Montana Natural History Center December 2004 Newsletter

What’s Happening Outside?

Ravens will be foraging in all kinds of weather. Their “conversations” are fun to listen to if you chance upon a flock of them. When you are near beaver activity, look for their caches of branches and small trees sticking out of the frozen water. They’ll eat on the submerged bark long after the ice has formed. Active predators include: weasels, martens, minks, otters, skunks, badgers, coyotes, lynx, bobcats, wolverine, mountain lions and wolves. Who are they eating? Deer mice, meadow voles, pocket gophers, bushy-tailed wood rats, snowshoe hares, red squirrels, pikas, beavers, and shrews.

December’s Calendar of Events

December is a time to give and now is your chance to support the educational work that MNHC is dedicated to providing to western Montana. Check your new issue of Montana Naturalist for more details – in mailboxes the first week of December.

Wednesday, December 1: Volunteer Training
9:30 – 10:30 am at the MNHC’s Fort Missoula office
Interested in helping with our Visiting Naturalist in the Schools? Join us for training on December’s monthly naturalist visits that reaches almost 500 Missoula area students. This month we’ll be looking more closely at winter adaptations! For more information, email Lisa at [email protected].

Friday, December 3: Featherin’ Our Nest Artist Reception
5:00-6:30 pm at 127 N Higgins

What started as standard bluebird boxes have been transformed into fanciful works of art by 36 local artists including Dana Boussard, George Gogas, Bob Phinney, Joanna Yardley and Janet Whaley. These “tweet boxes” will be on display during the reception and auctioned off later that evening at our annual “Down By the River” Auction. Phone and internet bids will also be accepted until noon on December 3rd. Check out http://www.TheNatureCenter.org or call Betsy at 327-0405 for more information.

Friday, December 3: Down By the River Auction and Gala Dinner
7:00 -9:30 pm at 127 N Higgins

Join us for MNHC’s annual shindig – wonderful food, wine and beer to tempt your palette. To tempt your checkbook, we have a short, but exciting live auction of trips, dinners and events as well as great raffle baskets in addition to the conclusion of the auction for the birdhouses. Tickets are $85 a couple for MNHC members, $100 a couple for non-members ($45 and $50 for individual). For $200 you can become an auction sponsor and receive two tickets, renew your membership and be listed in the program! More than just a great party, the auction supports MNHC’s educational programs- inside AND outside of our new home! We have a few spots still available at this wonderful event. Call today to reserve your tickets. 327-0405. See the list of auction and raffle items at http://www.TheNatureCenter.org

Saturday, December 11: Wild Gift Bazaar

10:00 am – 6:00 pm at 127 N. Higgins
Support MNHC and get your holiday shopping done at the same time! Artisans will be selling beautiful, one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted nature-related items sure to please everyone on your gift list. Children’s activities and refreshments will be provided.

Saturday, December 18: Coffee Tasting

10:00 am – 4:00 pm at the Good Food Store, 1600 South 3rd West

Join Glenn Junkert of Hunter Bay Coffee Roasters and Brad Robinson of the Montana Natural History Center at the Good Food Store to sample MNHC’s spectacular coffee blend. Just in time for the holidays, this organic blend is grown in a sustainable, bird-friendly manner. It is organic, delicious, makes a great holiday gift, and Hunter Bay Coffee Roasters returns a portion of the sales on a quarterly basis to MNHC to support our programs!

Work-place Giving Makes a Difference
Federal, State, County and Missoula City employees- look for MNHC as a proud member of Montana Shares! Your designated gift will come directly to MNHC! For Federal and State employees this is a new opportunity to support MNHC through their combined campaigns. If you have any questions please call Brad or Betsy at 327-0405. Montana Shares is a partnership of 39 Montana-based nonprofit groups devoted to improving the quality of life in communities throughout the state. For more information about Montana Shares visit http://www.MontanaShares.org.

December’s Montana Natural History Links
Explore our new website, http://www.MontanaNaturalist.org, to discover what’s going on outside!

The Electronic Naturalist, http://www.enaturalist.org, provides great activities with online access to a professional naturalist. Two reading levels are available for grades K-3 and 4-8.

KIDS! Become a Junior Snow Ranger at http://symbols.gov/jrsnowranger/index.html.

MNHC is an independent, non-profit educational organization. Membership gifts support MNHC’s mission of promoting and cultivating understanding, appreciation, and stewardship of nature through education. MNHC is proud to be a member of Montana Shares. Join us today!

Copyright © 2004 Montana Natural History Center