Gallatin Valley Earth Day
Celebrating and Supporting Wildlife in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem - the Last Best Wildlife Habitat in the Lower 48
Check our calendar for upcoming events and registration
To see recordings of past events click on the YouTube tab.
What's The Real Future For Grizzly Bears?
Can One of America's Greatest Wildlife Success Stories Continue?
Chris Servheen
Todd Wilkinson
A discussion between Dr. Chris Servheen, who oversaw grizzly conservation in the US for 35 years, and journalist Todd Wilkinson
Wednesday, February 1st
7 pm (doors open at 6 pm)
Emerson Center for the Arts & Culture
Live Streaming available. REGISTER for the event HERE.
Please note: If the registration does not work for you, try using the Chrome browser.
Presented by Gallatin Valley Earth Day in partnership with Mountain Journal and Gallatin Wildlife Association.
"The Greater Yellowstone population of bears is not only globally renowned and the focus of a robust nature-tourism industry, but synonymous with the wild character of Yellowstone, the world’s first national park.
The number of bears in the region has rebounded from about 140 in the 1970s to more than 700 today, and grizzlies have expanded their range to places where they haven’t been in 100 years. Their comeback is considered one of the greatest successes in conservation history.
Yet, there is the uncertainly of what will happen in the future. As omnivores, grizzlies have a documented smorgasbord of more than 260 different natural foods.
Yet two of the grizzly’s four key foods that have boosted bear numbers, especially females with cubs, have crashed. Plus the looming impacts of increased human development and recreation on the grizzly and the rest of the Yellowstone system makes it's future uncertain.
- Todd Wilkinson
Christopher Servhenn
Christopher Servheen retired from the US Fish and Wildlife Service in 2016 after 35 years as the Grizzly Bear Recovery Coordinator. Servheen was an Adjunct Research Associate Professor in the College of Forestry and Conservation at the University of Montana from 1992 to 2018. As the Grizzly Bear Recovery Coordinator, he was responsible for coordinating all the research and management on grizzly bears in the lower 48 states and working closely with grizzly biologists in Alberta and British Columbia.
Servheen wrote the Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan and was the EIS Team Leader for the Bitterroot Grizzly Bear Reintroduction EIS and was responsible for the delisting rule for the Yellowstone grizzly population in 2007, and he drafted the delisting rule in 2016 prior to his retirement.
His interests involve bear conservation and management and the relationships between human activities and bear distribution and survival. Servheen has worked in many countries in Asia and in Europe on bears and bear conservation including Japan, Malaysia, China, Taiwan, Laos, Greece, Austria, France, and Spain. He was a Fulbright Scholar working on brown bear conservation in Greece in 1994.
He is currently the President and Board Chair of the Montana Wildlife Federation, and Co-chair of the North American Bears Expert Team for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Todd Wilkinson
Todd Wilkinson has been a professional journalist since 1985. He is founder and writer in chief of the Bozeman-based conservation journalism non-profit, Mountain Journal (mountainjournal.org) which has readers around the globe. A native of Minnesota's North Woods, he began his career as a violent crime reporter with the legendary City News Bureau of Chicago. Wilkinson’s work has appeared in a wide variety of national publications, ranging from National Geographic and Christian Science Monitor to The Washington Post and many others in-between. He is the author of several critically-acclaimed books on topics ranging from Ted Turner and scientific whistleblowers to the harrowing life of famous Jackson Hole grizzly bear mother 399 featuring photographs by Thomas Mangelsen. Proudly, he adds, "I was also a grunt cook working minimum wage for the park concessionaire at Canyon Village in Yellowstone during two summers of college." For more on Todd's background, go to toddwilkinsonwriter.com
"Nature's Best Hope"
Doug Tallamy
Gallatin Valley Earth Day - in partnership with the Sacajawea Audubon Society and the MT Native Plant Society - Valley of the Flowers chapter presented "Nature's Best Hope" with Doug Tallamy on Friday, January 6th.
