Recreation News
Thursday, July 30, 2020
Whitehall – Montana State Parks (stateparks.mt.gov) and Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park will host two free programs this week. “Using Native Plants to Attract Pollinators to Your Landscape” will be Friday, July 31, at 8 p.m. and “Mammals of Montana” will be Saturday, Aug. 1, at 8 p.m. Both programs will be in the campground amphitheater.
On Friday, July 31, at 8 p.m., join Layla Dunlap and Alyssa Piccolomini as they dig into how to attract pollinators using Montana native plants. Layla and Alyssa will discuss the importance of pollinators and how planting native plants can help these insects thrive. They will bring along a live beehive for observation, native plant books to glance through, and handouts about gardening using native plants.
This is the 11th presentation in Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park’s annual Friday Summer Speaker Series, which will continue each Friday at 8 p.m. throughout the summer.
Dunlap is the commodity services bureau chief for the Montana Department of Agriculture. She received her degree in biology from the University of Montana in 2010, and a master’s degree in science from the University of Idaho in 2015. Dunlap worked in both Rocky Mountain and Glacier national parks in their native plant nurseries, where she propagated more than 50,000 native plants. Her knowledge expands from growing native plants, to caring for ornamental specimens and growing edible fruits.
Piccolomini is currently the state entomologist for the Montana Department of Agriculture, where she has been working for the past three years. Prior to her employment at MDA, she received her bachelor’s degree from Bowling Green State University in environmental science in 2014 and then completed her master’s degree in entomology from Montana State University in 2017. Alyssa’s research and interests have focused on the importance of solitary and social bees in both agricultural and wild landscapes and rearing native Lepidoptera species (butterflies and moths).
On Saturday, Aug. 1, at 8 p.m., join Park Ranger Julia Smit for a ranger talk on “Mammals of Montana.” From Montana’s smallest mammals to some of its largest, this talk will run the gamut of the state’s warm-blooded, live-young-bearing, nursing animals.
COVID-19: Visitors to these events must keep in mind social distancing directives – stay six feet apart from all non-family members, and if that isn’t feasible or possible, please wear a mask or face covering. Additionally, if you’re feeling ill, please do not attend this event. For more information on COVID-19 please visit the website: covid19.mt.gov.
For more information about these or other events at Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park, call 406 287-3541.
To get to Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park, 25 Lewis & Clark Caverns Rd, in Whitehall:
- From the exit 274 on I-90, we are 13 miles south on Highway 287 and 5 miles west on MT 2.
- From the Cardwell exit 256 on I-90 we are 7 miles east along MT 2.
Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park features one of the most decorative limestone caverns in the Northwest filled with spectacular stalactites, stalagmites, columns, and helictites. The park also features camping, trails to hike or bike, a state-of-the-art visitor center, interpretive displays, a gift shop, food and beverage concessions, amphitheater, and interpretive events presented during the summer months. For more information, visit http://stateparks.mt.gov/lewis-and-clark-caverns/.
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