FVCC Nature Journal

The beautiful pine marten is a rarely seen member of the weasel family with a sable-like coat of fur. People have treasured this elusive furbearer for thousands of years. Come along with marten enthusiast, Heather Fraley, and learn all about this "villain in velvet!"

And stay tuned until the end for an important announcement!

The little brown bat faces a lot of challenges, including some negative public attitudes towards bats, and a disease known as white nose fungus. Join us today along with FVCC student, Annabella Amsweller, to learn all about Montana’s most common bat!

The beaver is an important part of the stream ecosystem.  Beavers are known for slapping their flat tail to warn colony members. They sure are cute, but they are one of most common species in damage complaints. Come along today to learn all about North America’s largest rodent!

The Yellowstone super-volcano is one of our planet's restless giants. Could it erupt in our lifetimes? Come along with FVCC Professor and geothermal expert, Adam Wenz, as we learn all about this little-known Yellowstone volcano.

Have you ever had a question for a game warden but were afraid to ask? Join us on the show as the singing game warden, Ben Chappelow, tells us about grouse hunting, bear safety, and what it’s like to patrol the back country!

Join Wade Fredenberg and John Fraley as they talk about fun aspects of fish, and a great place to take a kid fishing in Montana.

Join us today as fisheries biologist, Wade Fredenberg, talks about crazy fish names, what they mean, their origins, and the crazy fish that go with them.

Flathead Lake is perhaps the most beautiful and valuable natural lake in Montana, and maybe the entire west. Join us today as fisheries biologist, Kenny Breidinger, talks about managing this complex water body and its native fishery of bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout in light of complex challenges.

The Ponderosa Pine is Montana’s state tree. It is a magnificent conifer with long, well ordered needles. Recently hail damage and disease have challenged Ponderosa Pine in the Flathead area. Come along with FVCC’s Christina Relyea as we talk about a new project to find out more about this towering monarch.

Glacier National Park is emerging out of winter and into spring. The critters are waking up and a few trails are available for hiking. Join Glacier Park expert, Chis Peterson, editor of the Hungry Horse News, as we talk about springtime in our nearby gem of a national park.

They may be pretty, but Northern Flickers like nothing better than to pound a hole in your house! Come along on today’s podcast, as we learn all about this fascinating woodpecker, and explore some ways to discourage them from setting up shop on the side of your home.

Fish like Dolly Varden and Arctic Grayling face challenges in the dark cold environments north of the Arctic Circle. Join Alaska fisheries scientist, Kevin Fraley, as he takes us on a tour of these unique fisheries of the far north.

Montana’s state parks help unlock the history of our great state. From Giant Springs to Lewis and Clark Caverns, from Bannock to Flathead Lake, these gems are here for you to visit. Join us today on the Nature Journal as we talk with FVCC Library Director Morgan Ray about these slices of Montana…

A huge “dinosaur fish” has remained virtually unchanged for 100 million years. The white sturgeon is North America’s largest freshwater fish. Join us on today’s podcast to learn about these unusual fish, and how to fish for them. 

Montana is home to 90 native and non-native fish species. Come along on today’s Nature Journal episode to learn all about some of our favorites. 

Join Morgan Ray and John Fraley as they get into some of the wildlife details in My Wilderness Life. Morgan and John talk about the oldest, purest, and largest westslope cutthroat in the U.S., which are found in the upper South Fork of the Flathead River deep in the Bob. They talk about bull trout spawning over the last 50 years in the Great Bear. Morgan serves as the host as she interviews John about these stories found in his new book. 

Join FVCC Library Director Morgan Ray and John Fraley as they cruise through some happy stories, sad stories and everything in between in some of Montana's Wilderness Areas. Morgan serves as the host as she interviews John about these stories found in his new book, My Wilderness Life, published last week by Farcountry Press in Helena. 

The American dipper, or water ouzel, is a small grayish bird common along rocky streams in Northwest Montana and beyond.  Come along on today’s Nature Journal Podcast to learn all about this bobbing and dipping little bird! 

The red fox is one of the most widespread mammals across North America. In recent years, this adaptable carnivore seems to be expanding its range to high elevations in Glacier National Park. Join us on our 50th episode of the Nature Journal to learn all about this member of the Canid (dog) family!

One of the things Montanans overwhelmingly favor is access to our precious open lands. We are lucky in Montana to have these landscapes close and accessible. Join lands expert Jim Williams on today’s podcast to learn all about efforts to keep our lands open to all. 

Counting mountain goats along the spine of our highest mountains from a helicopter sounds exhilarating and dangerous, and in fact it is. Come along on today’s Nature Journal and learn all about surveying these elusive critters! 

The mountain goat is a hoofed mammal native to North America.  They live in our highest mountains and thrive on cliffs, ice, and snow. Come along on our Nature Journal podcast to learn all about this unusual creature! 

