Wildlife Trip with Yellowstone Wolf Tracker Dates: April 14-19, 2019 Maximum Participants: 10 Cost: Deposit Required: $1,900 per person and a donation of $325 to the Central Colorado Conservancy Total Cost per person is $2,225* $600 per person
*Cost is per person based on double occupancy. The price includes a $325 donation to the Central Colorado Conservancy. The donation is tax-deductible as allowed by law. An additional $300 is required for a single room supplement. Reservations are only held when deposit is received. We will join Yellowstone Wolf Tracker (also known as The Wild Side, LLC) for a premier expedition into the world of Yellowstone s wildlife, bears and wolves. Price includes lodging, meals, transportation from Bozeman, MT, permitting, premium optics, special guest speakers, and a donation towards the land and water conservation work of the Central Colorado Conservancy. Joining the group will be the Central Colorado Conservancy Executive Director, Andrew Mackie. He is an expert birder and has over twenty years working on conservation projects. Yellowstone Wolf Tracker is an authorized tour and transportation provider in Yellowstone National Park. Not included in cost: Travel to and from Bozeman, MT, additional hotel nights in Bozeman, and items of a personal nature. Proposed Itinerary April 14, 2019 Travel to Bozeman, Montana, which is served by Bozeman Yellowstone Airport at Gallatin Field (BZN). Check in on your own at the Best Western GranTree Inn in Bozeman any time after 3 pm (stay included in package). The GranTree Inn offers free shuttle service to/from the airport, and for visiting downtown shops or the famous Museum of the Rockies. Dinner is on your own. [Note because
of unpredictable weather this time of year, it is suggested you consider arriving a day early. Bozeman is worth checking out.] April 15, 2019 Have breakfast at the GranTree with a tour voucher then after check out, meet at 11 am in the lobby for transport to Yellowstone National Park. The route is through the scenic Paradise Valley rimmed with rugged mountain peaks. A lunch stop is planned on route to the park. At Yellowstone, the group will visit the famous Roosevelt Arch for a formal arrival to the park. Our first destination in the park is Mammoth Hot Springs where we will walk the terrace boardwalk to experience the amazing travertine hot springs, some of Yellowstone s finest thermal features. Check in follows at the Absaroka Lodge in Gardiner, where the group stays until the last night. From your room, the views of the Yellowstone River and its rolling hills and snow-clad mountains astound! The Absaroka Lodge features Wi-Fi, cable TV, and balconies in each room overlooking the Yellowstone River. Our evening meal will be prepared and served by our chef Zac Kellerman of Zac s Montana Kitchen. Zac has been at the helm of our program s dinners for years with thoroughly rave reviews. Dinner is accompanied by an orientation for the days ahead. April 16, 2019 The first and subsequent full field days will start early (~6 am) and focus on the Northern Range, a low elevation grassland ecosystem where wildlife collects in the winter. The search for wolves and other wildlife is fruitful among the patchy forests and meadow openings throughout the Northern Range. We will visit such wolf-rich areas as Slough Creek and the Lamar Valley for viewing. The viewing will be mostly road-based using binoculars and spotting scopes to find wolves and observe other wildlife like bison, elk, coyotes, and moose. Be prepared for possible short hikes to vantage points and have plenty of warm clothes including insulated winter boots for extended periods of largely sedentary activity while searching and viewing. Breakfast will be served on-the-go in the field to maximize our search and observation time. Lunch will be at the gallery of our friend Dan Hartman, a naturalist and wildlife photographer who lives in the forested mountains of Silver Gate, Montana. While enjoying lunch we will be treated to a presentation of Dan s work as a naturalist, photographer, and wildlife film-maker. Dinner with Zac will be back in Gardiner at the Animal Track Education Center to conclude the day s activities. April 17, 2019 Our schedule will be similar to the previous day, as the goal is to look for multiple wolf packs and make observations of a variety of behaviors and activities (hunting, playing, traveling, feeding, (sleeping!), etc.). Lunch will be back in Gardiner. An after dinner evening session at the Animal Track Education Center in Gardiner will feature one of our special guest speakers, to be announced. Past
