Educational Hikes and Workshops
Join us this summer on a series of interpretive hikes led by local experts throughout the A-B. Hear from geologists, ethnobotanists, miners, and fire ecologists, and explore a topic while hiking a relevant trail. Hikes are FREE, but you do need to sign up below to reserve a spot.
2022 Educational Hikes
*Signup links below table
| Hike Topic | Date | Location | Presenter | Hike Length | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birding Suce Creek Trail | 7/10 | Suce Creek, Paradise Valley | John Parker | 6 Miles | Open |
| Eagle Mount Billings Field Day | 7/28 | Wild Bill Picnic Area, Red Lodge | ABWF/Eagle Mount Staff | 1 Mile | Full |
| Ethnobotany, Cheyenne Beliefs, Connection With The Landscape | 7/30 | Cyclone Creek, Red Lodge | Linwood Tall Bull | 1-3 Miles | Open |
| Mount Shepard Fire – Reflections On Wildfire In The A-B Wilderness | 8/4 | East Rosebud, Roscoe | Dan Warthin | 2-5 Miles | Open |
| Beartooth Mountains: 4 Billion Years of Geologic History | 8/27 | Beartooth Pass | Melissa Gundersen, Jennifer Baranovic | 3-5 Miles | Open |
| Whitebark Pine: A Treeline Keystone Species | 8/28 | Line Creek Plateau, Red Lodge | Jeff DiBenedetto | 3 Miles | Open |
Hike Descriptions and Sign-ups:
Beartooth Mountains: 4 Billion Years of Geologic History
Aug 27, 2022
Presenters: Melissa Gundersen & Jennifer Baranovic, USFS Beartooth Ranger District Geologists
Description: We will go on two separate hikes up on the Beartooth Plateau mostly through alpine landscapes with broad expansive views of the Beartooth Mountains. The focus of the hikes will highlight the unique geology and terrain of the Beartooth Mountains which have some of the oldest exposed rocks on Planet Earth and host some of the world’s most critical metals such as palladium, platinum, and chromium. In contrast to the old rocks, the landscape we see today has been sculpted and carved by glaciers just a mere 13,000 years ago (geologically speaking). On our hikes, we will look at and discuss the formation and uplift of the Beartooth Mountains, a multitude of glacial features, and the long history of mining in the Beartooths.
Meeting Time and Location: August 27, 8AM at the US Forest Service Beartooth Ranger Station
Whitebark Pine: A Treeline Keystone Species 2021
Aug 28, 2022
Description: Join retired Forest Service ecologist Jeff DiBenedetto for a visit to a Whitebark Pine stand that experienced a bark beetle attach around 2021. We will discuss Whitebark ecology, why it’s a keystone species, the threats posed by climate change, bark beetles and blister rust, and efforts to protect and restore Whitebark Pine stands.
We will see the effects of a bark beetle attack on the age distribution and structure of the stand (why some trees were attacked and others survived), see regeneration of Whitebark Pine in the understory, see evidence of the tree colonizing (moving upslope) alpine grasslands (is that due to warming temperatures?) and with a little luck, maybe see nutcrackers harvesting pine nuts. As a bonus, on the walk back across the alpine we can discuss or point out various alpine plant communities.
Plan to hike about 1-2 miles round trip, leaving from a pullout on top of Line Creek Plateau.
Meeting time and location: 8AM, US Forest Service Beartooth District Ranger Station
How you can Volunteer: We know that many of you have expertise in diverse fields: geology, botany, history etc. If you would like to help the ABWF lead a hike or webinar, we’d love to involve you! Contact us: [email protected].
We’ll continue to roll out new hikes and opportunities throughout the spring and summer.