Yellowstone 101 Speakers

Dr. Behnaz Hosseini is a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Montana State University. She earned her B.A. in Geology with a minor in Geospatial Information Science and Technology from UC Berkeley in 2017 and completed her Ph.D. in Earth Sciences at Montana State University in 2024. As a geochemist and volcanologist, she investigates the chemical signatures of volcanic rocks and minerals to understand magma storage in the Earth’s crust and its transport to the surface during explosive volcanic eruptions. From 2017 to 2019, Behnaz worked with the Geology Program in Yellowstone National Park, during which she led a hydrothermal feature inventory project in the Upper Geyser Basin. Additionally, she collaborated with scientists from the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory on a range of monitoring efforts, including collecting gas measurements in the Mud Volcano region, deploying instruments for geophysical surveys in the Upper Geyser Basin, and deploying and maintaining various sensors for monitoring hydrothermal activity across the park.

Dr. Cathy Whitlock is a Regents Professor Emerita of Earth Sciences at Montana State University and a Fellow of the Montana Institute on Ecosystems. Her research interests focus on long-term climate and environmental change, and she has spent the last 40 years studying the ecological history of Yellowstone as well as comparable large landscapes in New Zealand, Tasmania, Europe, and Patagonia. Dr. Whitlock has co-authored over 225 scientific publications and trained over 40 graduate students and post-docs in her field. She is also the lead author of regional climate assessments that explain the consequences of climate change in Montana and Greater Yellowstone. Dr. Whitlock is a fellow of GSA, AGU, and AAAS and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. She was awarded the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Technology Pioneer Award (2014), the AWG Professional Excellence Award (2015), the AMQUA Distinguished Career Award (2017), and the A. Starker Leopold Award from Yellowstone National Park (2022).

Blakeley is the Volgenau Foundation Wildlife Conservation Associate for the Greater Yellowstone Coalition (GYC). Most of her time is dedicated to the world of wildlife crossings and human-bear conflict reduction in southwest Montana. She also dabbles in wildlife policy and land use agreements. After earning a degree in wildlife biology from the University of Vermont, Blakeley moved to Missoula for the summer as a field technician studying wolves. For the next 14 years Blakeley worked seasonally traveling around North America and researching various species of fish and wildlife including wolverines, pika, grizzly bears, bumblebees, spotted owl, and pacific salmon. Eleven of those years were also spent as a bear viewing guide on the central coast of British Columbia. In 2020 she found herself working for the Tom Miner Basin Association in Emigrant, Montana and decided to finally put down some roots in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. She has been working for GYC since 2021.

Nick Peterson is a Biological Science Technician with the Yellowstone Bird Program. His work within the park spans catching and banding various songbird species, monitoring key raptor populations and their reproductive success, and surveying Yellowstone’s numerous lakes and ponds for waterbirds. His fieldwork often brings him to the heart of Yellowstone’s rugged backcountry, navigating miles of challenging terrain to study diverse bird populations in some of their most untouched habitats in the lower 48 states. From falcons to sparrows, and ravens to swans, Nick’s work has contributed to understanding and preserving the diverse avian species living within Yellowstone National Park.

Jess Haas is a former biological technician with Round River Conservation Studies, where she contributed to groundbreaking research on wolverines. Her work included live trapping, collaring, and tracking these animals while leading public relations efforts to foster community engagement and storytelling around the study. With a Certified Interpretive Trainer credential and years of experience educating diverse audiences in Yellowstone National Park, Jess combines hands-on fieldwork with a passion for connecting people to the wonders of wildlife and conservation.

The Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center is an AZA Accredited, Not-for-Profit Wildlife Park and Educational Facility in the Town of West Yellowstone, Montana. For more information about the GWDC, including their history and conservation efforts, please see their official website here: https://www.grizzlydiscoveryctr.org.

Taylor Rabe is a biological science technician for the Yellowstone Wolf, Cougar, and Elk projects. She graduated in 2018 from The Ohio State University with a Zoology degree and currently acts as a Conservation Nation’s Education and Engagement Facilitator. She is dedicated to enriching the diversity of the conservation community. Currently, she is a full-time road technician who spends thousands of hours monitoring radio-collared wolves, aiding in research, helping with wolf management, and most importantly, spearheading education on wild wolves. She has been studying gray wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem for over six years, and has been exploring, observing, and sharing those experiences with visitors from all over the globe. If interested in following along on the wolves’ journeys, check out her Instagram page: @taylorlrabe

Dr. Madison Myers is an Associate Professor in the Earth Sciences Department at Montana State University. As a volcanologist, her research group focuses on integrating field observations with geochemical and modeling approaches to understand where magmas are stored in the crust, what triggers them to unrest, and the timescales over which volcanic eruptions proceed. Since starting in 2018, Dr. Myers has been able to build a strong research relationship in Yellowstone, helping Montana State enter as an active member of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Consortium that monitors this dynamic system. Each summer her group of graduate and undergraduate students work to update the geologic maps that make up the park, improving our understanding of the eruptive volumes, hazards and frequency of Yellowstone’s eruptions.