speakers have included Dr. Douglas Smith, film-maker Bob Landis, UCLA behavioral geneticist Dan Stahler, and other distinguished experts in the field of wolf biology and behavior. April 18, 2019 Again an early start will begin our search of the Northern Range of Yellowstone for wolves. Each day brings different wildlife sightings and wolf activity, so multiple days create a diverse experience and will give us a chance to see rare moments. Lunch will precede a hike to explore more of Yellowstone. Dinner will feature another one of our guest speakers. April 19, 2019 After breakfast we will transport to the Bozeman airport (or a nearby destination) for mid-day airlines departures no earlier than 1:00 pm. NOTE: Best laid plans are always subject to change pending weather, wildlife sighting opportunities, and/or any unforeseen circumstances. Please bear with us and remain flexible to better enjoy this experience. If you have any questions concerning the tentative itinerary, do not hesitate to contact the Central Colorado Conservancy or Yellowstone Wolf Tracker. Yellowstone Wolf Tracker (Wilde Side, LLC). The owners Dr. Nathan Varley and Linda Thurston will be our hosts and will join us during certain sections of the trip. Their expert guides will be with us for the rest of the trip. Dr. Nathan Varley grew up in Yellowstone National Park in the tiny community of Mammoth Hot Springs. His parents have been biologists and park rangers that have lived and worked in the Park for three decades. Following in the family footsteps, Nathan studied biology at Montana State University where he earned B.S. and M.S. degrees. The ecology of mountain goats in the Absaroka Mountains on Yellowstone s eastern edge was his research topic. Further adventure in wildlife studies took him among moose in Alaska, guanacos in Patagonia, and pine marten in Idaho. His trails have led home as often as afar, where Yellowstone s coyotes, bears, river otters and gray wolves became primary study subjects. As a contributor to the historic gray wolf restoration project he has often been in the field tracking wolves. His research at the University of Alberta focused on the relationship between wolves and elk after wolf reintroduction. With his wife, Linda Thurston, Nathan owns his own wildlife touring business group, Yellowstone Wolf Tracker (Wild Side, LLC) which specializes in outfitting groups to view wolves, other wildlife, and all that the Yellowstone wilderness has to offer. A defining purpose, if one can be offered for any person, would be to champion a land ethic that places the highest value on our wildlife and their habitats, and in so doing, forever preserve and enjoy the places that have provided his life s inspiration. Linda Thurston received a B.S. degree in 1995 from the University of California at San Diego in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution. Her background experience includes working on research projects studying
Amazon parrots and black iguanas in Costa Rica, and coyotes in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Currently she is pursuing a M.S. degree from Texas A&M University in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, with an emphasis in animal behavior. She is studying behavior under ethologist Dr. Jane Packard. Spending long hours watching wolves at observation sites with high-powered scopes. Linda has collected data over three denning seasons. She has done conservation work for the National Park Service in Yellowstone and Idaho Fish and Game in the Clearwater region. She worked on a wolf research project in Banff National Park for the University of Alberta. Currently she works for the Defenders of Wildlife on programs that aim to solve chronic problems of wolf predation on domestic livestock in Montana. She also guides many people to see wolves in Yellowstone each year and shares her extensive experience in field courses for the Yellowstone Association Institute and other non-profit organizations. Zac s Montana Kitchen: Chef Zac Kellerman is one of Montana's premier chefs, specializes in cooking on the range, that is, the wide-open range of the great American West. Ever since his first cooking job at age 15 when he was hooked by the excitement and pride of cooking well, Zac has felt most at home serving people his delicious food. While working at a lodge in Glacier National Park, Zac realized that what he really wanted to do was become a chef. The artistic impulse had grabbed him, and food was his medium. Back in Louisville in 1988, Zac met the renowned chef, Dean Fearing, from The Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas. As a result of that fortunate encounter, Zac moved to the Lone Star state a month later, and worked four years at The Mansion under Dean's tutelage. When not at The Mansion, Zac worked as a "freelance special event chef" for a high-flying and elite Dallas clientele. He credits those years with teaching him the most about quality, skill and finesse in the kitchen, not to mention the art of hospitality. Yearning