The GNP Conservancy is one of those unique organizations that supports Glacier National Park. We all love Glacier, and the Conservancy provides funds and cares for the Park. Come along with Executive Director Doug Mitchell on today’s FVCC Nature Journal to learn all about it!

The chance to float the incredible Smith River is a once in a lifetime opportunity. You must apply in a lottery for a permit. Incredible canyon scenery, abundant wildlife, and great fishing make this the most unique float in Montana. Come along and experience a recent float on this amazing river.

The sucker family comprises 9 species in Montana. Suckers are hard to catch, but they are vital to the aquatic systems. Join us on this episode of the Nature Journal to learn all about this fish family. We will be joined by Kevin Fraley, the current state record holder for the largescale sucker. 

Found in the high country, Montana’s hoary marmot is actually a giant, 10-pound squirrel! It’s common around Logan Pass in Glacier National Park and other high elevation areas. Join us on this episode of the Nature Journal to learn more about this amazing rodent!

Montana’s ancient shovelnose and pallid sturgeons live on today in the Missouri River system.

Fisheries biologist, Sam Bourret describes his recent underwater video studies of bull trout in Wounded Buck Creek, a tributary of Hungry Horse Reservoir. 

Fisheries biologist Sam Bourret details his recent studies of pure and hybrid westslope cutthroat in tributaries of the North Fork of the Flathead River. 

Join host, John Fraley, in an exploration of fun aspects of the natural world: interesting bird and wildlife species, other fauna, and flora, much of which we can find on the FVCC Campus. The podcast features interviews with naturalists and wildlife professionals and students doing interesting projects, as well as funny and unusual aspects of nature and wildlife management. Listeners can learn about nature in their own backyard (or campus).

Come along on today’s podcast to learn all about these intelligent birds, and become an expert at distinguishing one from the other!

Join FWP game warden Ben Chappelow as he talks about patrolling the beautiful backcountry of the upper Flathead Drainage. Ben is known as the singing game warden and he played a short fiddle tune to intro this episode. 

The Columbian Ground Squirrel is very common in western Montana. Glacier Park is loaded with them in subalpine and alpine meadows. Join us on the Nature Journal today to learn all about this common animal that many people mis-identify!

Join Chris Peterson, editor of the Hungry Horse news, as we talk about all things Glacier National Park! You’ll learn about the Going to the Sun Road reservation system, what’s coming up this summer in GNP, hiking spots this spring, and tips on photography in the Park.

Across the high, alpine landscapes of western Montana one conifer stands out as unique. The alpine larch, a seldom seen glacial relic, has a fascinating story. Join us on the Nature Journal to learn about this unusual tree. 

The life of a state parks ranger can be exciting, offbeat, and challenging. Join Brian Schwartz of Montana FWP as he talks about funny and not so funny experiences in his decades of patrolling and managing these jewels of our public lands.

Forest bathing is an emerging practice that offers a meditative and mood-lifting experience. Join expert Ellen Horowitz as we explore this stress-relieving immersion in nature that can be done in any forest or area of the great outdoors.

The recovery of the bald eagle is one of the world’s greatest conservation success stories. Join Dr. Christina Relyea and John Fraley as they discuss the factors that almost led to the bald eagle’s extinction, and the steps that made its recovery possible.  Learn lots of amazing facts about this giant bird that sports a wingspan of over seven feet, and builds nests that weigh up to 4,000 pounds!

Join us on the nature journal and learn about Montana’s biggest minnow.  This non-native fish can weigh over 40 pounds, and it sports large grinding teeth in the lower part of its throat. In recent years, these fish have been a target of bow-fishing and fly-fishing tournaments.  Can you name this fish?

The giant water bug, at 4 inches in length, is the largest aquatic insect in Montana. This bug swims with a snorkel and flies through the air using its four wings. With its large piercing beak,  It can prey on other insects, fish, and even amphibians!

Invasive species like exotic weeds, non native fish and other critters pose a threat to our native species in Montana’s ecosystems.  In this episode, Christina Relyea talks about some of the more troublesome exotic species and how we might deal with them.

Coyotes are adaptable predators that have long captured the imagination of humans. They eat just about anything, and they use at least 11 yips, barks, and other sounds to communicate. Recently, they have become a safety problem in some urban areas.

The tailed frog is the oddest little frog in Montana.  It is water dependent, and lives mysteriously under rocks and logs in fast flowing streams. Few people have seen one.   Join us on the FVCC Nature Journal and learn about this very primitive amphibian!

In this episode of the FVCC Nature Journal, Natural Resources Professor Tim Eichner describes a number of technologic advances that help us measure aspects of our natural world.  Practical applications include a variety of satellite imagery, drone technology, fire mapping, satellite telemetry, and more!

The gray jay, also known as the Canada Jay, is a common bird of coniferous forests in Montana and across the west. This “camp robber” looks for handouts around camps in the high country. This bird is a “scatter hoarder”, caching a variety of food items in the summer for winter use.