Today was bittersweet. The end of our trip had come and it was time to pack and clean. I have been so impressed with the students’ attitudes, willingness to try new things and help each other, and overall maturity throughout the trip. We had a nice closure with the Film Festival and one giant game of Ninja (amazing stuff). Finally, we bid farewell to TSS and the staff who so wonderfully guided our week. All in all, a perfect week. I thank everyone for making it possible. Check below for our final videos. Some of them could not upload completely. Something about a max megabyte quota or something… Anyway, amazing stuff.
Day 5 – Film Festival and Wrap Up
March 7th, 2010Day 4 – Animal Observation Day
March 5th, 2010Today was a full day. We spent some time this morning working on the film project then headed out to the field. The focus was on observing wildlife. Total count for today: 60 bighorn sheep, 6 moose, 1 dead bison carcass, 1 coyote (possibly a wolf), a number of water fowl and birds of prey, and a school of non-native tropical fish who are thriving in the Kelly Warm Springs. Great day!
Kristian, Andrew, and Joe edit their film project
Checking out the wildlife in the Elk Refuge
Bighorn sheep
Day 3 – Snowshoeing at Taggart Lake
March 4th, 2010Today was a gorgeous day. The forecast called for snow and/or rain and instead we saw clear skies and a great view of the Tetons. We hiked/snowshoed out to Taggart Lake in Grand Teton National Park. The lake is at the base of the Tetons and it was made from glaciers carving out a U-shaped valley and depositing unconsolidated materials in the form of a moraine. We also explored animal tracks and forest succession after a fire. Lastly, we dug a snow pit and examined the snowpack. It is more consolidated than in Park City, but very dense (like 30% water equivalent or more). Check the pictures for a view of today’s activities.
Group photo on frozen Taggart Lake
Tony and Chance "on top" of the Grand Teton
Best classroom in the world...
Hiking down the moraine
Snow science
Day 2 – Skiing Through the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
March 3rd, 2010-
- skiing video
EJ thinks she is an ungulate (hoofed mammal)
Morning Eco-Station about animal adaptations in winter
Sarah teaches us about confiner trees
- skiing video
- We had an awesome sighting of a moose!
Sergio found a moose jaw
Gorgeous!
Group 1 eats lunch under a partially obscured southern Teton.
Making some turns. Sort of....
Morgan, Carson, and Abbie digging in the snow
It was a great day here in the Tetons. I saw a lot of smiles, heard some great questions, observed some excellent learning and teamwork, and not a complaint could be heard among the whole group. We spent the day XC skiing around Granite Canyon in Grand Teton National Park. We traveled through the 4 plant communities found in this ecosystem (Sagebrush, Riparian, Conifer, and Aspen) and learned about adaptations of both plants and animals found within each. It was an extremely fun day full of inquiry, learning, laughing, and skiing – all in a beautiful place.
Day 1 – Arrival
March 2nd, 2010
Running around on the first day
We arrived to the Teton Science School after a nice relaxing bus ride. The instructors met us and guided us through the orientation of procedures at the school. After a vigorous game of elk, wolf, sagebrush (rock, paper scissors) tag, we were all warmed up and ready to settle into the dorms. Dinner was a yummy chicken and pasta (stuffed roasted peppers for us veggies) with lively conversation. After dinner, we headed over to the education building for our evening program: Communication Chaos – a challenging assemblage of team-building games and discourse. (See videos for a peek at the fun!)
making a 30-60-90 triangle video
teamwork pipe video
wrap up video