to return to the open space and lifestyle of Montana, Zac made his way back via a stint in Boston with respected chef, Steve Johnson, at the Blue Room. After some time as head chef at the Murray Hotel in Livingston, Zac earned the position of lead chef for Jewel's Catering, while expanding his private clientele base. In 2005, Zac bought the enterprise when Jewel decided to retire part time, and he re-named it Zac's Montana Kitchen. Zac Kellerman has since established his reputation as one of the best-known caterers in Montana, recognized for his gracious ability to accommodate challenging requests from clients large and small, while maintaining the highest standards of quality. He prepares custom feasts for those who appreciate food that is as honest and grand as the West. Zac's Montana Kitchen isn't bound by convention, but is certainly bound to please. Andrew Mackie: Andrew is the Executive Director of the Central Colorado Conservancy and an experienced birder. He is trained as an ecologist with graduate study in wildlife ecology and management, ornithology, and environmental policy. He has a Master s of Environmental Management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. He has conducted numerous programs on various aspects of avian natural history and led nature tours to the Galapagos, Australia, Costa Rica, and various locations in the United States. Andrew will be the Conservancy representative on the trip and will be happy to discuss land conservation in the United States and specifically in Central Colorado. He will also share his knowledge of bird life with the group.
Deposit and Cancellations: to book the trip, a deposit of $600 per person is required to reserve a space. The balance is due 70-days before the beginning of the program. A full refund minus $45 processing fee will be given for cancellations more than 49-days before the trip. For cancellations less than 49-days prior to departure, the deposit is non-refundable. Please make your check payable to the Central Colorado Conservancy and mail to Central Colorado Conservancy, PO Box 942, Salida, CO 81201. Each participant will be required to fill out a registration form, medical form, and liability release form once the deposit has been received. Health and Safety: The trip requires good physical fitness and mobility, or the ability to walk up two miles over uneven terrain. The trip is suitable for people of all ages, though this trip is not available to children under the age of 15. If you have health questions, please consult your doctor before registering. The tour leaders must be advised in advance of any special health needs. Weather conditions can change without notice and it is the responsibility of the traveler to have proper clothing and equipment. A list will be provided for the clothing and gear recommended for this trip. Responsibilities and Conditions: Yellowstone Wolf Tracker acts only in the capacity of agent in all matters of transportation and tour operation. Yellowstone Wolf Tracker is not responsible for delays, inconveniences, accidents, expense or mishap of any kind whatsoever resulting entirely, or in part, from the negligence of others or from causes beyond their control. Yellowstone Wolf Tracker can accept no responsibility for losses or additional expenses due to delay or changes in air or other services, sickness, weather, strike, war, quarantine, or other causes. All such losses or expenses will have to be borne by the participant, as tour rates provide for arrangements only for the time stated. The right is reserved to substitute accommodations or modes of transportation and to make changes in the itinerary where deemed necessary or caused by changes in transportation schedules. Yellowstone Wolf Tracker takes no responsibility for special arrangements or problems incurred by persons physically unable to participate in the planned activities. No refund can be made for the absence from the tour unless arrangements are made at the time of booking. The right is reserved to decline, to accept or to retain any person as a tour member for any reason which affects the operation of the tour or the rights and welfare or enjoyment of the other tour members. Yellowstone Wolf Tracker will not discriminate against any individual because of race, sex, creed or nationality. The Central Colorado Conservancy is not the tour provider and is not responsible for any aspect or problems arising from this tour. Cancelled Trips: Yellowstone Wolf Tracker reserves the right to cancel any trip if conditions arise that are beyond their control and adversely affects the well-being of the trip members. In such a case, a full refund of the trip cost is given, but they are not responsible for additional expenses incurred by members in preparing for the trip including flights and other travel expenses.