Yellowstone Wolves

By Vansh Amin

Wolves are a very crucial part of Yellowstone. Did you know that at one point in Yellowstone’s history all the wolves were extinct!?!?  Most people would think that wouldn’t affect anything, but it had a huge impact on the Yellowstone ecosystem. Since the wolves weren’t there, many of the hoofed mammals, like deer and elk, overpopulated. This was the reason people killed the wolves, because they wanted more deer and elk. But it was very bad because the deer and elk eat trees, especially deciduous trees. This destroys riparian habitat for animals like birds, beavers and otters who can’t hide behind trees while resting, drinking or raising their young. Also, the deer and elk would eat all of the food.

The Yellowstone biologists decided to reintroduce wolves in 1995. They couldn’t just bring in some new wolves from anywhere. After 80 years of wolves being gone, they had to find wolves that were used to the habitat and prey found in Yellowstone. That is when they got the idea to bring in wolves from Canada just north of the Montana border where they also hunt elk and bison. The wolves have repopulated Yellowstone and have changed the environment in a good way. Riparian plants and trees like aspen grew back, which brought back the beaver. This benefitted the whole wetland ecosystem and all the species that need that habitat. This is why wolves are a keystone species.

The average wolf pack size is about 10 wolves. They inhabit most of the park. When they are active the most is at dawn and dusk. Many other animals benefit from wolf kills. For example, when wolves kill an elk, ravens and magpies arrive pretty much instantaneously. Coyotes arrive soon after, waiting nearby until the wolves leave. Bears often attempt to chase the wolves away, and are often successful. Another benefit is that the wolves are also keeping the elk population in balance, otherwise the elk would overpopulate and it would mess up the food chain. Also the ravens, magpies, vultures and other scavengers wouldn’t have as many sources of food, and then they would starve and food chain would be even more out of order. Wolves help keep wildlife populations healthy just by hunting and surviving.

Editor’s Note: These student essays were printed as they were provided by Pioneer School and were unedited by Out There. To learn more about the school, visit Pioneerschool.com.

Learning about thermal features, wolves, and more during an Expedition Yellowstone trip. // Photo courtesy Pioneer School.

Every other year, 4^th and 5^th grade students from Pioneer School participate in Expedition Yellowstone, a National Park Service program where school groups get to choose a theme, such as history, ecology, and wildlife for a hands-on learning expedition. Pioneer School is a K-5 accredited, non-profit school for gifted and highly-capable learners in Spokane Valley.

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Artists in Yellowstone—Thomas Moran

By Nyomi Meinhart 

Thomas Moran was born February 12, 1837, in Bolton, England, but he lived to play an important role in American conservation of wild places. At age seven, his family moved to Baltimore, Maryland, and later to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

When Thomas was 16 he began his artistic training in a wood engravers shop. At 18, he left woodworking and began painting. Thomas made illustrations for Scribner’s Magazine, and in fact he found out about the Hayden Expedition through Scribner’s. The Hayden Expedition went to Yellowstone as the first scientific exploration of the area in 1871. Thomas went with another artist, Willaim Henry Jackson, a photographer.

Once in Yellowstone he made sketches of the Gardiner River, Mammoth Hot Springs, Liberty Cap, Tower Fall and The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Once he had a portfolio of sketches and watercolors he went home to fix up his finished paintings. Jackson later wrote, “The wonderful coloring of Moran’s paintings made all the difference.” His art convinced Congress to preserve Yellowstone as our first national park in 1872!

Moran’s 7×12 foot painting of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone was purchased by Congress for $10,000. It hung in the White House for many years. Together they helped give America its first national park, and as they did so they became known across the country for their journey and their artwork. We will always remember Thomas Moran as the first person to paint Yellowstone. 

Editor’s Note: These student essays were printed as they were provided by Pioneer School and were unedited by Out There. To learn more about the school, visit Pioneerschool.com.

Every other year, 4^th and 5^th grade students from Pioneer School participate in Expedition Yellowstone, a National Park Service program where school groups get to choose a theme, such as history, ecology, and wildlife for a hands-on learning expedition. Pioneer School is a K-5 accredited, non-profit school for gifted and highly-capable learners in Spokane Valley.

