The American Prairie and Yellowstone

Impressions from my National Geographic Student Expedition to Montana/Yellowstone 2014 by Julienne Sauer

[juliennesauer]

Airplanes and Sad Goodbyes

This morning we had to wake really early so we could pack up and head to the Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport. Once we packed our suitcases, we were ready to go.

At the airport, we were either picked up by our families or headed off on a flight home. Our leaders gave us a choice of gifts to remember our time together. I chose the handmade horse hair bracelet to add to my collection of memorabilia from this trip.

Saying our goodbyes at the airport.

PHOTO COURTESY JEREMY BIRCHER

Saying goodbye is not an easy thing to do, especially to a group of people that have been like family to me for the last 10 days. We came together from different corners of the globe (China, Korea, Canada, Saudi Arabia, etc) and quickly bonded together with the purpose to explore, learn about, and improve our new destination. We are still in close contact and hopefully one day our paths will cross again.

Our inspiring Team Leaders, Gretchen and Jeremy, showed us how to become a close knit community and to respect our differences and appreciate our surroundings. These skills I will implement in my daily life.

Gregg, our National Geographic Expert, showed us that there is no boundaries to what can be accomplished when you set your mind to it. He will continually inspire me through his travels and adventures to  break through any obstacles I encounter and achieve my own life goals.

2014 NGSE Yellowstone/Montana amazing group selfie courtesy of Jeremy of course!

[juliennesauer]

Our Last Full Day Together

It was very sad waking up today knowing this would our last full day together and that we would have to say goodbye to our National Geographic Expert, Greg Treinish. So we were determined to make this day unforgettable!

We drove through Yellowstone stopping along the way to view popular attractions, such as Artisan Point from which you can see the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and the Yellowstone River. We hiked all the way down to get a closer view of the waterfall.  It was a steep walk, but it was worth it once we reached this magnificent feature. After taking in the breathtaking sights, we headed to a small picnic area for a quick lunch and to eat the last bits of our food supply. No more granola bars for me for a while!

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and the Yellowstone River

Raging Yellowstone river water up close

A majestic waterfall

In the afternoon, we headed to a small beach so we can put the finishing touches on our On Assignment projects. There we spent the hours relaxing and having some one-on-one time with Greg. Greg inspired us with great advice for the future.

Working our On Assignment projects at the beach by Yellowstone Lake

PHOTO TAKEN BY JEREMY BIRCHER

Currently Gregg is participating in the Okavango Wilderness Project to secure the Okavango Delta. He will cross the Okavango River system and encounter the world’s largest-remaining populations of elephants, hippos, crocodiles, and some of the last remaining prides of lions. See http://www.adventurescience.org/okavango.html for more information.

Gregg poles a mokoro in South Africa.

PHOTO COURTESY GREGG TREINISH AND NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

Our last group assignment was to write what we learned on this trip and how it will affect us and change our community once we return home. For dinner we splurged and ate at the Lake Side Restaurant our last meal together. The buffet was delicious and dinner was a lot of fun. We then headed back to our camp to get a good rest before returning home.

Our inspiring leaders Gretchen (left), Greg (middle) and Jeremy (right)

Our fun loving group of NGSE adventurers

PHOTO TAKEN BY JEREMY BIRCHER

My last Popsicle was being able to spend one last day with all these amazing, intelligent, funny, unique people. This was the trip of a life time and I will never forget it. My only Poopsicle was knowing that most likely this will be our last adventure together as travelers.

[juliennesauer]

Geothermal Science and Sulfur

After breakfast, we met up with Gregg and had a long drive down to the south part of Yellowstone to study its geothermal activity. Yellowstone contains more than 10,000 geothermal features in the form of hot springs, terraces, geysers, mud pots, and fumaroles.

Gregg explaining the science behind the geothermal activity in Yellowstone.

PHOTO TAKEN BY JEREMY BIRCHER

On our first stop, we walked through a variety of geothermal areas. The hot springs were full of deep unique colors, and the geysers erupted high into the sky. It was impossible not to notice the rotten egg odor when visiting various geothermal features. It is the result of microorganisms eating away at sulfur, which creates sulfuric acid. As it evaporates, the acid becomes hydrogen sulfide gas, which gives off the noxious smell.

