Bozeman Magazine

Registration is now open for the 2022 “Conversations on Collecting Yellowstone” conference, which will take place June 5–8 at Montana State University in Bozeman. The event is hosted by the MSU Library and the University of Wyoming Libraries.

Scholars, educators, private collectors, museum curators, librarians, archivists and members of the public are invited to the conference to explore aspects of collecting documentation about the park and its greater ecosystem, including objects, documents, stories, data and representations and to look to the changing nature of collecting and curating these materials. The conference will feature speakers, panel presentations, social events and networking opportunities. A post-conference tour June 9-11 will visit Jackson, Wyoming, and Yellowstone National Park.

The conference coincides with the 150th anniversary of the creation of Yellowstone National Park. The first “Conversations on Collecting Yellowstone” conference was held in 2019 in Cody, Wyoming.

“We are pleased to bring the second ‘Conversations on Collecting Yellowstone’ conference to Bozeman,” said Kenning Arlitsch, dean of the MSU Library. “We stand on the doorstep of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, and libraries, archives, museums and other collectors all play a part in documenting the wonder and unique character of this place.”

More than 50 individuals from across the country will present at the conference. Speakers include retired Yellowstone National Park historian Lee Whittlesey, author Diane Smith, Shane Doyle of the Apsáalooke Nation and environmental leader Mike Clark.

“This conference will bring together voices from many of the communities that have an enduring interest in collecting aspects of the park and the surrounding ecosystem and will explore using and understanding collections such as souvenirs, stories and data,” said Jan Zauha, MSU Library humanities and outreach librarian and conference program committee co-chair. “Opportunities for conversations among historians, teachers, Native Americans, artists, environmentalists, archivists and the public will connect diverse perspectives on this environmentally and culturally important area.”

Conference events include a June 7 keynote dinner with Dayton Duncan, an award-winning writer and documentary filmmaker who frequently collaborates with Ken Burns. Duncan is co-author, with Burns, of the companion volume to the PBS series “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea.” Individuals who are not attending the full conference can purchase tickets to the June 7 keynote dinner beginning April 16. In addition, a free vendor fair will take place June 6-7 in MSU’s Strand Union Building.

Early registration for the full conference, including the Dayton Duncan event, is $250 through April 15; early basic registration, which does not include the Duncan event, is $200. Full conference registration, including admission to the Duncan event, increases to $300 on April 16; basic conference registration without the Duncan event increases to $250 on April 16.

Registration for the conference can be completed at collectingyellowstone.com/register/. Registration closes on May 25.

For more information about “Conversations on Collecting Yellowstone,” visit collectingyellowstone.com.