Dr. Jamie Farrell is a Research Associate Professor of seismology at the University of Utah and the Chief Seismologist of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. Dr. Farrell has been studying the Yellowstone volcanic system for over 20 years. His research primarily focuses on Yellowstone seismicity and how we can use earthquakes and seismology to better understand how the Yellowstone volcanic system works and how it transfers material from deep within the earth all the way up to the surface. Recent studies have focused on imaging the top of the Yellowstone magma reservoir and a better understanding of Yellowstone’s famous hydrothermal features. Prior to Dr. Farrell’s academic career, he was a fly fishing guide in West Yellowstone, MT where he fell in love with the Yellowstone ecosystem.

Steve Hinch is an internationally recognized photographer with over 20 awards for his photography. Based out of West Yellowstone, Montana, Steve focuses primarily on the Yellowstone region but has photographed Montana and the surrounding states extensively. The only photographer in the region to have had four photographs displayed in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, Steve also has had five books published featuring his photography. Steve’s work has also been featured in numerous publications, including Nature’s Best Photography, Outdoor Photographer, National Geographic, National Wildlife, Audubon, and others. His work can be viewed online at stevehinchphotography.com.

Jeremy SunderRaj is a biological science technician for the Yellowstone Wolf Project and has been with the program for five years. Prior to graduating from high school, he spent his summers working in the park and observing animals in his free time. He received his B.S. in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana in 2014 and was awarded wildlife biology student of the year. Before returning to Yellowstone, he spent three summers trapping and radio collaring wolves for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and one summer conducting transect surveys for snow leopards and wolves in northern India. Jeremy’s current position with the Wolf Project involves wolf monitoring, research, education, and management. He enjoys observing and recording the compositions of Yellowstone’s wolf packs, their interactions with each other, and with other animals on the landscape. He has contributed to two peer-reviewed journal articles and several popular science articles and reports. Jeremy gives several talks and presentations on an annual basis to school groups and other interested parties regarding wolves and other wildlife in Yellowstone. He is frequently involved with management of both wolves and people along Yellowstone National Park’s road corridor. Jeremy grew up in Denver, Colorado and currently lives in Gardiner, Montana.

Dr. Jack Rabe is a research associate with the Yellowstone Wolf, Cougar, and Elk Projects. He primarily studies community ecology through the lens of competition and predation dynamics in large mammalian carnivores. Jack recently received his Ph.D. in Wildlife Ecology and Management from the University of Minnesota studying Yellowstone’s large mammal community. He is also deeply interested in sharing science with the world and has served as a Science Communication Fellow with the University of Minnesota’s College of Biological Sciences. Prior to his eight years working in Yellowstone, Jack received his bachelor’s in Wildlife Science from The Ohio State University; studied ruffed grouse, coyotes, and bobcats in southeastern Ohio, and worked on the Farallon Islands off the coast of San Francisco monitoring breeding seabirds and invasive plants. In following the lives of wolves, cougars, and elk in the Yellowstone backcountry, Jack has hiked enough miles to walk coast-to-coast across America. When he’s not at work, Jack loves cooking, traveling, fly fishing, rock climbing, reading, and playing the guitar poorly.

Founded in 1988, the Montana Raptor Conservation Center (MRCC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, provides rescue & rehabilitation, community education, conservation & research for raptors and communities across Montana. For more information about the MRCC, including their history and mission, please see their official website here: https://montanaraptor.org/.

Lynn Powers is a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador. She teaches Geology of the Moon and Astronomy for Teachers at Montana State University. She is also the Southwest Montana Astronomical Society’s President. Lynn is the recipient of multiple awards in her field, including the Astronomical Society of the Pacific-Las Cumbres Outreach Award for outstanding outreach efforts by an amateur astronomer to children and the public. She has planned and presented outreach programs for the Bozeman Children’s Museum, Museum of the Rockies, Girl Scouts/Boy Scouts of America, Yellowstone National Park, Glacier National Park, Yellowstone Forever, and many more.

Dr. Karen Williams is a geomorphologist and professional engineer with over 25 years of experience in applied geomorphology. She holds a Ph.D. in Earth Sciences from Montana State University and has taught geomorphology and mountain geography at MSU while also leading field trips and geology hikes for the university and organizations such as the Montana Wilderness Association and Yellowstone Forever.

Dr. William Locke is professor emeritus of geology at Montana State University. His research interests include glacial geology, paleoclimates and landforms of all kinds and has performed research in Yellowstone. Bill earned a PhD at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He has taught geology and geomorphology for over 30 years.