A deep blue Yellowstone hot spring

Nearby trees often die due to the heat and toxins from the hot springs.

The beautiful hot spring colors come from thermophiles, which are  microorganisms that thrive in hot temperatures. Apparently there are so many of them grouped together that they appear as masses of color. Each type of thermophile survives at a particular temperature within the hot spring and cannot tolerate any variation. When the temperature limit of one group of microbes is reached, it is then replaced by a other microbes creating the color differences we can see in the photo below:

While we were exploring the geothermal features, I could not help myself from looking up the results of the Germany vs. Brazil  FIFA World Cup  Semifinals. As a huge Germany fan, I was speechless after seeing the score of 7-1. Germany won with a six goal difference and was moving on to the finale. They had a chance to earn their 4th Star! This day was just getting better and better.

It was now time to put the World Cup aside and eat lunch. While eating some homemade sandwiches at a nearby lake, a huge RV backed up and rammed into Great White Shark’s tail light. This set our schedule back a few hours since we had to wait for the park sheriff to arrive and document the accident. So we passed time by swimming in the nearby lake and playing improv games. On our way back to the Roosevelt cabins, we decided to head to a location where wolves were recently spotted. Unfortunately there were no wolves, but we saw a large grizzly bear from afar. 

On the drive back Greg and Jeremy sang some jams, Greg pulled out his harmonica and Jeremy added some beats. This was the most fun I had driving in Quicksilver. At the cabins we quickly said our Popsicles and Poopsicles. Today I had many Popsicles, like the beautiful geysers, the large grizzly, and the musical talents of Jeremy and Greg.

I can’t believe there is only a couple more days left on our trip!

[juliennesauer]

Birthday Mustaches and Inspiring Stories

I woke up to unusual shuffling outside of my cabin, thinking it was just an animal making noise, I ignored it. Then someone knocked on my door, so I opened it to a huge surprise. My cabin was covered with colorful streamers and I was presented with a birthday tiara and glasses ready for me to wear. Today was not only my 15th birthday, but also the day we would be joined by Gregg Treinish, our National Geographic Expert. He is the founder of Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation, an organization that connects outdoor adventurers with scientists in need of data from the field. Gregg was awarded the National Geographic Adventurer of the Year award in 2008 after becoming the first to trek the length of the Andes Mountain Range.

We met Gregg for breakfast and then headed out for an eight mile hike up to the highest point in Yellowstone, Mt. Washburn. It is located in the northeastern region of Yellowstone National Park. On clear days it is possible to view the Teton Range to the south of the Park. The peak was named after Henry Washburn, leader of the 1870 Washburn expedition through the region. The area surrounding the peak provides excellent habitat for grizzly bears, elk, bighorn sheep, and wolves. On our way up we learned which plants and flowers were edible and not. At one point, we spotted a red fox walking right next to us. Closer to the top we even touched some snow. It was breathtaking in terms of view and of energy required to hike up here.  

  The adorable red fox that hiked up Mt. Washburn with us.

A breathtaking view from Mt. Washburn and some leftover snow!

Listening to Gregg's inspiring story on top of Mt. Washburn.

PHOTO TAKEN BY JEREMY BIRCHER

We eventually returned to our cabins to work on our project. Greg joined us again for dinner. We spent most of the time listening to his inspirational story.

  During dinner we celebrated my birthday wearing mustaches. I don't know why!

PHOTO TAKEN BY JEREMY BIRCHER

We then set out and hiked around Yellowstone at night. It was exciting to learn about animal tracking using footprints or scat, but when it got really dark Greg showed us all the constellations he could find in the sky and told us some the fascinating stories about astronomy. After the long exciting day, we quickly said our Popsicles and Poopsicles. This was one of my best birthdays so far! My group sung Happy Birthday to me fifteen times in a variety of languages, such as English, Spanish, Arabic, Vietnamese, Chinese, French/French Canadian, and Hebrew. Thank you everyone for making this day so special for me! I miss you guys.

