June 16 – 24, 2012

Two hundred years ago, Lewis and Clark traveled through the Northern Great Plains and found an abundance of life rivaling the African savanna. Millions of bison, pronghorn and elk grazed an endless sea of grass, watched by prairie wolves, grizzlies and other predators. Immense flocks of birds colored the big, open sky.

Join WWF in June 2012 for its first-ever guided exploration of this remarkable landscape, in Montana. Spend a week traversing the wide-open prairies, seeking out birds and mammals and drinking in a gorgeous landscape with even more spectacular sunsets. WWF researcher Dennis Jorgensen and other conservation leaders will join you along the way. Expert birder and guide Peg Abbott will be our expedition leader.

When you travel with WWF, a portion of your tour cost goes to support WWF’s global conservation efforts, including our work in the Northern Great Plains. We have just 12 spots on this tour, so call 888-WWF-TOUR (993-8687) to reserve yours today!

Trip Itinerary

Saturday, June 16, 2012: Billings, Montana
Fly on your own to Billings. Arrive in time to explore the historic downtown and for a welcome dinner. Crowne Plaza (D)

Sunday, June 17: Billings / Glasgow
Take a morning walk along the Yellowstone River, starting out your adventures seeing bird species you’re not bound to spot elsewhere on the trip – brown thrashers, red-eyed vireos and American redstarts among them. White-tailed deer commonly feed in the mornings and inquisitive red foxes may dart about. Then drive north, passing scattered ranches and farms. There’s no doubt you’ll see firsthand why Montana is called “Big Sky Country.” Along the way, stop for lunch in a small community and look for pronghorn.

The pronghorn is the fastest hoofed animal in North America, capable of achieving speeds up to 60 miles per hour. Pronghorn range across extremely large areas and are one of the few large mammals in North America that continue to exhibit long-distance migration – a dramatic, yet imperiled biological phenomena. WWF’s “Freedom to Roam” initiative aims to create large and uninterrupted conservation areas for migrating animals such as the pronghorn. 

Later, arrive in Glasgow and settle into your simple but comfortable accommodations. Cottonwood Inn (B,L,D)

Monday, June 18: South Valley County / Fort Peck
Sporting a long, pointy tail and participating in a regal springtime courtship dance, the sage grouse is wholly dependent on a sagebrush ecosystem for its survival. A so-called “umbrella species” of the Northern Great Plains, its conservation will ensure high-quality habitat for other species that also live rely on the sagebrush steppe. During guided explorations, look for the sage grouse, plus mule deer, elk , badgers, long-tailed weasels and white-tailed jackrabbits.

Following a picnic lunch and some time at leisure, drive to Fort Peck, one of the largest dams on the Upper Missouri River. Learn about the wildlife that uses the area – including common loons, a number of ducks and at dusk, common poorwills. Enjoy dinner at the historic Fort Peck Inn. Cottonwood Inn (B,L,D)

Tuesday, June 19: North Valley County / Malta
Prairie dogs once numbered in the billions across the Great Plains. The species is an engineer of its environment, churning soil, creating burrows, cropping plants and clearing ground. In the process, they create habitat and serve as food for numerous other species. However, because of declining populations, the prairie dog's crucial role in the prairie ecosystem is nearly absent, and species that depend on it, such as the black-footed ferret, are almost extinct. Learn about WWF’s efforts to protect the black-tailed prairie dog during explorations of bustling prairie dog towns. Prairie dogs are highly social animals, so it’s likely you'll see families of them together on their complex burrow systems and hear them communicating.

Later, drive a maze of backcountry roads taking in the endless prairie landscape en route to the tiny city of Malta. Great Northern Hotel (B,L,D)

Wednesday, June 20: Malta / Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge
Seven miles east of Malta, the Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1936 to conserve resting, feeding and breeding habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife. Today, its wetlands support more than 235 species of shorebirds and waterfowl, plus such small mammals as jackrabbits, pocket gophers and porcupines. Water collects in this geologic depression that was once an oxbow of the pre-glacial Missouri River channel, providing habitat for American white pelicans, eared grebes, double-crested cormorants, great blue herons, and white-faced ibises. Birders will especially delight in searching for some of the more elusive prairie species, such as the Sprague’s pipit, , chestnut and McCown’s longspurs and Baird’s sparrow.

After a picnic lunch and time at leisure, venture onto the prairie again in the late afternoon for more great sightings and sunset. Great Northern Hotel (B,L,D)

Thursday, June 21: Ranch Visit / American Prairie Reserve
Dennis Jorgensen, a program officer with the WWF Northern Great Plains Program, will meet up with the group today and remain with us for the rest of our journey. Recently featured in National Geographic for his pioneering work studying prairie rattlesnakes, Jorgensen has spent more than a decade partnering with government officials, tribes, local landowners and conservation groups to protect bison, prairie dogs, sage-grouse, mountain plovers, pronghorn and mountain lions. Following a presentation on WWF’s work in the region, visit a local ranch to learn about the role of ranching in regional conservation. Then drive to the American Prairie Reserve.

Much like the Serengeti in East Africa preserves wide-spanning areas for wildlife migrations, this reserve aims to create the largest protected area in the lower 48 states for prairie wildlife to roam freely. WWF is collaborating with the American Prairie Foundation to guide conservation and restoration, with a goal of restoring a “living prairie” encompassing 3.5 million acres of north-central Montana.

At the invitation of the foundation, stay at a rustic, private lodge on the reserve, putting you in close proximity to bison, pronghorn and other wildlife. The night skies and remote setting will provide unforgettable insight into prairie ecosystems. Whitcomb Lodge (B,L,D)

Friday, June 22: American Prairie Reserve
From our remote base, we have time to absorb the symphony of sound at dawn and to learn more about research being conducted in the area. Jorgensen and other scientists, for example, have safely tagged long-billed curlews with satellite tracking devices to monitor their remarkable migrations. Some have been recorded flying non-stop to points as far away as Chihuahua, Mexico.

Tour a local ranch that provides refuge for curlews – plus greater sage-grouse and longspurs – and learn how its innovative cattle management program has benefitted these species. Also go in search of mountain plovers with expert Stephen Dinsmore and his field staff, who often collaborate with WWF researchers. With an estimated population of just 5,000 to 11,000 individuals, the elegant, sandy-brown bird has one of the most seriously declining populations in the world. Whitcomb Lodge (B,L,D)

Saturday, June 23: Zortman / Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge / Billings
Accompanied by a now-familiar chorus of meadowlarks, start driving west en route to the Charles Russell National Wildlife Refuge. Stop for lunch near Zortman in an area known as the “Little Rockies,” where quaking aspens and other trees shelter Cooper’s hawks, Western tanagers and dusky flycatchers.

At a cottonwood grove along the Missouri River, look for Eastern kingbirds, Western wood pewees, gray catbirds, common nighthawks and ovenbirds, among others. And as we drive back to Billings for our final night and a farewell dinner, keep a look out for black-billed magpies and mountain bluebirds along the route. Crowne Plaza (B,L,D)

Sunday, June 24: Billings / Depart
Following breakfast, go on one last nature exploration in Billings before transferring to the airport for flights home. (B)