Michelle Flenniken, PhD is a professor in the Plant Sciences & Plant Pathology Department at Montana State University (MSU). She is a virologist investigating honey bee host–pathogen interactions, Co-Director of the Pollinator Health Center at MSU, and serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of Project Apis m.. Michelle received a B.S. in Biology from the University of Iowa, then was a Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana, before obtaining her Ph.D. in Microbiology from Montana State University. She did postdoctoral research at the University of California, San Francisco prior to becoming a faculty member at MSU.

Dr. Jim Halfpenny, a scientist, educator and author, is a carnivore ecologist and specialized in cold ecology of the Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine. Jim has authored over 30 books and videos including Winter: An Ecological Handbook, Yellowstone Bears in the Wild, Yellowstone Wolves in the Wild, Charting Yellowstone Wolves, A Field Guide to Mammal Tracking and many more. He is president of A Naturalist’s World and runs the world’s largest forensic wildlife tracking organization. During his career Jim has worked on all seven continents, Greenland, New Zealand, and Japan. Through his tracking work, he has studied carnivores including all types bears, wolves, cougars, lynx, wolverine and more. Jim is a Vietnam veteran and the Ameateur Radio Emergency Coordinator for Park County Montana.

Trent Redfield has previously worked in public history as a park guide, park ranger, and museum educator. He is now the Executive Director of the Museum of the Yellowstone here in West Yellowstone, Montana.

Ashley is a dynamic paleontologist, naturalist, and museum educator. Originally from South Bend, Indiana, she grew up loving dinosaurs from an early age and was inspired by holiday trips to Chicago’s Field Museum to pursue a career in natural history. Ashley earned her Bachelor of Arts in anthropology (focus: Zooarchaeology) and animal behavior from Indiana University, Bloomington. After graduation, she spent nearly a decade working as a science educator for various educational institutions in southern California, including the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, and the La Brea Tar Pits. During this time, Ashley also served as the assistant curator of paleontology at the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology in Claremont, California. While with the “Alf,” she managed the fossil collection and participated in fieldwork including Late Cretaceous dinosaur excavations in the Grand-Staircase Escalante National Monument in Utah and Miocene mammal reconnaissance paleontology in the Mojave Desert’s Rainbow Basin. Ashley relocated to Ohio where she worked as a naturalist for the Cleveland Metroparks reservation system before taking a position with the Cleveland Museum of Natural as the adult programs coordinator. While at CMNH, she planned and ran events, classes, and workshops to engage adult audiences in science. Passionate for educating the public about natural history, Ashley has designed and implemented thousands of museum tours, programs, and classes for visitors of all ages. When Ashley is not educating the public in person, she is an active science communicator on social media. Ashley has presented several invited workshops on communicating science through social media at professional, scientific meetings, including the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology and the Association for Materials and Methods in Paleontology annual conferences. Her scientific research has focused on sauropod claw morphology and function and the evolution of birds from deposits at the La Brea Tar Pits. In her free time, Ashley loves hiking, rock climbing, visiting museums, and spending time with her husband and two cats.

Maggie Jo Widdicombe is a graduate of Montana State University with a B.S. in Earth Sciences, specializing in Paleontology. She currently works as an Outreach Educator at the Museum of the Rockies where she combines and shares her lifelong passion for paleontology, science, zoology, museums, Montana history, and Indigenous history. Growing up in Ashland, Montana, next to the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, she has always felt a deep connection to this land and its history. Her father is an enrolled member of the Red River Metis in Canada. Her mother worked as a teacher on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation for over 25 years. As a proud descendant of the Red River Metis, the Little Shell Band of Chippewa, and the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, her identity is shaped by a blend of Indigenous cultures and a profound respect for the natural world. Recently, she was hired to help develop the museum’s new primary paleontology exhibit, Cretaceous Crossroads, a groundbreaking exploration of the ancient world before T. rex and Triceratops roamed the Earth. This exhibit will bring to life the incredible fossils from the Two Medicine, Judith River, and Bearpaw Formations—some of the most significant paleontological discoveries from 83 to 71 million years ago. As part of her role, she is passionately creating curriculum and activities for K-12 students, developing five outreach kits that will engage young minds in the awe-inspiring world of ancient life. She is also working to create a pop-up museum, hands-on workshops, and programs for people of all ages, both virtually and in person. In September, they will be launching “Discover Science! Cretaceous Crossroads” statewide, offering an immersive experience through K-12 outreach kits, gallery programming, pop-up museums, and other exciting initiatives. She couldn’t be more excited to help bring the wonder of paleontology and the rich history of this land to communities across Montana, inspiring the next generation of explorers, scientists, and storytellers.