Posing at the top of Mt. Washburn with the NGSE flag. We hope to get chosen for the front page of the NGSE catalog.

PHOTO TAKEN BY JEREMY BIRCHER

[juliennesauer]

Lamar Valley and the Wolf Restoration Project

On our first full day in Yellowstone we set off to explore Lamar Valley together with our tour guide, Caroline. This valley is in the northeast corner of Yellowstone and is a must see for all wildlife viewers, because it is home to bison, wolves, bears, coyotes, pronghorn, elk, and so many more. We saw loads of wildlife on our trip from elk to osprey birds, and don’t forget the majestic bison.

Our NGSE group with our amazing tour guide Caroline

PHOTO TAKEN BY JEREMY BIRCHER

A bison herd in Lamar Valley

During lunch at Buffalo Ranch we spotted a coyote den with young coyote cubs up a hill! We were so excited to watch them play.

The coyote den was located on the left side of the rock

Afterwards we set off on a hike to the wolf reintroduction site in Yellowstone. Along the hike, Caroline shared parts of the dramatic story of the Yellowstone wolves. In the 1920s, the grey wolf had completely disappeared from Yellowstone and the entire park ecosystem was affected. The gray wolf was eventually listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in 1973. The idea of wolf reintroduction was first brought to Congress by biologists who were concerned with the critically high elk population in Yellowstone was having an adverse effect on the park's vegetation. In 1995, reintroduction efforts were initiated to place wolves in Yellowstone National Park and part of Idaho in an effort to bring back the species to this area. As many as 1,500 wolves now live in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming due to this effort. The reintroduction of the grey wolf gave biologists the opportunity to document for the first time what happens when a species is reintroduced into an ailing ecosystem. Here is a short film that documents the positive effects of the wolf reintroduction to Yellowstone National Park https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa5OBhXz-Q#t=263 . Did you know that the reintroduction of the wolves improved the  local rivers? It is simply an amazing story!

Acclimation pens at the wolf reintroduction site in Yellowstone

Today was one of most inspirational days, especially finding out that there is hope for ailing ecosystems and that we can take action to restore them by educating the public on what needs to be done.

An interesting longhorn skull we saw during our hike

My Popsicle today was seeing all the wildlife along with the cute coyote cubs. My Poopsicle was not running into any wolves today, but I remained hopeful since there were plenty of more opportunities to see them.

[juliennesauer]

Wheel of Fortune, Bison Burgers, and Mosquitoes

Our next destination was the small town of Gardiner, where we took a rafting trip down the beautiful Yellowstone River. At the river rafting center we signed our lives away, received our life jackets and helmets, and drove by bus to our starting point. We split our group into two boats, and set off for an eight mile rafting adventure. Our raft guide Sarah eased our nervousness with her humor about the life of a raft guide. After some giant splashes of freezing cold water, we reached a picturesque swim area where we played two thrilling games, Wheel of Fortune and Trust. For Wheel of Fortune, one person stands on the edge of the raft and the rest turn the raft till they fall off. The Trust game involves hooking your paddles and leaning back crossing your fingers that you don’t fall in. Both of these games were a blast to play and I shamefully admit that I fell into the cold water twice. We eventually reached the end point of our trip and got back on the bus ready to head for some lunch. Luckily Sarah saved the day again and directed us to a gnarly local food truck that had some delicious fish tacos and much more.

My group rafting down the Yellowstone River

PHOTO TAKEN BY MONTANA WHITEWATER COMPANY

In the afternoon we set off for our final stop, Yellowstone National Park, where we stayed at the historic Roosevelt Cabins. These rustic cabins were built in 1920 near a campsite once used by President Theodore Roosevelt. During our drive there we were fortunate to see all kinds of animals from a distance, but coolest of all were some black bears with their spring cubs.

A majestic bison feeding on the side of the road

Deer roaming around Roosevelt Cabins undisturbed by our presence

My comfy cabin room

Each of us received our own cabins and settled quickly in before dinner at the local lodge. Curious about the taste of bison, we tried their famous bison burger. They were delicious! After dinner we gathered outside and listened to stories read by our leaders from the famous book Decade of the Wolf: Returning the Wild to Yellowstone. This book covers the history of the Yellowstone Wolf Recovery Project, which was a controversial program with the goal to reintroduce wolves into the Yellowstone National Park.

