Bozeman Magazine

The Sacajawea Audubon Society is pleased to present a special holiday program featuring National Geographic Photographer Ronan Donovan. He will be presenting on his vastly different experiences with wolves in Yellowstone and the Canadian High Arctic. The event will take place Monday, December 9th at the Ellen Theater. Doors will open at 6:30pm with the program beginning at 7:00pm. The event is free to the public, however a suggested donation of $5 is greatly appreciated to help cover the cost of the program. A biologist turned photographer, National Geographic Photographer Ronan Donovan has documented the intimate social structures of wild mammals such as chimpanzees, mountain gorillas and wolves. Ronan lived for a year in Yellowstone trying to capture the lives of wolves and the research that surrounds them. While Yellowstone may be the best place to see wolves, they are still elusive - hunted and trapped outside of the park - which makes many of their behaviors hidden from the human eye. This inspired Ronan to try and find a place where those behaviors weren’t hidden from view so a complete portrayal of wolves would be possible. That place ended up being Ellesmere Island in the Canadian High Arctic. It is here where wolves have no reason to fear humans. “As a student and involved community member who has no experience beyond basic biology, this lecture will still be fascinating and engaging due to the story format that Ronan Donovan has perfected,” says Ashley Meyer, a Business and Psychology student at MSU. Wolves are so mysterious due to their untouchable nature, so to be able to dive beyond the mystery of these lovely creatures will make for a fantastic night of learning,” added Ashley. Ronan’s work with wolves resulted in a National Geographic Magazine story that was published in September 2019 alongside a three-part TV series called ‘Kingdom of the White Wolf”. He has had great success prior to this assignment, including having shot and filmed for National Geographic, The New York Times, The Nature Conservancy, WWF, and numerous other wildlife conservation organizations. When not travelling, Ronan makes his home in Bozeman. The event is free and open to the public. Seating is on a first come first serve basis. Doors open at 6:30pm and Ronan’s story will begin at 7:00pm. There will be a Q+A session following Ronan’s lecture. For more information, please call Lou Ann Harris with Sacajawea Audubon Society at 406-600-3585 or visit https://sacajaweaaudubon.org/ Lou Ann Harris 406-600-3585, pres@sacajaweaaudubon.org