Are dinosaurs flying over Bozeman? Why is world renowned paleontologist, Jack Horner, the keynote speaker for The Bridger Raptor Festival? If you know very much about dinosaurs or have visited the Museum of the Rockies, you know the answer to this question. Or look up the word “raptor” in the Merriam Webster dictionary and see it states the definition of RAPTOR 1: BIRD OF PREY 2[New Latin -raptor (as in velociraptor)]: a usually small-to-medium-sized predatory dinosaur (as a velociraptor or deinonychus). Consider that the Bridger Mountains fall raptor migration is the largest known concentration of migratory Golden Eagles in the U.S.A. Now factor in 2,000 to 3,500 other migrating raptors of other species also traveling through per fall season. You could say we have a lot of dinosaurs flying around here. Cool! No wonder Jack Horner is the keynote speaker! I have to admit I do have an overactive imagination, but when I learned the title of Mr. Horner’s speech it did make me a tiny bit nervous: “Raptors: The Extinct Kind, The Living Kind and Those We Might Create.”

According to bridgerraptorfest.org the Bridger Raptor Festival is an annual event held in and around Bozeman, Montana. The festival, which is free to the public, centers around a raptor migration count of the largest known Golden Eagle migration in the United States which takes place at the Bridger Bowl ski area in the Gallatin National Forest just north of Bozeman. Other activities include wildlife films, nature walks and talks, education and entertainment programs for people of all ages. The history of the Bridger Raptor Festival written by Doug Wales, Marketing Director at Bridger Bowl, describes the first organized event as an eagle watch field trip with about 40 people hiking to the ridge. Every year since there has been growing interest, support and appreciation for this special time and place. In October of 1997 The Bridger Raptor Festival was born, with approximately a thousand people over the course of the weekend attending presentations and displays and hundreds of people hiking to the ridge to observe the migration first hand. The Festival continues to grow in popularity each year.

This year’s festival is especially exciting as it features Jack Horner, widely regarded as one of the world’s foremost paleontologists, noted for his fieldwork and some of the best reconstructions of fossil dinosaurs ever assembled. Horner served as the technical adviser for all three of the Jurassic Park movies and is the inspiration for the movie’s lead character, Dr Alan Grant. The Museum of the Rockies, as the result of Horner’s continuing fieldwork, has the largest Tyrannosaurus rex collection in the world. What a wonderful opportunity to hear and see Jack Horner speak at the Museum of the Rockies on Saturday Oct. 5th at 7:00 p.m.

I have attended the Bridger Raptor Festival several times over the years with my husband and kids and have always found it to be extremely interesting and enjoyable. I highly recommend a day excursion (great idea with out of town visitors) to Bridger Bowl on either Saturday Oct. 6th or Sunday the 7th. Be prepared for any kind of weather. As my husband says, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.” If the sky is fairly clear and you can see the ridge, plan to take a hike for some amazing raptor viewing. Be sure to bring your binoculars and camera. If the weather is not clear there is still plenty to do indoors such as films, talks and hands on activities. This year the Bridge Raptor Festival will also include a bit of Oktoberfest with beer, food and music in the Jim Bridger Lodge from 3 to 6 pm on Saturday, the 6th.

Enjoy the weekend and watch out for those flying dinosaurs!

Tammy Walker is a Registered and Licensed Occupational Therapist and a Norwex Consultant. She can be reached at ottamwalker@msn.com