Our group happy to have arrived in Yellowstone National Park

PHOTO TAKEN BY JEREMY BIRCHER

Unfortunately we couldn’t handle the hundreds of biting mosquitoes feeding on us, so we decided to quickly share our Popsicles and Poopsicles and call it a night. My Poopsicles were of course my newly acquired mosquito bites and the crowds of tourists. But my Popsicles were the river rafting, the gnarly food truck, and learning about my favorite animal, the wolf.

[juliennesauer]

Rodeo Dust and Colorful Fireworks

I woke up to the sound of the Star Spangled Banner playing on our alarm clock. We quickly grabbed a granola bar for breakfast and set off on an adventurous horseback ride. We had the opportunity to gaze at a beautiful sunrise and get to know the special characters of each of our horses during our four hour ride.

On the way back to our KOA campground we suddenly realized that we can’t go to a rodeo without traditional cowboy hats, so we drove to a local store and bought all kinds of accessories to deck us out for the rodeo tonight. You can see in the photo below our cowboy hats, red/ white/blue leis, handkerchiefs, and American flag suspenders.

PHOTO BY JEREMY BIRCHER

We then returned to camp to brainstorm for our On Assignment project. Each National Geographic Student Expedition group has an On Assignment project of their choice that enhances the understanding of the new environments that they learn about. Our group chose to write a children’s book titled From the Animals. Our goal was to educate children about the importance of conservation and make them aware of the unique environmental issues that affect the American Prairie and Yellowstone National Park. The work was split up among different team members, some of us chose to be writers, illustrators, artists, photographers, and storytellers. I chose the group which was in charge of developing the storyline. More details to follow in another blog entry.

In the evening, we headed to the world class Livingston Roundup Rodeo, which is held every year over the 4th of July holiday. Top rodeo cowboys and cowgirls from across North America compete in multiple events. This was my first rodeo, so I did not know what to expect. I saw bull riding, cattle wrestling, horse bucking, and many more unique events. All around us were committed fans supporting their favorite contestants with cheers and applause. The enthusiasm was so contagious that we also cheered and picked our favorite competitors.

PHOTO BY RYAN ERVIN

Once the dust settled down and the rodeo was over, we closed up our fun filled day with a colorful firework show accompanied by a patriotic country soundtrack over the loud speakers. Our exhausted group came to a unanimous conclusion that this day was filled with only Popsicles and then quickly fell asleep.

[juliennesauer]

Jail and Lightning

Our exciting visit to the American Prairie Reserve was over and it was time for us to head down to Livingston, Montana. On our way there we stopped by a very small town called Zortman, which according to the locals has a population of “62 or 63 depending on the day.”

Zortman was established as a gold mining community in the mid-1800s. Many mines were built in the local mountains, the most prosperous one was the Ruby Gulch which produced as much as $14,000 per day in gold bullion. In the early 1920s, Zortman had a population of approximately 2,000 people. Then a destructive wildfire swept through the Little Rockies destroying the majority of the mining operations. It is estimated that the various mines in the area produced $125 million in gold before the shutdown in 1949. Today, Zortman has switched its role from a bustling prosperous mining town to a quaint and nostalgic village. Some interesting local features are historic log cabins, miners' shacks, a white clapboard church, and a historic cemetery.

During our visit we visited the Zortman Town Jail, which is about the size of two elephants.

PHOTO TAKEN BY KHOI HU'A

PHOTO TAKEN BY EMMA WALSH

PHOTO TAKEN BY KHOI HU'A

We continued on with our journey driving into a thunderstorm, which gave us a great chance to experiment with taking photographs of lightning.

We finally arrived in Livingston, Montana! After a huge dinner we drove to the local KOA campground. We quickly shared our Popsicles and Poopsicles and prepared for a good night’s sleep before the 4th of July celebrations. Today my Popsicle was the fact that we made it to Livingston safe and sound, and my Poopsicle was leaving the American Prairie Reserve.