Shannon Marie Werbeach has been fascinated with public lands and natural resource management since she first fell in love with the flora and fauna of the woods in which she was raised. After a summer participating in volunteer trail work and serving burgers under the shadow of the Grand Teton, she knew she wanted to one day return to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem as a ranger with the National Park Service. In 2022 she became the Work Director of the Yellowstone Youth Conservation Corps and served in that role for two summer seasons, managing youth work crews completing diverse projects for all divisions across the park. During the school year, she worked as a YNP education ranger, serving Indigenous schools, virtual learners, and park visitors throughout the school year and taking deep dives into the ecology, geology, and history of the land that became the world’s first national park. Following her time in Yellowstone, Shannon took on the role of Youth and School Programs Manager at the Museum of the Rockies. She feels privileged to work with visitors, the local community, and the entire state of Montana to explore the science and culture of the Rockies, both present and prehistoric!

Peyton Smith was born in Missoula, MT, and moved to Bozeman in 2020 to attend Montana State University. She graduated in the Spring of 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in History and a minor in Museum Studies. Peyton spends the majority of her time down at the Living History Farm as the Lead Historic Interpreter. When she’s not interpreting to guests at the Tinsley House, she focuses on history-oriented program development. She is passionate about ensuring equitable access to learning opportunities and creating a safe and engaging learning environment for all. In her free time, Peyton loves reading, spending time with loved ones, and traveling.

Thornton Waite is fascinated by the history of the railroads in the United States, especially the railroads in Montana and Idaho. He has written several books and numerous articles on the history of railroad travel, several of them covering railroad travel to Yellowstone National Park. Thornton lives in Idaho Falls, Idaho, with his wife Susan. He worked at the Idaho National Laboratory, where he was a project manager.

As a Pennsylvania native, Haley was first introduced to the outdoors at a young age. She turned her passion for the outdoors into a career after achieving a Bachelor of Science degree in Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology from Colorado State University and working for the National Park Service (NPS) for 9 years in various capacities. Haley’s experience includes conducting noise pollution and wood frog phenology research for the Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division of the NPS and working as an Education Park Ranger in Rocky Mountain National Park, leading in-person and virtual programs for youth across the world. Moving to West Yellowstone has allowed her to explore different career paths while exploring one of the greatest natural wonders of the world. Haley is excited to share her love and knowledge of natural sound preservation and its key link to preserving National Parks, as well as plants and prey species that thrive in Yellowstone National Park.

Kurt is the Senior Climate Resiliency Associate for the Greater Yellowstone Coalition (GYC). From his base in Lander, Wyoming, Kurt works across the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem to build resilience and facilitate the adaptation of aquatic and terrestrial systems in response to a changing climate and growing human use pressures. From landscape-scale resource planning to individual restoration projects, he is focused on safeguarding the lands, waters, and wildlife of this special place for generations to come. After obtaining a graduate degree in Geosciences from the University of Montana, Kurt began his career as a fluvial geomorphologist, designing and constructing river restoration projects to benefit native fish species. In his 10-year career, Kurt has also stewarded a rural watershed group and led large mine reclamation projects for the state of Wyoming. Returning to the region in 2017, Kurt is passionate about this unique place and is honored to work in support of its responsible stewardship and protection. He has worked with GYC since 2023.

Heidi Anderson has worked in Yellowstone National Park for 23 years. She oversees the Yellowstone Herbarium and enjoys collecting plants to build that collection. Originally from Wisconsin, Heidi completed her M.S. at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan. She has been living in Gardiner, Montana since 2002 where she enjoys traipsing around in wetlands and looking at plants.

Ashley is a wildlife biologist for the Bridger-Teton National Forest. She started her career as a biologist in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) in 2014 when she moved to the Jackson area. She has been working for the US Forest Service since 2009, and along her journey has appreciated the agencies powerful history and culture, and the evolution of public land management, particularly in the context of wildlife. Her passion is deep rooted in wildlife conservation, focusing on the unique wildlife species that make this the most intact ecosystems in the lower 48. From the historic bison or magnificent grizzly bear to the cryptic amphibian. When she is not working toward habitat conservation in the field, she is talking about it with her children on the trail as she is a believer that life is best spent enjoying the outdoors.

Jason “Gypsy” Kladiva has been a guide/interpreter in national and state parks for over 30 years. He has consulted on documentaries for the History Channel (“Investigating History”), A&E (“Legends of the Old Northwest”); on films for Turner Pictures (“Gettysburg”, “Andersonville”, and “Gods & Generals”), Dreamworks (“Lincoln”), Columbia Pictures (“The Patriot”), and Miramax (“Cold Mountain”); and hosted “World Pieces” on public radio. His lectures have been experienced by over 1 million people from 1st grade classrooms to major universities, nursing homes and museums. His travels for research in history, biology, geology and culture have taken him to over 50 countries on four continents.