‘Lodge & Learn' at Yellowstone

Lodging & Learning programs combine daily field trips with comfortable lodging in park hotels at night. These programs are especially popular in the winter because they combine field expertise with the accommodations and logistics required to navigate the park when most of its roads are open only to over-the-snow vehicles.

Multi-day courses are taught by experts focusing on topics such as wildlife, geology, history and more. Most courses last from one to four days and are limited to a dozen participants.

Following are examples of field seminar itineraries:

- The Buffalo Story will be held Jan. 21-23, 2011 and costs $225 per person. Led by the park's bison ecologist, participants will learn about bison behavior, ecology and conservation, including how park management brought the herd back from near extinction. The program features brisk hiking, snowshoeing or skiing of up to five miles per day with climbs up to 500 feet, including some trail-breaking in snow. Lodging at the Yellowstone Overlook Field Campus is recommended for this course.

- The Living History of Yellowstone's Wolves features three days in the Lamar Valley with a biologist who has observed and studied Yellowstone's wolves since their reintroduction in 1995. Participants will look and listen for wolves and visit places important to the wolf's history in Yellowstone while learning about wolf behavior as the instructor tells stories of famous individuals and their packs, such as the Druid and Slough Creek packs. This program will be held Jan. 17-20, 2011 at the Lamar Buffalo Ranch with rates of $325. Lodging at the Lamar Buffalo Ranch is recommended for this course. The program features hikes on snow-packed trails, or snowshoe or ski trips, up to three miles per day with climbs up to 250 feet.

- Participants in Snow Tracking March 1-3, 2011 at the Lamar Buffalo Ranch will learn classic tracking techniques such as measuring gaits, distinguishing species and their behavior, developing specialized knowledge and techniques required for reading tracks in the snow, studying the properties of snow, learning the tricks of casting tracks in snow and how to deal with melted out footprints. Rates are $320, skis or snowshoes required, and lodging at the Lamar Buffalo Ranch is recommended. Included are brisk hiking, snowshoeing or skiing of up to five miles per day with climbs up to 500 feet, including some trail-breaking in snow.

- Cougar Ecology and Verification will be held March 4-5, 2011 and will focus on the elusive and secretive cougar. Through intense and extensive lectures and field experiences, participants will learn about these cats' presence, behavior, ecology, population, biology, signs, dangers, management and interactions with humans. Rates are $200, and lodging at the Yellowstone Overlook Field Campus is recommended for this course. Included are hikes on snow-packed trails, or snowshoe or ski trips, up to three miles per day with climbs up to 250 feet.

Winter field seminars wrap up with Yellowstone's Winter Serengeti March 21-23, 2011.

Many courses are held at the Institute's Lamar Buffalo Ranch Field Campus, where simple and comfortable log cabins are available for $30 per person per night. New in 2010, the Yellowstone Overlook Field Campus in Gardiner, Mont. opened and offers to participants of Private Tours and field seminars two three-bedroom, two-bathroom modern log cabins for up to 12 people and a two-bedroom, one-bathroom cabin for up to five people.

For a course catalog, visit www.YellowstoneAssociation.org.

Reservations for seminars and other YAI programs and cabins at the Yellowstone Overlook Field Campus and Lamar Buffalo Ranch can be made by calling 406-848-2400. For Lodging & Learning program reservations call 1-866-439-7375.

The Yellowstone Association Institute is a non-profit field school operated by the Yellowstone Association in partnership with the National Park Service. The Institute was founded in 1976 and offers more than 500 courses each year on the park's plants, animals, geology and history. Courses are based at the organization's Lamar Buffalo Ranch and Yellowstone Overlook field campuses, at park hotels, and in the backcountry.

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Cody, Wyo. is 52 miles to east entrance of Yellowstone. One-way rates from Atlanta start at $157 with Delta service via Salt Lake City. A 21-day advance purchase required.

Clara Bosonetto is a retired travel consultant.