Speaker Events Coming Up at Southwestern Montana State Parks

Several interpretive events highlighting southwestern Montana’s natural, cultural, and historical elements are scheduled at Lewis & Clark Caverns and Missouri Headwaters state parks.

These family-friendly events are free to Montana residents; an $8 fee applies to nonresident vehicles.

Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park:

FRIDAY, JUNE 28 - How Old Is It? Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks biologist Vanna Boccadori will share her experience working with various wildlife and talk about what stories their bones can tell us. 8 PM at the campground amphitheater.

SATURDAY, JUNE 29 - Three Dog Night: Learn about the common characteristics between three cool canines—wolves, coyotes, and foxes—and how they differ. 8 PM at the campground amphitheater.

FRIDAY, JULY 5 - Earthquake! Guest speaker David Lageson shares his specialty in structural geology and the tectonic evolution of mountain systems. 8 PM at the campground amphitheater.

SATURDAY, JULY 6 - Goodness Snakes Alive! Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park is home to the prairie rattlesnake, the most widespread of all rattlesnakes. Ranger Ramona Radonich will illuminate these remarkable creatures and how to stay safe when exploring rattlesnake country. 8 PM at the campground amphitheater.

FRIDAY, JULY 12 - Wonderful World of Nature. Guest speaker Elisabeth Corbett-Maillard from the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone explores the wonders and importance of the natural world. 8 PM at the campground amphitheater.

SATURDAY, JULY 13 - Space Invaders! Guest speaker Bradley Morrison will educate us about the different plants and animals that are invasive species in our area. 8 PM at the campground amphitheater.

FRIDAY, JULY 19 - Five Months on the Missouri River. Guest speaker Thomas Elpel will recount stories of his 5-month, 5-man “Missouri River Corps of Rediscovery” traveling by canoe much of the territory Lewis & Clark traversed on their epic journey. 8 PM at the campground amphitheater.

SATURDAY, JULY 20 - Night Skies at Lewis & Clark Caverns. In this popular program, Ranger Ramona Radonich highlights the stories of the stars that you can see in the night skies over Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park. 8 PM at the campground amphitheater.

FRIDAY, JULY 26 - Critical Minerals. Guest speaker Adrian Van Rythoven will speak about resources necessary for modern society and defense but are currently insufficiently produced by domestic or friendly nations. at 8 PM at the campground amphitheater.

SATURDAY, JULY 27 - Skins & Skulls. Peer down a black bear’s nose or stare into a mountain lion’s jaws. Ranger Ramona Radonich will reveal the secrets skulls can tell us about the animals around us. 8 PM at the campground amphitheater.

Lewis & Clark Caverns is at 25 Lewis & Clark Caverns Rd, Cardwell, MT. For more information, call the park at 406-287-3541 ext. 9.

Missouri Headwaters State Park:

SATURDAY, JULY 6 - Buck Buchanan, Montana, singer/songwriter. From a young age, Buchanan’s appreciation of music and his love of poetry led him to write songs. In 1976, he moved to West Yellowstone to be part of a country-rock band with his longtime friends. In 1980, he moved to Bozeman and was a science teacher for 22 years at Belgrade Middle School. His love for songwriting and playing music never ended, so in 1998, he and Johnny Regan founded the country band http://www.Twang. Buck currently resides in Manhattan with his wife, Carol. Begins at 7 PM behind the park office.

SATURDAY, JULY 13 - Hasan Davis presents The Journey of York. York, little known even today, was the Corps of Discovery’s only black member. Witness the courage and the compromise of America’s growing pains from an enslaved servant of William Clark to a voting member of one of the most daring expeditions ever mounted by the United States. Hasan Davis has shared the Journey of York more than 500 times in the past 25 years and feels blessed to continue bringing his unique experience to audiences nationwide. This event is sponsored by the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, the Jefferson River Chapter of the Lewis & Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, Humanities Montana, and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.

SATURDAY, JULY 20 - Montana historian Austin Haney. Join Haney on a journey back in time to discover some lesser-known tales and people from Montana’s northern frontier. Haney will broadly examine a period and place in Montana’s history to spark interest and curiosity in each visitor and help them learn more. Begins at 7 PM behind the park office. Begins at 7 PM behind the park office.

SATURDAY, JULY 27 - FWP Game Warden Sgt. Matt Wemple. Wemple will address common questions on bear safety in Montana, enabling recreationists to enjoy bears in the wild safely and responsibly. Wemple’s job duties involve responding to conflicts between humans and bears, investigating wildlife attacks on humans, and educating recreationists on how to conduct themselves and be safe in bear country. Begins at 7 PM behind the park office. SATURDAY, JULY 27 - Annual breakfast celebrating the Corps of Discovery’s Discovery of the Headwaters anniversary. Celebrate the Corps’ arrival at the headwaters of the Missouri River. The breakfast will kick off at 8:30 a.m., with a special program beginning at 9 AM. The program will include readings from the expedition journals, music about expedition members, and a flag ceremony. The breakfast and anniversary program will be held in the park’s picnic area, a few hundred yards from where the expedition stopped and had breakfast in 1805. Visitors are encouraged to bring their chairs and enjoy a walk in the park afterward.

Missouri Headwaters State Park is about 5 miles northeast of Three Forks on Trident Road. For more information about the park, call 406-285-3610. Visitors are encouraged to bring their own chairs and bug spray.