Quick Menu to Other Pages Lodging Reservations Activity Reservations WebCams Online Tours Maps News Weather Introduction to Yellowstone Wildlife Geysers Road Conditions Calendar Top 10 Yellowstone Sights Visitor Centers Discussion Forum History of Yellowstone Fast Facts Fishing Hiking Backcountry Camping Skiing More Photos Free Stuff Games Education Support the Park Site Directory Site Search

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK – Two Yellowstone Association Institute courses beginning Aug. 1 will blend the techniques of art with the knowledge of science to give students an unusual perspective on the first national park.

“True to Life: The Art & Science of Drawing Animals” (Aug. 1-3, $300) will help students improve their skills in drawing Yellowstone’s wildlife in pen and ink, and watercolor. The course will be taught by Peg Steunenberg and George Bumann, M.S., specialists in science illustration, art and writing.

“Exploring Yellowstone with Science and Music” (Aug. 1-3, $300) features “musical discovery visits” combining scientific exploration with music as students explore many different habitats in Yellowstone. The course will be taught James Halfpenny, Ph. D., an ecologist, editor and educator, and Ron Cisar, M.S., a musician and educator.

Participants in these courses will be based at the historic Lamar Buffalo Ranch in the Lamar Valley, which is full of inspiration with its sweeping views and abundance of bison, pronghorn, elk and wolves.

“Students will tap into the beauty of Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley through artistic veins, such as composing music, drawing and painting,” says Sarah Richey, Program Manager for the Yellowstone Association Institute. “The courses allow the participants to nurture their private artistic expressions while viewing the bountiful wildlife and breath-taking landscapes.”

The Lamar Buffalo Ranch is the Yellowstone Association’s campus in the Lamar Valley, one of Yellowstone’s best wildlife viewing areas and the location where Yellowstone wolves were reintroduced in 1995 and 1996. Wildlife can often be seen from the porches of the Buffalo Ranch.

The Buffalo Ranch Field Campus is a cluster of log buildings nestled at the edge of the Lamar Valley. Students sleep in one-room cabins with three single beds for $25 per night.  Nearby is a heated bathhouse with showers and bathrooms. The largest log building, called the “Bunkhouse,” is the center of seminar activity and houses classrooms and a community kitchen where students cook their own food. 

Course registration numbers are limited to ensure instructor-to-student ratios provide an intimate experience. Please call 307-344-2294 to enroll in “True to Life: The Art & Science of Drawing Animals” or “Exploring Yellowstone with Science and Music,” or to request more information on the lodging at Lamar. To request a catalog that includes a full description of all summer or winter courses, including backcountry courses, you can contact the Yellowstone Association Institute at 307-344-2294 or write to P.O. Box 117, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190.  Complete information is also available at YellowstoneAssociation.org.

The Institute is a nonprofit field school operated by the National Park’s official educational partner, the Yellowstone Association.  The Institute offers a variety of courses in ecology, wilderness skills, and natural history year-round in Yellowstone National Park. 

To enroll in this or another field seminar, or to request a catalog that includes a full description of all summer and fall courses, please contact the Yellowstone Association Institute at PO Box 117, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190  307-344-2294.  Complete information is also available at www.YellowstoneAssociation.org.