June 17, 2006
An early morning optional trip to Lamar Valley brought out all 14 participants. In spite of the long week we’ve had and the early hour, we were all frisky after stopping at Roosevelt for coffee and tea. At Floating Island Lake there were seven species of birds — several waterfowl, a male yellow-headed blackbird defending its territory, and a pair of sandhill cranes with their awkward chick — and a young bull moose.
 As the sun rose over the valley, a herd of bison crossed the Lamar River — a reminder of the wildness of this place. We caught up with Rick McIntyre, wolf watcher extraordinaire, and watched the new “Unknown” Pack of wolves moving in and out of the edge of the woods. Rick was not surrounded by his usual crowd of disciples and onlookers, so he was able to take a moment and tell us the history of this pack of wolves. Rick gave us an update on competition between several Lamar Valley wolf packs. Just beyond the confluence of Soda Butte Creek and the Lamar River, we spotted four wolves — three blacks and one gray. We suspect they were the remnant of the formerly dominant Druid Peak Pack. Rick told us the Druids now have two litters of pups, so their future looks bright.
 In our final drive back to Mammoth, we spotted a cow moose with two calves walking through the woods near the road. It was an unusual place to see a moose, and unusual to see one with two healthy calves. Yet, in this wild place, one never knows what one might see or experience. For this we are thankful.
Q & A for June 17
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