Greater Yellowstone Natural History Programs
Natural history programs take participants beyond the walls of the Center. Through field trips, presentations by experts in their fields, and special events, there are many opportunities to experience Yellowstone’s nature first-hand and up-close.
Join us the first Thursday of each month at 12:15 p.m. in the Coe Auditorium for the Draper Natural History Museum’s Lunchtime Expeditions series, now in its thirteenth year. These free public programs cover a variety of natural history topics and issues concerning the Greater Yellowstone region.
- November 7: Tom Easterly with Greater Sage-Grouse Management in the Big Horn Basin: an Update. Since the mid-1990s, the Wyoming Game & Fish Department has been concerned about the status of sage-grouse around the state and country. State and federal agencies, industry and landowners continue to take positive steps to reverse downward trends in grouse numbers and sagebrush ecosystems.
- December 5: Jeremy Johnston with Ernest Thompson-Seton and the Nature Faker Controversy. Although labeled a “nature faker” by some natural historians, Thompson-Seton strove to distance himself from nature fakers to gain professional respect from serious natural historians and recommitted himself to publish scientific studies of wildlife. Through his naturalist publications, Seton strove to demonstrate his past fictional narratives, no matter how exaggerated, were true representations of wildlife behavior and not just entertaining fictional stories.
Greater Yellowstone Raptor Experience
The Greater Yellowstone Raptor Experience is a live raptor education program of the Draper Natural History Museum. What better way to celebrate the wildness of this wonderful area than by sharing some of its most spectacular wild animals with our guests? Visitors can get an up-close-and-personal view of some of Wyoming’s most recognized predators—the birds of prey! Click through to the Raptor Experience page, or visit our blog and facebook page to find out more!
This program of the Draper Museum is funded in part by the W.H. Donner Foundation and the Donner Canadian Foundation—the latter in partnership with the University of Wyoming’s Berry Biodiversity Conservation Center.
The staff of the Draper Natural History Museum lead a variety of popular field expeditions each year. Past trips have taken participants to the field in search of golden eagles, owls, the predators of Yellowstone, and Big Horn Basin geological wonders.
For more information about any of our Field Expeditions e-mail Natural History Curator Dr. Charles Preston or call 307.578.4078, or e-mail Interpretive Specialists for Programs Emily Buckles or call 307.578.4110.
A Night at the Museum: Natural History Sleepovers
We offer a limited number of sleepovers for organized groups of young people and chaperones. If you have a scout troop, youth group, or other organized group, we can create a unique and memorable event for you. Typical activites include:
- Nature-themed crafts
- Active nature-themed games
- Flashlight scavenger hunt though the Alpine-to-Plains trail gallery
Please e-mail Natural History Curator Dr. Charles Preston or call 307.578.4078.