To watch the video recording click HERE
To watch the high resolution recording click HERE
Resources to help you:
Find native plants for your area with: https://www.nwf.org/nativeplantfinder/
Links to "Nature's Best Hope" partners:
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Sacajawea Audubon Society (video on landscaping for birds)
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MT Native Plant Society
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Gallatin Invasive Species Alliance
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Great Bear Native Plants
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Wild Birds Unlimited
“We are at a critical point of losing so many species from local ecosystems that their ability to produce the oxygen, clean water, flood control, pollination, pest control, carbon storage, etc, that is, the ecosystem services that sustain us, will become seriously compromised.” - Doug Tallamy
Mr. Tallamy brings a new approach to conservation that starts in our own yards. By landscaping with native plant communities that sustain food webs and biodiversity, we can enhance local ecosystems rather than degrade them. If we do this in half of the area in America we now have in mowed lawns, we can create a new “Homegrown National Park”—a 20 million acre network of viable habitats that will provide vital corridors connecting the few natural areas that remain. This approach to conservation empowers each of us to play a significant role in the future of the natural world.
Doug is a professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, where he has authored 106 research articles and publications and has taught insect related courses for 41 years. His latest books are the New York Times bestseller Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard and The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Tree. His book Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens (2007) was awarded the 2008 silver medal by the Garden Writers’ Association. Tallamy was awarded the Garden Club of America Margaret Douglas Medal for Conservation and the Tom Dodd Jr. Award of Excellence in 2013.
Thanks to:
Our partners ~ Our event underwriters:
Upcoming Talks & Workshops
TALKS
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Wednesday, Feb. 1 7:00 pm What's The Real Future For Grizzly Bears? Can One of America's Greatest Wildlife Success Stories Continue? - Discussion with Grizzly Bear expert Chris Servheen & journalist Todd Wilkinson at the Emerson Center for the Arts & Culture (Doors open at 6 pm) live stream also available REGISTER here
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Thursday, Feb. 16 7:00 pm The Importance of Private Lands for Wildlife: The Role of Land Trusts w/ Chet Work of GVLT at the Hope Lutheran Church's Fireside Room REGISTER here.
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Thursday, Feb. 23 7:00 pm Wildlife Crossings: Exploring solutions to prevent wildlife-vehicle collisions- Film & panel discussion w/ Rob Ament, Western Transportation & Liz Fairbank, Center for Large Landscape Conservation at the Hope Lutheran Church REGISTER here
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Friday, March 3 7:00 pm African Inspirations: Conservation Sucesses in Hwange National Park with Zimbabwean Pro Guide Mark Butcher at the Hope Lutheran Church REGISTER here
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Thursday, March 9 7:00 pm Solutions for Montana’s Trout Fisheries Facing a Changing Climate w/ Connor Parrish of MT Trout Unlimited at the Hope Lutheran Church's Fireside Room REGISTER here
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Thursday March 30 7:00 pm Risk and Resilience for Montana’s Trout Fisheries under Climate Change w/ Tim Cline of Montana State at the Hope Lutheran Church's Fireside Room REGISTER here
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Monday, April 10 7:00 pm Plastics in the Wild: the Impact of Plastic Pollution on Wildlife -- and You! w/Youpa Stein of Gallatin Valley Beyond Plastics - Partner event with Sacajawea Audubon Society at the Hope Lutheran Church REGISTER here
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Thursday, April 13 7:00 pm Our Backyard - How Can We Support Wildlife & the Ecological Integrity of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem? with George Wuerthner at the Hope Lutheran Church's Fireside Room REGISTER here
WORKSHOPS
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Saturday, Feb. 18 12-3 pm Animal Tracking in the Snow Workshop (limited to 20) with Cedar Mathers-Winn of Montana Outdoor Science School REGISTER here
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Friday, April 14 5-7 pm Animal Communication (part 1) Lecture with Cedar Mathers-Winn of Montana Outdoor Science School
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Sunday, April 16 12-3 pm Animal Communication (part 2) Field session with Cedar Mathers-Winn of Montana Outdoor Science School REGISTER here
FESTIVAL TALKS
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Saturday, April 22 11:00 am Unintended Consequences of Trapping Wildlife - How to Free your Pet from a Trap w/ Clare Beelman of Footloose MT
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Saturday, April 22 12:00 pm Living with Bears w/ Danielle Oyler of Montana Fish & Wildlife
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Saturday, April 22 1:00 pm Creating Backyard Habitats for Pollinators w/ Abi Saeed of MSU Extension
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Saturday, April 22 2:00 pm Landscaping for the Birds – Plant a Bird Friendly Backyard w/ Victoria Saab of Sacajawea Audubon Society
“On its present trajectory, with a rapidly expanding human development footprint being cemented on private land, soaring outdoor recreation pressure on public land, and deepening negative effects from climate change, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, experts say, is at high risk of losing its healthy, world-class wildlife populations. “
- Todd Wilkinson, author of "Ripple Effects - How to Save Yellowstone and America's Most Iconic Wildlife Ecosystem"
Gallatin Valley Earth Day in partnership with Gallatin Valley Land Trust presents ~
"The Importance of Private Lands for Wildlife: The Role of Land Trusts"
with Chet Work, Executive Director of the Gallatin Valley Land Trust
Thursday, February 16th at 7 pm
Hope Lutheran Church, Bozeman
Chet Work, Executive Director for Gallatin Valley Land Trust, will discuss the value of protecting private lands for wildlife habitat and the efforts of Montana’s land trusts and landowners to ensure this.