The post Learn About Artists In Yellowstone appeared first on Out There Venture.

Yellowstone’s Thermal Features

By Benson Side, elementary student at Pioneer School

Yellowstone National Park is home to four kinds of weird thermal features. The Earth is hot in Yellowstone because it is an active supervolcano caldera. Yellowstone is where half of the geysers in the world are found! There are approximately 500 geysers in Yellowstone National Park, and that’s a lot.

Geysers are cool (the water is not cool, though). They are activated by pressure and heat in a chamber below the ground. Water that collects there is heated up beyond boiling, which is extremely hot. It’s a big chamber with a little opening, kind of like a teapot. It builds up pressure until it can’t hold the pressure any more, and it goes ka-bluey!!!! There are two types of geysers: cone and fountain geysers. Fountain geysers are practically the same thing as a cone geyser underground. Cone geysers erupt in an upward spout from a mound or cone of sinter rock, but fountain geysers erupt from a hot spring. Fountain geysers look like a pool that has a bomb exploding under the water, if you can picture that.

Yellowstone’s hot springs are an amazing sight. They are beautiful puddles or pools of steaming water that often have colors. Those colors aren’t just for decoration, they are little baby bacteria that can only survive in different temperatures. The bacteria that needs the hottest water is dark blue, the second ring of color is turquoise and the second hottest, the third ring is yellow and is the third hottest, and the fourth ring is the fourth hottest and it is orange. These bacterias are called thermophiles, which means heat-loving. You are not allowed to swim in the hot springs because the oils on your skin will kill the bacteria, which is bad! 

Mud pots are weird and satisfying. They are satisfying because they bubble slowly and make interesting sounds. Mud pots can be stinky because of the hydrosulfide that is dissolved in the water. Mud pots sometimes don’t have much color, but when they do have color they are called paint pots. They get their color from minerals that mix in the mud pots. Fumaroles are vents that steam because of geo-heated water below the surface of Earth’s crust. There is some water deep in the fumarole, which evaporates before it gets to the surface. Fumaroles are found in many sizes. I hope that someday you will go and see the awesome geology at Yellowstone. It is so worth the trip!

Editor’s Note: These student essays were printed as they were provided by Pioneer School and were unedited by Out There. To learn more about the school, visit Pioneerschool.com.

Every other year, 4^th and 5^th grade students from Pioneer School participate in Expedition Yellowstone, a National Park Service program where school groups get to choose a theme, such as history, ecology, and wildlife for a hands-on learning expedition. Pioneer School is a K-5 accredited, non-profit school for gifted and highly-capable learners in Spokane Valley.

The post Learn About Yellowstone’s Thermal Features appeared first on Out There Venture.

Expedition Yellowstone is a National Park Service program where school groups get to choose a theme, such as history, ecology, and wildlife, says Pioneer 4^th and 5^th grade teacher Nicole Bronson. “The kids are outside all day everyday despite the weather,” she says. “I usually start getting them ready for the trip two-to-three months before we go, so by the time of the trip they have a huge wealth of knowledge, and then they get to do field work and there are the hikes and the games that they play. It’s like a capstone trip for my class.”

The Expedition Yellowstone trips and in-class learning at Pioneer cover a wide range of topics that can change from year to year, but one of the main themes Bronson says they always try to touch on is the idea of Yellowstone as a supervolcano. “It’s pretty crazy. It’s this massive bubble of magma down in the ground, the biggest one in the world, actually, and it’s still active. That’s why there are so many hydro-geologic features there.”

Bronson says they also cover the concept of conservation and how it’s been evolving throughout the history of the park. One example she cites is how the bears in the park were once fed and treated like circus animals.

Today, she explains, feeding wildlife is strictly prohibited and bears have returned to their natural food sources, which is much better for the bears, and conflicts with people have decreased too. According to Bronson, getting to view the park’s incredible wildlife is a major highlight of the trips. “Every year we go we see either bears or wolves and other species you don’t often see, like pronghorn, bison, and elk.”

Writing about their Expedition Yellowstone experiences is also a part of the trip. Here are three Pioneer School 4^th and 5^th grade essays from this year’s trip that provide a window into the park’s wildness and unique history and geology through the eyes of students.

