FVCC Nature Journal

Coyotes are adaptable predators that have long captured the imagination of humans. They eat just about anything, and they use at least 11 yips, barks, and other sounds to communicate. Recently, they have become a safety problem in some urban areas.

The tailed frog is the oddest little frog in Montana.  It is water dependent, and lives mysteriously under rocks and logs in fast flowing streams. Few people have seen one.   Join us on the FVCC Nature Journal and learn about this very primitive amphibian!

In this episode of the FVCC Nature Journal, Natural Resources Professor Tim Eichner describes a number of technologic advances that help us measure aspects of our natural world.  Practical applications include a variety of satellite imagery, drone technology, fire mapping, satellite telemetry, and more!

The gray jay, also known as the Canada Jay, is a common bird of coniferous forests in Montana and across the west. This “camp robber” looks for handouts around camps in the high country. This bird is a “scatter hoarder”, caching a variety of food items in the summer for winter use. 

There are hundreds of geysers in Yellowstone Park and each one has a story.  Learn about the sources of geysers, how they are formed, and why they are so rare in the world.  Professor Adam Wenz has been fascinated with the geochemistry of geysers since childhood, and he leads us through a fascinating discussion of these amazing, world-famous features. 

The Northern Flying Squirrel is one of two native tree squirrels in Montana. This diminutive glider spends its life in trees mostly of the boreal coniferous forests of Montana, making it the poster squirrel for the common Christmas trees cut by Montanans for their homes. This squirrel can glide up to 270 feet or more and demonstrates surprising skills of aerial maneuvering. 

The woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) is an elusive member of the deer family that occasionally dips down from Canada and  is seen in northwest Montana.  The woodland caribou has a fascinating life style that involves deep dark forests and subsisting on tree lichens.  FVCC student Taylor Rose joins us and describes his efforts over the last two years to develop his great idea into a graduate project at the University of Idaho,  working on caribou habitat and status.

This episode includes lots of fun facts about wild turkeys, their biology, and behavior. Learn about turkey-related Thanksgiving traditions, and hear the story of a cat hitching a ride on the back of a wild turkey!

The snowshoe hare lives across the Montana landscape, especially in lodgepole and other conifer woodlands.  Its white color provides almost complete camouflage in winter, but it is still preyed upon heavily by lynx, coyote, raptors, marten and other critters. Tune in to this podcast and learn lots of fun facts about this elusive prey species. 

Join top fisheries Scientist Clint Muhlfeld and host John Fraley as they talk about the history and genetics of Montana's state fish in the waters of beautiful Glacier National Park!