Ok, so it was actually more like 12 swans a swimming in Teller’s wetlands, but it’s the holidays, and “Seven Swans a Swimming" seemed like the obvious title choice. Have you read Executive Director, Sam Lawry’s December bird article featured in the Ravalli Republic? If you haven’t, be sure to check it out! This month covers the beautiful Tundra Swan.

While you’re there, be sure to check out Sam’s other featured articles. Did you know he has written 36 articles, each highlighting a different avian species found in the Bitterroot? That’s impressive!

Starting in 2021, Teller is excited to offer our lodging bookings ONLINE! With taking our lodging program on in-house, it only made sense to become a little more tech saavy in the way we run our bookings. You will soon be able to book your stay in either of our historic farm homes, or the charmingly rustic Otto’s Cabin straight from your computer or mobile device. Stay tuned! We’ll let you know as soon as this feature is live.

With the help of an anonymous grant, the Teller Slack barn is receiving a MUCH needed upgrade. Lands Manager, Dave Whitmoyer and our wonderful Tuesday volunteer crew of Ron Nadzam, Chuck Burrier and Bob Davis have been hard at work over the past month. Upgrades include new, more easily accessible stairs to the barn’s loft, a fully insulated downstairs, and beautiful new lighting to really make things pop! Follow The Barn at Teller on Facebook or Instagram. We’ll be adding before and after photos as soon as the remodel is complete!

Over the past year, Teller has been home to one of MPG Ranch’s Motus Wildlife Tracking Systems. What is Motus? These systems are an international collaborative research network that use radio signals to study movement in migratory animals. In our case, birds. Animals are tagged and when in the vicinity of a Motus antenna, will send a signal, allowing researchers to better understand the habits of migratory species.

This year, the MPG Ranch researchers deployed 153 tags on bird species in the Bitterroot. That’s 70 more than their 2019 tag numbers! In addition, more species of interest have been added. These include Common Poorwill, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Lazuli Bunting, and Spotted Towhee.

Visit the MPG Ranch website to view the full 2020 fall Motus report

Corvallis High Classroom Without Walls students are continuing their work to improve the Teller Trail. Research collected from previous classes helped the students create signs and educational material that they can place in kiosks refurbished by Teller volunteers.  They purchased a bear-proof garbage with a grant from Vital Ground can that would keep the trail clean and not attract animals. Last week we were able to meet the class at the trail and set the posts for the kiosks. Everyone is looking forward to getting the kiosks up with information for visitors to learn more about plants and wildlife along the Bitterroot River.

 The Hamilton High Classroom Without Walls program visited the refuge several times this fall to work on bird identification and waterfowl studies. On their bird ID field trip to Teller, they spotted a Northern harrier, Tundra Swans, Northern Flickers, Black-billed magpies, and possibly a Western Meadowlark. Sam, not only our Executive Director but resident wildlife biologist led the class on the next two field trips and presented a mini-course on waterfowl identification, habitat needs of waterfowl, and migration. They visited several sites on the refuge and an impromptu quiz at the end of day two displayed their knowledge of ducks, geese, and swans.

 These lessons aren’t just for high school students. Anyone interested in learning more about birds in the Bitterroot Valley can always access Sam’s collection of 36 avian articles on our website.

There’s no doubt 2020 has been quite a whirlwind! Here at Teller, we’ve adapted to maintain our conservation education connection with social distancing and virtual experiences. We’ve also had the opportunity to reflect on how important a place like Teller is to all of the wildlife species that live or pass through our beautiful valley. Watching over 30 Sandhill Cranes feeding on Teller barley this fall assures us that our wildlife friendly farming program helps prepare these majestic birds for their long journey south. Other species like moose and Golden Eagles require our protected tracts of land for their survival. While we had to adapt our education programs due to 2020’s curveballs, the wildlife had no alternative but to keep on surviving. Teller in part made that possible.

So this year, as you consider a year-end gift, take a moment and recognize that your contribution will continue to support conservation education programs, and allow Teller to implement conservation projects that benefit a host of wildlife species. Your gift today will lead to putting a smile on a youngster’s face while exploring in our outdoor classroom or, who knows, perhaps a smile on the bill of a crane migrating south.

From all of us at Teller we wish you the very best holiday season and blessed new year!