[juliennesauer]

Giving Back to the Animals

The sound of the birds chirping woke me up. Today we had a lot planned, so we met and ate some delicious breakfast, and got ready to start our day.    

The ride to the prairie dog town was pretty bumpy and still a bit muddy. We walked through the prairie dog town seeing plenty of energetic prairie dogs curious about our presence. We tried to locate some burrowing owls, but there were none in sight. Our APR bird expert had their mating call on her phone, so she tricked them into showing themselves to us. We were honored to witness a few of these majestic creatures, small, sneaky, and especially cute.

Our community service project at the APR involved taking down a section of barbed fences which limit the movement of animals, especially bison, through the area. These fences were built by farmers that owned the land previously and were never removed. Bison move often and for great distances. They prefer open ground and face into a storm. I found out that they also like standing on dry high windy hills during the hottest time of the day to keep insects away. We worked very hard, got some scratches, and did a great job!

PHOTO BY WILSON LIANG

PHOTO BY WILSON LIANG

PHOTO BY RYAN ERVIN

In the evening we had the choice to either go on a car ride to look for animals at night or to stay at the campfire and play with sparklers and photography.  I chose to stay at the campfire. We had so much fun lighting the sparklers and writing words in the air for photographs. Take a look at one of our photos below.

PHOTO BY KHOI HU'A

After everybody returned to our Yurt camp, we shared our Popsicles and Poopsicles. My Popsicle was taking down the barbed fence, though it took lots of work, the end product made me feel really good, knowing that I gave back to the animals of the APR. There was no particular Poopsicle for today.

[juliennesauer]

In Awe of Nature

The long day dealing with rain and gumbo was over and we woke up early ready to travel to our Yurt camp on the American Prairie Reserve. A yurt is a portable dwelling structure traditionally used by nomads in the steppes of Central Asia as their home. They are much more durable than a tent and leave a light environmental footprint.

After returning to our car (which we named Quicksilver or in this case Quickslippy) that we left on the side of the road unable to travel in the gumbo, we set forth to our new destination. When we arrived, I was amazed by the endless beautiful view and scenery that surrounded us.

                    LARGE YURT AND OUR CAR QUICKSILVER

Our camp had two large yurts for a kitchen and a social area, four small sleeping yurts, and regular tents to sleep in. Though the only toilet we had was the wild and some Port-A-Potties, the whole camp was immersed in wildlife. It was exciting to know that all kinds of animals grazed through the camp, especially large beautiful bison.

                                          SLEEPING YURTS

                                                   TENTS

After a well-deserved warm shower, as explorers we set off on another surprising adventure. We embarked on a plant walk lead by a plant specialist, Ellen, and her dog Husker. We hiked through the APR observing the plants around us, one of which is a cactus, called prickly pear. This plant is low to the ground, forcing you to be cautious where you step. Beside the needles, the cactus has also a fruit that can be served to eat and has been a staple of the Mexican and Central American diet for thousands of years. It was incredible finding out the thousands species of plants that existed in the APR and how diverse this beautiful land was.

                  NATURE WALK WITH ELLEN AND HUSKER

With that complete, we traveled back to our yurts and settled down for some homemade meatloaf and potatoes made by Meg who was in charge of our Yurt camp. With the day coming to an end, we finished it off with some delicious s’mores around the campfire and our daily Popsicles and Poopsicles, which allowed us to share with everyone our ups and downs of the day. 

   OUR CAMPFIRE SPOT AND BISON ROAMING AROUND THE CAMP

On this particular day my Popsicle was amazing Betty, for letting us stay at her beautiful ranch the previous night and providing us with gracious hospitality and a delicious warm meal after such a long obstacle filled day. Also fearless John, for coming to our rescue with his tractor and pulling Quicksilver out of the sticky gumbo. My Poopsicle was stepping in some prickly pears, but that’s another long story.

