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Moonlight Walk And Solstice Storytelling December 21st is the day of the solstice this year, which happens to be the night of the full moon. And did we mention there's also a full lunar eclipse? Meet at 4:00 at the barn for a short interpretive walk on the prairie, then spend time to watch the sunset and full moon rise. Return to a campfire for a storytelling session led by MusEco founders Kris and Scott Prinzing. Hear stories about cold, winter, the solstice, and related topics. Participants are also encouraged to bring stories of their own. Enjoy warm drinks and stargazing around the campfire; stay as long as you would like. In case of inclement weather, event will move to the Lodge at Cove Canyon. $10/person, $25/family Reservations required, info@rimcountry.org Rocky Student Cameron Sapp was featured in the Billings Gazette for his work at Rim Country on a pine beetle research project. Read the article at the Gazette website here. Congratulations, Cameron! Wish List Want to help? Look for a wish list column in each newsletter to see what we're in need of for our programs and operation. Please consider a financial or in-kind contribution. This month: Know someone with a plow? When it snows in Billings, the access road to Cove Canyon Grasslands can get snowed shut. It costs at least $100 per plow.
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December 2010 Newsletter
There are currently twelve mule deer bedded down in the snow across the canyon and a flock of crossbills flying between treetops, the bright red males and yellow-green females even more colorful against a white background. It's winter on the grasslands. It's also time for our annual appeal, the most important fundraising effort of the year for Rim Country. If you have not had a chance to read the letter, please look over the copy below. Donating is easy -- send a check to our Clancy office, donate through PayPal at our website, or join our "cause" on Facebook. To celebrate the season, join us at Cove Canyon on December 21st for a special Moonlight Walk and Solstice Storytelling. Details at sidebar on left. Enjoy this season of gifts and community. Thanks to all of you for your support of Rim Country. Carolyn Annual AppealDuring a recent fourth grade field trip to Rim Country, I was sharing how native peoples of the area depended on what was immediately around them - the plants, animals, rocks, and other people - for food, medicine, materials, and knowledge. Toward the end of the discussion, one of the students summarized my point in an exclamation: Oh! I get it! Everything you need is right where you are! Ever since then, that statement has become something of a mantra for our work at Rim Country. Just look around, trust the universe, and you'll find what you need. Which is in part what gives us the confidence to appeal to you, the Rim Country community, for support during a crucial time. We ask you to help us raise $25,000 during this annual appeal. This amount will do three things: 1) provide a solid foundation for operations over the coming year, 2) allow us to expand our programs as directed by our strategic plan, and 3) move us toward our goal of hiring a full-time executive director. At Rim Country, our emphasis on quality of experience, the land itself as primary teacher, and responsible management means that we have kept our overhead low and our budget consistent while increasing outreach. In 2010, we doubled our participation rate from the previous year, providing place-centered experiences for more than 700 individuals of all ages. Here's what these people have been doing:
The success of our programs has also created a challenge - to match their increase and expansion with a comparable increase in organizational resources. While we can do much with little, we have reached a limit. Growth in organization is essential to sustain growth in programming, and that requires financial support. If you value the kind of experiences listed above and the unique opportunities for inquiry and reflection that Rim Country programs provide, help those programs continue with a financial contribution. Individual donations are the primary source of funding for Rim Country, and it is only with your support that these activities are possible. The growth of programs also comes at a key transitional time. Earlier this fall, Carol McEvoy officially from Executive Directorship, a position she has held as a full-time volunteer for seven years. She and her husband Larry will continue to be involved on our board of directors. For the next year, Rim Country will be operating without an executive director as we look to our long-term strategy. We recognize the importance of reaching out to experienced, qualified leadership, and our search for a new ED is already underway. During this time, we will be working hard to ensure the financial sustainability necessary to bring on the kind of leadership we need to move us forward. Reaching our goal for this appeal is a vital first step toward that goal. During this time of transition, we are doing much to vision the future of Rim Country-its possibilities and programs, its opportunities for collaboration, and its potential as a place of deep, meaningful, earth-centered experience. Your gift of $50, $100, $500, or $1,000 will allow us to continue our level of programming and provide a solid foundation for future growth. Now is a crucial time to show your support. Thank you. Sincerely, Mary Fitzpatrick, Board Chair p.s. Appeals and donations are part of a much bigger conversation between an organization and its supporters. As with much of today's communication, this conversation has now moved online. Join us on Facebook @Rim Country to see photos, read our newsletters, and comment on our activities.
Sponsor a Bluebird Box $100/year covers box maintenance, monitoring, and reports.
Increased insulation is a must during this season, and animals from rabbits to chickadees puff up their fur and feathers to capture more air and hold more warmth. And the closer to a ball-shape an animal can get, the less surface area is exposed to the cold (see photo). Grouping together is also a way to consolidate resources. Coyotes will join up in a pack to take down larger prey, and mule deer gather together to avoid predation now that the rut is over. Plants must adapt, as well, which the deciduous trees do well by dropping their leaves. Other plants store energy underground in starchy roots or overwinter as seeds as some insects do as eggs, waiting for warmer weather to do their growing. Read about happenings on the land at our land blog, http://blog.rimcountry.org, and see photos at our Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rclimontana. |
Family Field Trips
More than a foot of snow late in November changed the landscape quickly for the animals and plants of the grassland. Leaves had already dropped from the sumac, cottonwood, and chokecherry, and many of the animals were already well into their bulking up for the cold. Few animals on the prairie hibernate all winter, preferring to take advantage of the warm days that pepper otherwise cold months. Prairie dogs, for example, will stay inactive underground for days at a time but are often seen in the middle of January if the sun is shining. Most animals decrease their activity overall, however, saving energy when forage is scarce. 
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