Chet Work
Chet has spent the last 20 years working in conservation, a majority of that time within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Before coming to GVLT Chet led two of the nation’s most successful land trusts, the Teton Regional Land Trust in Eastern Idaho and most recently the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County, California. In addition to his land trust leadership experience, Chet has worked as a land manager for The Nature Conservancy in Idaho and has completed an environmental education residency at the Teton Science Schools in Jackson Hole. Chet holds a Master’s Degree in Environmental Management from Duke University, as well as certificates in Nonprofit Management and Geospatial Analysis. Chet, his wife and three children moved to Bozeman in the summer of 2020.
FREE - in person & live streaming
REGISTER here
Animal Tracking in the Snow Workshop
with Cedar Mathers-Winn
Saturday, Feb. 18th | 12-3 pm
at Jackson Creek Trail
Price: $25
REGISTER for the workshop HERE.
Join Cedar Mathers-Winn for a fun day out in the snow! Winter and its canvas of snow offer an unmatched window into the natural world -- if you know how to look. This field session will demonstrate not only how to identify the animals that have passed through an area, but also how to see their signs as a story of the landscape itself. Come prepared to be off-trail!
Note: No skis permitted in this workshop, but you can definitely bring snowshoes. We will be traveling at a slow pace, so it won't be too strenuous. This workshop is sponsored by Gallatin Valley Earth Day in partnership with Sacajawea Audubon Society. Limited class size.
Cedar is a biologist, naturalist, and educator. He has studied animals and their behavior all over the world, and enjoys nothing more than sharing what he's learned through many years spent patiently watching and learning from animals and their environments. Cedar prides himself in being able to show his students fascinating things in nature that most people don't even notice are there. He also has a Master's degree in ecology, and teaches Montana Outdoor Science School's Bozeman Master Naturalist Course, and other classes in natural history.
REGISTER here
Rob Ament, M.Sc., Biology, is the Road Ecology Program Manager. He has more than 25 years of experience in plant ecology, natural resource management, environmental policy, and organizational development. He manages over 20 active road ecology research projects throughout North America and currently serves on five national and international committees and boards.
Liz Fairbank is part of the Corridors and Crossings Team at the Center for Large Landscape Conservation, where she works on issues surrounding habitat connectivity and road ecology.
Montana ranks second only to West Virginia for the probability of vehicle-wildlife collisions. It’s one of those cringeworthy rankings we prefer to ignore. But each of those collisions costs an average of $6,700 in property damage, medical bills and lost wildlife, according to an insurance company estimate. Added all up, those collisions cost more than $8 billion nationwide annually — and Montana tallies more than its fair share.
Those are numbers we ignore at our peril. They have to be costing Montanans a bundle in auto insurance rates — not to mention the cost in human injuries and animal lives.” - Bozeman Daily Chronicle editorial, Jan. 25, 2022
Join us for a film and panel discussion on how wildlife crossings can save lives - both drivers and wildlife.