“Yellowstone’s Thermal Features” by Benson Side

“Artists in Yellowstone—Thomas Moran” by Nyomi Meinhart

“Yellowstone Wolves” by Vansh Amin

The post Spokane Students Write from the Wilds of Yellowstone appeared first on Out There Venture.

Blessing Farm & Forest Preschool

Spokane’s first urban farm and forest preschool located near the South Perry Neighborhood. This Waldorf-inspired school offers a school-year program for children ages 2 1/2 to 6 as well as summer camps for ages 2 1/2 to 7. Blessingfarmandforest.com

Greenplay Northwest – Farm Schools

Early learning programs for children ages 6 and younger, based on the forest kindergarten model with locations in Spokane (Vinegar Flats Farm School) and southeast King County (Maple Valley and Enumclaw). Summer Nature Camps may be available for summer 2021. Greenplaynw.org

Harvard Park Children’s Learning Center North

Preschool and summer camps for ages 2.5-10 include activities such as science experiments, field trips, cooking projects, water play time, and lots of outdoor playtime. Harvardparkpreschool.com

Into the Forest Outdoor Learning Center

Preschool and day care located east of Spokane, in Veradale, Wash., provides “nature-infused,” play-based, environmental education that includes nature art, outdoor exploration, and “risky play,” according to its website. Intotheforestpreschool.com

Little Woodland Adventures

Forest preschool (ages 2.5-5) located near Dishman Hills Natural Area in Spokane Valley that is all outdoors, year-round. Curriculum includes place-based activities, life skills, and gardening. Littlewoodlandadventures.com

North Wall Schools

Private school for gifted and talented learners, grades K-6, with an Early Childhood program (preschool and infants-toddlers) and summer program. Campus in north Spokane includes different outdoor areas corresponding to age levels for year-round playtime and experiential learning. Features include a Nature Trail, tree fort, zipline, organic garden, climbing wall, and tricycle track. Northwallschools.com

Pioneer School field-trip to the Spokane County Water Resources Center. // Photo: Shallan Knowles

Pioneer School

A K-5th grade accredited, non-profit school for gifted, talented, and highly-capable learners with small classes. Located in northeast Spokane Valley, Pioneer School is dedicated to making school an exciting place where children enjoy learning with a thematic approach that emphasizes student involvement with hands-on activities and topic-related field trips. Experiences include expeditions, outings, and field-trips for camping, biking, hiking, skiing, conservation and science learning, history, and other recreation activities. Pioneerschool.com

Plum Tree School

All-outdoor preschool program (ages 3-6), located in south Spokane, focuses on play-based learning, creative arts, domestic life skills, hands-on nature exploration, and mindfulness. Plumtreeschool.com

Saint George’s School

Located on 120-acres along the Little Spokane River, the campus for this private school (no religious affiliation) is an integral part of the school’s entire K-12 curriculum, providing hands-on experiences related to the sciences, physical education, art, and other courses. An Outdoor Club provides recreation activities and trips for students in grades 8-12. Sgs.org

Tinkergarten

Instructor-led, with a national network of teachers and child-development experts, this self-guided programming for play-based learning experiences offers free DIY activities online. Tinkergarten.com

Twin Eagles Wilderness School

Monthly program based in Spokane for ages 6-13 and their families (October-May, one Saturday per month). Children enjoy nature-based mentoring and hands-on activities—all outdoors. Twineagles.org

Washington Outdoor School

Child-interest led outdoor education with branches based in central Washington, including the cities of Ellensburg and Roslyn. Waoutdoorschool.org

West Valley Outdoor Learning Center

Virtual-based programs with online, live, interactive presentations about wildlife habitat, conservation, birds of prey, water ecosystems, and STEM activities. Check the center’s Facebook page for when in-person events will resume, including family open-houses.

Windsong School

Located in Spokane on the Mukogawa Fort Wright Institute campus, students, preshool-6^th grade, enjoy Waldorf-inspired learning and daily outdoor experiences. Spokanewindsongschool.org

[Feature photo by Shallan Knowles // Pioneer School students at the Spokane County Water Resources Center.]

View all the contents of the 2021 Inland NW Family Outdoors Guide, including regional Outdoorsy Summer Camps.

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