Mystery Photo
The birds are migrating snow geese photographed eating in a corn stubble field in southeast Colorado last November. Before humans started planting crops on their migration route, many snow geese died during their spring and fall migrations between the arctic and the Gulf of Mexico. Now, because the geese fatten up on waste grain, more of them survive the stress of migration. Unfortunately, the expanded flocks are now ruining their sensitive arctic nesting grounds for themselves and other wildlife. more…

Congratulations to our summer photo contest winners, and thank you everyone for your fantastic submissions!

Our First Place Winner is Cody Murken, 9, of Starbuck, Minnesota. Judges comments: The subject, captured in Palisades State Park, South Dakota, was unique and the focus was sharp.
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From pronghorns to hummingbirds, life gets on the move when the weather changes

By Mark Herwig, Editor Upland Tales and Cheryl Riley, PF V.P. Education and Outreach

Animals, including humans, migrate for various reasons, but mostly to escape winter.

Some Wyoming pronghorns migrate to escape the severe cold and lack of food near Yellowstone National Park (photo: Mark Herwig).

Most animals migrate out of the north in winter to warmer southern climes to escape the cold and lack of food that would kill them. Many people do the same: older folks, in particular, leave the north to avoid winter’s diseases, cold and ice which can injure or kill them.

Here are two outstanding examples of animal migration that fascinate.

Wyoming’s Pronghorn
I used to think big game migrations in Western America disappeared with the end of the frontier (1893).

But in Wyoming, a small herd of pronghorn has been trudging the same 200-mile route, the longest migration in the lower 48 states, for over 6,000 years. more…

Story by Cheryl Riley, PF VP of Outreach and Education Photos by Jim Cooper

Prairie dogs’ constant grass clipping promotes new, more nutritious growth which bison love. Here, a mother keeps watch while her pups explore

Many people have heard of or visited famous South Dakota landmarks such as the Badlands, Mt. Rushmore and Devil’s Tower.
There’s another less famous, but great family destination you should visit called Custer State Park in western South Dakota. This 71,000-acre park is in the Black Hills and has about 1.7 million visitors each year.

Why should you explore Custer State Park? How about a chance to see one of the largest bison, or buffalo, herds in the country — about 1,500 animals? Ever seen a buffalo roll over and over dusting itself in a “wallow”? This is their version of bug spray. How about a good old fashioned bison roundup with real cowboys? It’s pretty exciting to see hundreds of buffalo thundering across the prairie during the fall roundup. more…

For the answers click here.