Animal Communication Workshop
with Cedar Mathers-Winn
Friday April 14: Classroom session | 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Hope Lutheran Church
Sunday April 16: Field session | 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Triple Tree Trail
Price: $50
REGISTER for this workshop HERE.
The calls and songs of birds, the sparring of elk and deer, a cocked head or a raised tail -- animals are constantly communicating around us, about us, and even with us. In this workshop, we will first learn to interpret some of the most commonly-seen strategies that animals use to communicate. Then, we will get a chance to apply these lessons in the field.
Cedar is a biologist, naturalist, and educator. He has studied animals and their behavior all over the world, and enjoys nothing more than sharing what he's learned through many years spent patiently watching and learning from animals and their environments. Cedar prides himself in being able to show his students fascinating things in nature that most people don't even notice are there. He also has a Master's degree in ecology, and teaches Montana Outdoor Science School's Bozeman Master Naturalist Course, and other classes in natural history.
Earth Day Fun Run
2023 details coming soon!
Gallatin County Regional Park
9 am
Fundraiser to benefit the
Indreland Audubon Wetland Preserve
For more information and to REGISTER for the race goto winddrinkers (available after Feb. 1st)
2023 Earth Day Festival
Saturday, April 22, 2023
10 am - 3 pm
Emerson Center for the Arts & Culture
10 am: Wildlife puppet show
with Random Acts of Silliness
Talks in the Weaver Room:
11 am: "Unintended Consequences of Trapping Wildlife - How to Free your Pet from a Trap" w/ Clare Beelman of Footloose Montana
noon: "Living with Bears" with Danielle Oyler of MFW
1 pm: "Creating Backyard Habitats for Pollinators"
with Abi Saeed of MSU Extension
2 pm: “Landscaping for the Birds – Plant a Bird Friendly Backyard" with Victoria Saabof Sacajawea Audubon Society
Gallatin Valley Earth Day Festival 2022
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Who we Are
In 2019, a group of community members volunteered to plan an Earth Day festival, “Community Solutions for a Healthy Planet”. 500 people attended the festival at the Bozeman Public Library, enjoying talks, exhibits, and food as well as music, dance, art, and theater!
Our multi day in person celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day was cancelled in 2020, but we held two virtual events with more than 1000 attending.(Watch a recording on our YouTube channel). In 2021, we had over 2000 people attend our many online & in person events, including our in person festival in front of the Bozeman Public Library and our first annual Earth Day Fun Run at the Gallatin County Regional Park.
In 2022 we celebrated Earth Day with virtual and in person events from February through April. See the YouTube channel for recordings of online events!
In 2023, we are back at the Emerson for our annual Earth Day Festival. Check the calendar for additional events!
Our Fiscal Sponsor:
Great Gallatin United Way (GGUW) serves as the fiscal sponsor for the Earth Day Festival 2020 Committee. All donations made to GGUW on behalf of the Earth Day Festival will be designated solely for Earth Day Festival events and programs.
Many thanks to our wonderful volunteers
In the News
Check out local coverage of our events:
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Earth Day Festival 2022: Bozeman Daily Chronicle, April 24, 2022.
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Earth Day Festival 2022 preview: Bozeman Daily Chronicle, April 20, 2022.
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Gallatin Valley Earth Day presents talk on climate change in the GYE: Explore Big Sky, March 2022
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Earth Day Fun Run and Earth Day in the Parks 2021: Bozeman Daily Chronicle
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Gallatin Valley Earth Day to celebrate 50 years of Progress: Bozeman Daily Chronicle
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Families Turn Out for Earth Day Festival 2019: Bozeman Daily Chronicle
Resources
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Earth Day Guide 2022: Bozeman Daily Chronicle
City of Bozeman 2021 Planting Guide
Creating a Zero Waste Home by Julie Fathy
Gallatin Conservation District Pollinator Guide
Gallatin Valley Earth Day Guide 2021: Bozeman Daily Chronicle
Montana Bee Identification Guide (.pdf) Department of Land Resources & Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
Recycling information from Republic Services:
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For a map of Gallatin County’s FREE recycling drop-off locations, click here.
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For information on alternatives to traditional plastic garbage bags, here are some options.
