair. I look forward to topping off the summer with many more field experiences. At the conclusion of my internship I will return to Missoula for my final semester at the University of Montana, capping off my Biology major. Post graduation I will prepare for my March 2011 departure with the Peace Corps. In the Peace Corps, I will serve in Central or South America teaching youth environmental education. Before I get ahead of myself, I am just
going to take it one day at a time enjoying dinners at the picnic bench, star gazing out of the Barn loft and exciting days in the field with good company!

Mambu baddu (the best is yet to come),
Colleen

Bear Fair

Living, Hiking and Conservation—Oh My! Saturday was a huge success at the Hungry Bear Steak House where the 3rd Annual Bear Fair was held. A grizzly-sized high-five to the Swan Ecosystem Center, Swan Valley Bear Resources and Northwest Connections for pulling the event together; the program was well received by over 300 people in attendance. The fair presented great outreach
to the community on everything bears, in order to promote human-bear coexistence. Presentations included “Living with Bears” by Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks (FWP) Region 2 Grizzly Bear Management Specialist Jamie Jonkel and “Bear Management in the Swan Valley” by FWP Region 1 Grizzly Bear Management Specialist Tim Manley. Among the informational displays were Backcountry Horsemen, Counter Assault bear spray, National Park Service, Seeley
Bear Aware, and Vital Ground land trust. Northwest Connections ran the kids table with face painting, grizzly bear mask-making, temporary bear track tattoos, bear Jeopardy and lots of bear-y cool prizes! Overall the 3rd Annual Bear Fair was a great day out in the community, bonding over BEARS!

Colleen decorating cheeks at the kids table, which turned out to be one of the most popular tables at the fair!
Swan Valley Bear Ranger, Mark Ruby hosts the Bear Fair Raffle. Prizes, donated from supporters, ranged from quilts, to pottery, to antiques.	Tim Manley of FWP Region 1 shows his much anticipated video highlighting local bear management efforts.
Making plaster-tracks with bear biologist Chuck Jonkel.	Chuck Bartlebaugh from the Center for Wildlife Information gives a bear pepper spray safety talk.
NwC's Adam Lieberg talks with Greg Schotz about horse packing in bear country	Families enjoyed snowcones, brats, beers and the chance to catch up with communities members and think BEARS!

Colleen and WVC crew pose for a picture after setting a bear rub.

WVC

Last week was an action-packed week, as we continued
our various field work projects with the help of five high
school students who are part of the Wildlands Volunteer Corps, which was made possible by the More Kids in the Woods grant. Volunteers spent two days in the field with Colleen, Ali and Adam helping collect bear hair from rub objects for the Grizzly Bear DNA Project, and two days
with Andrea and Brooke doing stream shocking in the Cold Creek drainage.

The kids enjoyed the unique experiences helping out with monitoring projects, and it made it fun
and different for the staff too! After full days of work, we cooked dinner together and afterwards enjoyed each other's company with card games and, bonfires, and s'mores!

Jake and Tanner collecting samples for the DNA Project.	The WVC crew out with Andrea doing stream survey shocking.

On Friday we hiked on the Nappa Ridge Trail with Dr. Bob Keane, Fire Ecologist and White Bark Pine Specialist from the Fire Lab in Missoula, and his assistant Signe Leirfallom. He talked to the group about the symbiotic relationship between the Clarks Nutcracker and the White Bark Pine. These pines are being threatened by White Bark Blister Rust which weakens their defense system, making them more susceptible to the Rocky Mountain Bark Beetle. Their decline has the potential to greatly influence the structure of our ecosystem. After our day out in the field with Dr. Keane, we all gathered at the Hungry Bear for pizza and fellowship, along with the recognition of the students' service by presenting each of them with a volunteer certificate.

The WVC crew hiking Nappa Ridge Trail with Dr. Bob Keane.

Hiking into the Mission Mountains Wilderness with WVC for stream surveys in the North Fork of Cold Creek.