[juliennesauer]

The Gumbo Problem

I am currently on the road to the American Prairie Reserve (APR) with my National Geographic student expedition group and our leaders Jeremy and Gretchen. The weather during our trip has brought us some exciting challenges, basically dealing with mud. In this region mud is called gumbo, because it makes traveling impossible with just a little rainfall. It cakes on everything, just take a look at our shoes below. Gumbo is due to the ground here containing shale which holds water and gets very sticky when wet.

That's all for now. My cell and internet service will be limited at our APR Yurt Camp, so I will be updating my blog when I return home next week.

[juliennesauer]

Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books.

Sir John Lubbock Vice chancellor, University of London

[juliennesauer]

The Deadly Sylvatic Plague

PHOTO FROM NWHC

The sylvatic plague is caused by a bacteria, known as Yersinia pestis, transmitted by fleas. This plague was brought from foreign countries to North America, and due to the little or no immunity to the disease, greatly affects the populations of rodents in Central America. It is highly lethal to prairie dogs and black-footed ferrets, and causes extreme conservation issues that disrupts the balance of the American Prairie ecosystem.

The National Wildlife Health Center has discovered a new vaccine to provide immunity to the black-footed ferret. This is currently being used in captivity, but it is time consuming and tedious work to apply to the wild ferrets. As an alternative, scientist either spray a pesticide to kill all plague carrying fleas in the burrows of prairie dogs and ferrets or use an oral bait which provides protection to the sylvatic plague. The goal is to help introduce this vaccine-bait to all areas where the black-footed ferrets and prairie dogs live to prevent any sylvatic plague outbreaks from occurring again.

[juliennesauer]

The Near Extinct Black-Footed Ferret

The American prairie is home to the black-footed ferret, where they struggle to keep their population steady. It is also known as the American polecat or prairie dog hunter, and is a species of Mustelid native to central North America. Sadly the population has been on the decline ever since the 20th century due to the low population of prairie dogs that has been stricken by the Sylvatic plague. In 1979 the species was declared extinct, until miraculously a ranch dog named Shep brings a dead black-footed ferret to his owners,and wildlife officials are notified. Wyoming becomes the birthplace of black-footed ferret recovery program. For more information visit http://www.blackfootedferret.org/timeline.

The black-footed ferret is especially territorial and relies heavily on the prairie dog. Since they are nocturnal they hunt for the prairie dog around midnight all the way to early morning. But they do spend 90% of their time underground in their burrows.

I am excited to embark on my trip to the American Prairie Reserve to help the ferret population return to its normal size.

[juliennesauer]

The Endangered Black-tailed Prairie Dog

The black-tailed prairie dog is one of the most ecologically important species of the American Prairie. They are very social and live in closely-knit family groups called "coteries." Coteries usually contain an adult male, one or more adult females and their young offspring. These coteries are grouped together into wards (or neighborhoods) and several wards make up a colony. These colonies may contain many hundreds of animals and support a diverse collection of wildlife, such as burrowing owls, mountain plovers and black-footed ferrets which are currently North America’s most endangered mammal. 

Prairie dogs provide a food source for golden eagles, hawks, swift foxes, coyotes, badgers, and black-footed ferrets.Unfortunately land use practices and disease have reduced drastically prairie dog populations to less than three percent of their former population.

[juliennesauer]

The Amazing Burrowing Owl

PHOTO BY ALAN VERNON

One of the rarest birds of the American prairie. This unique bird makes its home in abandoned burrows of prairie dog towns. Expansion by people into the prairie has caused a decline in prairie dog communities resulting in a shortage of homes for the burrowing owl to nest and lay their eggs.

Burrowing owls decorate their burrows with bits of cattle or bison dung and other materials in order to camouflage their nests from predators. They also have a unique defense against predators: when threatened they hiss from inside their burrows imitating the sound of a rattlesnake to deter the predator from entering.

I am looking forward to studying them during my expedition and finding ways to protect their habitat.

[juliennesauer]

Summer 2014 is here!

I am heading out to my National Geographic Student Expedition to the American Prairie Reserve/Yellowstone in a couple of weeks and will be posting pictures and updates from this amazing trip. In the meanwhile, I will be posting information about animals that live on the American Prairie, their endangered habitat, and how we can help make a difference.