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Alexis Alloway's favorite source for staying up-to-date on the recycling industry is https://resource-recycling.com/ (and you can sign up for plastics-related newsletters and updates).
Movies
Looking to stream movies that GVED has offered for free viewing in the past?
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“KISS THE GROUND", is a powerful documentary exploring soil regeneration and its place as a compelling and effective solution to our planet's climate crisis. Stream it on NETFLIX.
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"THE STORY OF PLASTIC" looks at the man-made crisis of plastic pollution and the worldwide effect it has on the health of our planet and the people that inhabit it. Watch on the Discovery Channel HERE.
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"2040" is a delightful film, directed by and starring award winning Australian filmmaker Damon Gameau. The film looks at the effects of climate change over the next 20 years and what technologies that exist today can reverse the effects. See streaming options HERE.
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Movies
SPONSORS
PREMIER
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BENEFACTOR
STEWARDS
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To help support
Gallatin Valley Earth Day events contact gallatinvalleyearthday@gmail.com
Greater Gallatin United Way (GGUW) serves as the fiscal sponsor for the Gallatin Valley Earth Day committee. All donations made to GGUW on behalf of Gallatin Valley Earth Day will be solely for Gallatin Valley Earth Day events and programs.
Partners
The Gallatin Valley Earth Day Festival is thrilled to partner with many organizations in the Gallatin Valley (and beyond):
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Belgrade Public Library
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Beth MacFawn Landscape Design, Inc.
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Blake Nurseries
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Big Sky Wind Drinkers
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Bozeman Doc Series
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Bozeman Farmers' Market
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Bozeman Green Build
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Bozeman Public Schools - Solar Schools Club
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Bozeman Winter Farmers' Market
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Bridger Bowl Ski Area
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Buff City Soap Bozeman
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BZN International Film Festival
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Cashman Nursery
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Citizens' Climate Education Montana
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City of Belgrade Public Library
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City of Bozeman Clean Up Day
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City of Bozeman Dept of Water Conservation
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City of Bozeman Parks & Recreation
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City of Bozeman Public Library
- City of Bozeman Sustainability Office
- City of Manhattan Public Library
- City of West Yellowstone Public Library
- Cottonwood Law Center
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Gallatin Conservation District
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Gallatin Invasive Species Alliance
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Gallatin Subaru
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Gallatin Valley Beyond Plastics
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Gallatin Valley Farm to School
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Gallatin Valley Food Bank
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Gallatin Watershed Council
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Gallatin Wildlife Association
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Gallatin Valley Land Trust
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Gallatin Yellowstone Wilderness Alliance
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Great Bear Native Plants
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Great Old Broads for Wilderness
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Green Up West Yellowstone
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Happy Trash Can
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Hope Lutheran Church Creation Care Team
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Kenyan Noble
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Intermountain Opera Bozeman
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Lot G Cafe
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Madison Gallatin Trout Unlimited
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Manhattan Public Library
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Montana Citizens' Climate Education
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Montana Interfaith Power and Light
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Montana Mindfulness Project
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Montana Native Plant Society
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Montana Science Center
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Montana Trout Unlimited
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MSU Bridger Solar Team
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MSU Citizens' Climate Lobby
- MSU Sustainability Now
- MSU Institute on Ecosystems
- Norwex
- Open & Local
- Random Acts of Silliness
- Republic Services
- Root Cellar Foods
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Sacajawea Audubon Society
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Sierra Club
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Simms
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Sunrise Movement
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Treeline Coffee Roasters
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Uphill Pursuits
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USFWS Bozeman Fish Health Center
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Volkswagen of Bozeman
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Valley of the Flowers Landscaping
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Valley of the Flowers Project
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Wild Birds Unlimited (Billings & Bozeman)
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Yellowstone Harley Davidson
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YES Compost
Past events from our previous calendar can be seen here
Calendar of Events
To view the entire text for an event, click on the event text.
Gallatin Valley Earth Day
Online events leading up to and including April, 2023
Earth Day Festival on April 22, 2023 | 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
(Bozeman Clean Week- pick up your kit at festival)
Earth Day Fun Run on April 22| 9 am
Emerson Center for the Arts and Culture, Bozeman, MT
To Contact Us:
Email Anne Ready at