Salmon Lake State Park

11/11/2021

It's a cool, snowy day here in the Seeley Lake/Greenough area, but we'd like to wish all of our military veterans a happy Veterans Day. Thank you all for your service ❤️🏞️

Photo taken from the Blackfoot-Clearwater Game Range, not far from Salmon Lake State Park.

11/10/2021

For this , we’re highlighting one of the most iconic animals in the world: the gray wolf (Canis lupus) 🐺

Gray wolves are the largest wild canids, or dogs, currently in existence (although there were larger canids in the past). In Montana, male gray wolves usually weigh between 80-110 pounds, whereas females are typically between 75-90 pounds.

Ecologically speaking, wolves and other top predators are often “keystone species,” because their presence can alter ecosystems in significant ways.

For example, the health of some of Yellowstone National Park’s river corridors increased after wolves were reintroduced to the park. Some researchers believe that this was partially because wolves put pressure on Yellowstone’s elk herds, which had previously been overgrazing the vegetation near riverbanks, and forced the elk to become more mobile.

This contributed to a cascade of effects that, ultimately, created healthier rivers in Yellowstone National Park 🏞️

Thus, while gray wolves aren’t always easy to live with, they’re important for the health of Montana’s natural spaces, and their presence here is one of “The Treasure State’s” distinguishing features.

Do you have any cool wolf stories? If so, please share them in the comments!

📷: Gray Wolf - Canis lupus by Gregory Smith. CC BY-SA 2.0, found on .

11/09/2021

Sharp-tail grouse have been reintroduced to western Montana! Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks

Wildlife biologists resurrect this native grouse in western Montana.

11/04/2021

Love mornings on the lake, especially when the water is calm ❤️🏞️

10/27/2021

For this , we're talking about another one of western Montana's most charismatic creatures: the Northern River Otter! 🦦🦦

Northern River Otters (Lontra canadensis) inhabit rivers, lakes, and other freshwater ecosystems throughout western Montana. Adults usually weigh around 20 pounds and reach 47 inches in length, with a long tail that helps for swimming.

Apart from their long tails, Northern River Otters have other adaptations that aid their semiaquatic lifestyles. They have webbed feet that act like flippers, and special fur coats that trap air to help keep them warm. Northern River Otters can also dive up to 45 feet down.

Northern River Otters primarily feed on fish, crayfish, frogs, and other freshwater critters.

River Otters are also fun to watch, since they don't sit still for long, and can be quite playful.

As always, please share your River Otter stories in the comments!

📷: Northern river otter on Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge by USFWS Mountain-Prairie, found on Flickr. CC BY 2.0

10/22/2021

A view from our day use area this morning 🏞️

10/20/2021

On this , we’re talking about a remarkable bird: the Common Raven (Corvus corax).

The Common Raven is the largest of all songbirds, and a well-known resident of Western Montana. Ravens appear similar to crows, except they’re much larger (almost as big as Red-Tailed Hawks), and usually travel in smaller numbers.

Common Ravens are remarkable for two main reasons: their intelligence and their adaptability.

Concerning their smarts, Raven intelligence approaches that of dolphins and chimpanzees. Scientific studies have shown that Common Ravens have superb problem-solving skills, that they use gestures to communicate, that ravens remember humans who’ve slighted them, and more.

Regarding their adaptability, Common Ravens can survive in a dizzying array of habitats: from Arctic tundra to deserts, from deep forests to towns, and more.

Common Ravens are, in essence, ‘cool,’ and we’ve barely touched on the reasons why (like the fact that one Raven was recording flying upside-down for half-a-mile, seemingly just because).

As always, we’d love to hear any fascinating raven stories you have! Feel free to share them in the comments.

📷: Common Raven by Canyonlands National Park. Public Domain.

10/14/2021

We LOVED the thank you notes received from a group of students we hosted last week! Bonner 3rd graders came to our campground for a Junior Ranger day to learn what it means to be a Junior Ranger and how to be safe when enjoying the outdoors. Here are a few of our favorites that we couldn't help but share.

Shout outs to Home ReSource in Missoula for donating materials for our activities and Alicia, an AmeriCorps member with the Clearwater Resource Council for helping us out and making the day a successful one.

Finally, thank you to Bonner students, teachers, and chaperones for making this such a fun, educational, and active day! Hopefully we will see you again next year!

10/13/2021

Sorry we missed last week! This week we’re back and focused on one of the coolest birds in Montana: the Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) 🦉

Great Horned Owls are the prototypical North American owl: large ear tufts, big eyes, and an echoing "Whoo-whoo" call that can be heard from far away.

Great Horned Owls are also remarkably adaptable, evidenced in both their diet breadth and wide geographic range.

Concerning the former, Great Horned Owls will hunt animals like skunks, hares, scorpions, and even raptors such as ospreys and peregrine falcons! 😮

As for their range, Great Horned Owls inhabit a dizzying array of habitats across nearly all of North America, except for North of the Arctic tree line.

Do you have any neat stories involving Great Horned Owls? If so, share them below!

Image Credits: Great Horned Owl by Andrew Nicholson. CC BY-NC 2.0. Found on Flickr.

10/08/2021

Mornings at the park 😍🌫️

10/02/2021

Our campground, which bustled with activity during the summer, is now closed for the season.

As eerie as it is to visit the now empty campground, we had a great summer. Our camps hosts and attendants were fantastic, and we already miss them.

We also enjoyed striking up conversations with campers. It was wonderful to visit with all of you, and we're grateful that we were able to share Salmon Lake State Park with you this summer.

Please come back next year! We'd love to see some familiar faces! 😊