On Wednesday night, I was reminded of the reason that I came to Yellowstone. We caught a Townsend’s big-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii), a rare species to be found in the park and the first encounter for me.
Author: Michael Antonishak
Dorm Life
Down past the hoodoos, across from the travertine terraces, within the borders of Yellowstone National Park, my home away from home is Mammoth, Wyoming. In this post, I’m going to show you where I live and give you my perspective on my living conditions. I’m going to take you into the world of Dorm Life. Continue reading “Dorm Life”
A Letter
Once a week, sometimes twice, I stop by the post office to check my P.O. box. The sun is usually shining and the elk lay on the green grass. I walk past the bustle of tourists and bound up the post office steps. My heart beats a little more and adds to the excitement. I make a quick left in the vestibule and make a not so sharp right in the lobby. I approach the wall of postal boxes in excitement. There has to be something for me! Mine is on the top left. I reach up high with the key in hand. I unlock and open the little door, stand on my toes, and peer inside. Continue reading “A Letter”
The Plains Spadefoot Toad
I have the pleasure of working with the plains spadefoot toad (Spea bombifrons). A breeding population was recently confirmed in 2014. This video presents the bulbous tadpoles swimming in the shallow, ephemeral margins of a meadow pond. Take a closer look to see them in various stages of metamorphosis. In the Wildlife Health Program, we monitor Yellowstone’s amphibians for the presence of Chytrid fungus and Ranavirus — two deleterious diseases that have the potential to decimate populations.
So, how’s the job going?
My primary reason for being in Yellowstone is to work. I’ve reported on my leisure time but I bet you are wondering how the job is going. To be fair, the lines are blurred between work and play. To quote a childhood friend, “you get to do all the cool stuff that we did as kids but now, you get paid to do it.” True, many of my hours are spent hiking in the striking landscape of Yellowstone and playing with fuzzy or slimy critters. However, I still have the mundane that comes along with every job. I’d take you along on a typical day but none are the same. Good or bad, I don’t always know what I’m doing from one day to the next. Continue reading “So, how’s the job going?”
Sassy Bison
Traveling through Lamar Valley, I stumbled upon these sassy bison. Spend some time in Yellowstone, the bison become a familiar sight. I don’t often stop to view them. Sometimes, however, they command attention.
My Benefit from Death
These last six years have been the most defining. Returning to school was one of the best decisions that I ever made. I worked hard, discovered opportunity, and grew faster and stronger than ever before. Now, I am a wildlife professional, gaining experience to prepare for my master’s degree and grander pursuits. This would have never happened without the support from my wife, family, and friends. None of this would have happened without my benefit from death. Continue reading “My Benefit from Death”
Guide and Tourist
Traveling over two-thousand miles, I thought that I wouldn’t see a familiar face for quite some time. Experience, however, tells me that this often isn’t the case. For instance, I have a friend who moved to Casper, Wyoming and we plan to do some fishing this summer, two of my college friends will be in Montana next month and we are hoping to get together, and a friend that I met in Congaree is working in Yellowstone this summer and she is staying in the same dorm as me. However large the western landscape, this is certainly a small world.
It took two whole weeks before I received a visitor. Claudia, another friend that I met back at Congaree, was primarily visiting to inquire about employment in a geological capacity. I was thrilled to learn that she and her brother were interested in a personal tour of the park. I made no promise of my interpretation of the park’s wonderful sights but I did guarantee good company and adventure. Continue reading “Guide and Tourist”
The Lamar River
Snow is melting in the mountains and the rivers are swollen. I visited the Lamar River the other day. My adrenaline was pumping just by sitting next to the thunderous rush of water.
Stronger in an Unfamiliar Land
I’m writing to you from Shoshone Lake – Yellowstone’s second largest body of water. Sitting on the warm black sand, I am cooking a late shore lunch. I’ll be eating in a few minutes. In the meantime, I’m enjoying the view of a lake that is locked in winter’s grasp. Although it is late-May, this area is a winter wonderland. My hike to this icy destination was three miles over snowpack. Who would have thought that I would be walking over two feet of snow? Continue reading “Stronger in an Unfamiliar Land”