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Message from the Director,
Known in many traditional cultures as a season for reflection, the YCG family, too, has enjoyed looking back fondly on 2009 this winter—which gave us reason for great hope for the future. During my travels across the region over the last four months as the Head Boys’ Basketball Coach here at Gardiner High, I have often utilized the long hours and bumpy bus rides traversing from one small community to the next to plan for our upcoming year of programming and events.
Because of tremendous support from people like you, our first full year with 501(c)3 status (2009) far exceeded our expectations. Our first Youth Wilderness Leadership Program was a huge success and we are working to make this program just as impactful for 2010. Our YCG Regional Road Tour continues to grow and expand our number of supporters, while bringing awareness to our work.
Working in collaboration with our friends from Hopa Mountain, in January, we were able to co-host a very rewarding outing in Yellowstone National Park for 27 high school students (including the majority of the participants from our Youth Wilderness Leadership Program) from Gardiner, Livingston, Bozeman, and Clyde Park. To read more about our field trip to Yellowstone, check out the Updates section of Deep Roots.
After revising our website text and programs this winter to better reflect our programming goals and objectives, we are excited about our plans for 2010. We are currently in the planning process for our first annual River Guardian Fly Fishing School, which will enhance regional high school students’ understanding of and appreciation for the bountiful watersheds that course throughout Yellowstone Country.
And as always, we are meeting with leaders from other organizations and institutions in efforts to expand our programming to benefit the residents of Yellowstone Country.
Soon winter will pass and the rich grasses of spring will abound once again. Until then, I hope you all take this time to reflect upon your hopes and dreams for the flourishing seasons that await us here in Yellowstone Country.
Peace Be the Journey,
Michael Leach, Director
The Giving Seed:
Our partnership with thegivingseed.com has made it possible for you to contribute to YCG through your online shopping at marketplaces such as Walmart, Amazon and i-tunes. After the holidays, we were excited to receive a check for $90.82 from our friends at the Giving Seed. And though our proceeds have dropped since the Christmas season, your online purchases of $370 netted YCG $13.66 last month. So please continue to support YCG through shopping online via The Giving Seed website. It is fast, easy and allows each of you to support our efforts to make a difference here in Yellowstone Country!
YCG/Hopa Mountain Cooperative Effort:
I am excited to share with you the news that in January, YCG partnered with our friends from Hopa Mountain to bring 27 high school students from around the region to Yellowstone National Park for a memorable day of activities. Students from our Youth Wilderness Leadership Program were reunited as we introduced them to new student participants from communities throughout Yellowstone Country.
The day’s events included a geology walk along the Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces, a leadership talk in the historic Mammoth Hotel Map Room and a soak in the Boiling River. To cap off the outing, our friends from The Town Café opened up just for us and treated our crew to a belly full of pizza and drinks. New bonds were forged, old bonds were strengthened, and the commitment of these wonderful young people to the region’s future was deepened through their enthusiastic participation in this whirlwind outing. You can read more about this cooperative effort on our Field Journal.
Hoops For Haiti Relief Fund:
One of the things I love most about coaching is how interconnected the work is to my efforts with YCG. While the topics range widely—from basketball to Yellowstone Country—the ultimate goal of fostering the development of the region’s youth and empowering the leaders of the future is much the same.
Though not specifically a YCG program, I was excited to spearhead this project, which turned into a conference-wide effort. The program--which took place in Southwestern Montana high school gyms the final three weeks of the basketball season--raised money for the people of Haiti and included several participants from YCG’s youth programs. I like to think that our Hoops For Haiti program is an example of how to meld athletics with philanthropic work that strives to make our world a better place. To read more about the Hoops For Haiti Relief Efforts visit our Field Journal.
YCG Regional Road Tour:
During the craziness of basketball season, we tend to lighten up the load of the YCG Regional Road Tour; however, we still have news to share about the presentations that took place this winter. In January, the Last Chance Audubon welcomed me to share the story of Yellowstone Country and YCG with their member base in Helena, Montana. As with all of our friends from the numerous Audubon Chapters across Montana, the turnout was tremendous and we added a number of new members to the YCG family.
In February, YCG supporters Nathan Varley and his wife/business partner, Linda Thurston, owners of The Wild Side (a wildlife watching business based out of Gardiner, Montana) invited me to speak at the final night of one of their winter rendezvous in Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley.
We will keep you posted on future presentations and encourage you to contact us if you would be willing to help organize or facilitate a presentation in your community.
Mountain Sky Guest Ranch Partnership:
We are currently working with our friends at the Mountain Sky Guest Ranch and The Wild Side to host a Yellowstone retreat for adults the first week of June. Further details will become available in the coming weeks; but if a June trip to Yellowstone--including a stay at the exclusive Mountain Sky Guest Ranch and a day in the field in search of grizzly bears, with Ecologist Nathan Varley and YCG Director/former Yellowstone Bear Education Ranger, Michael Leach--sounds interesting, please contact us at: mleach@Yellowstonecountryguardians.org or 406-224-2677.
River Guardian Fly Fishing School:
We are currently in the planning stages for our summer 2010 first annual River Guardian Fly Fishing School and are seeking volunteers, contributions and sponsors. If you have any questions or if you would like to contribute to this summer program that will help create the next generation of river stewards, please contact YCG Director, Michael Leach at: mleach@Yellowstonecountryguardians.org or 406-224-2677.
Yellowstone River Awareness:
YCG’s best kept secret. Join YCG Director Michael Leach for a multi-day paddle down the longest free-flowing river in the lower 48 states, the Yellowstone. To learn more about this adventure and how you can provide support for this river awareness campaign, please contact YCG Director, Michael Leach at: mleach@Yellowstonecountryguardians.org or 406-224-2677.