Wildlife Film Fest Opens Saturday
The longest-running wildlife film festival in the world kicks off next weekend in Missoula, attracting filmmakers, wildlife biologists, students and visitors from around the world.
The festival begins Saturday, with screenings starting Tuesday and running through the following Saturday. There are workshops and panel discussions, photo contest displays and activities for kids, including children’s matinees, an opening day parade and an art club. For more information, call (406) 728-9380.
Read all about it:
The spring edition of the Washington State Field Guide, a quarterly brochure of travel ideas, is now available.
It includes seasonal activities, a festival calendar, travel ideas and various promotions and discounts. Good stuff, especially for the price - free.
For a copy, plus a free guide to travel and lodging around the state, call (800) 544-1800, extension 101, or write to: Washington State Tourism, P.O. Box 42500, Olympia, WA 98504.
Museum musings:
An exhibit of Oregon Trail paintings by longtime artist Eugene Hayes is on display through April 28 at the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center near Baker City, Ore. For information, call (503) 426-0402.
The Miracle of America Museum in Polson, Mont., offers a variety of artifacts from many areas of American life, including this summer’s feature display, “Iron Steeds and Leather Britches” - the story of early day motorcycling in the Big Sky state. Other displays include agricultural, military, business, nautical and western memorabilia. Call (406) 883-6804 for more information.
Sexist Fish Dept.
Do Idaho cutthroat produce only male offspring? Not really, even though the Idaho Department of Commerce issued a news release referring to “androgenous” fish. The department was quick to fix the error, correcting the adjective to “anadromous” - fish that return from salt water to fresh water to spawn.
Back to school:
The Glacier Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating people about the Glacier National Park ecosystem, offers a variety of field seminars for adults throughout June and July, as well as a summer series of children’s programs.
Upcoming topics include birdwatching, photography, natural history landscape painting and history and crafts of the area’s Native Americans. For more information about the institute and its educational programs call (406) 756-3911.
April marks the beginning of the North Cascades Institute’s 10th season of weekend field seminars on natural history, outdoor sports, photography, literary and creative art and history. The nonprofit school also offers an Eldershostel program for those over 60 and mountain camp sessions for children.
Some of the seminars can be taken for academic credit through Western Washington University, and clock hours for teacher certification are available. For registration and other information, contact the North Cascades Institute at 2105 State Route 20, Sedro Woolley, WA 98284; or call (360) 856-5700, ext. 209.
Yellowstone National Park provides the classroom for the Yellowstone Institute, a nonprofit educational program offering courses year-round in natural and cultural history and humanities topics that allow the public to experience and learn about the park firsthand.
To learn more about the organization and obtain its 1995 catalog of field seminars and nature study vacations write: The Yellowstone Institute, P.O. Box 117, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190 or call (307) 344-2294.
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