HISTORY

OF THE

BEARTOOTH NATURE CENTER

In Red Lodge, interest in animals has a long history. When Les Lyons and business associate D.W. Columbus began raising silver fox for fur-trading, they surely never imagined their livelihood would develop into the state's first and only zoo. At the turn of the century, animal furs were a means to make a moderate living. But in September 1924, the pair leased a parcel of land that came to be known as the Beartooth Silver Fox and Fur Farm. As the two gathered fur-bearing animals for their farm, the number of acquisitions grew steadily.

It wasn't long before crowds of curious Red Lodge residents were asking to visit the farm and its increasing animal family. For the welfare of the animals and to keep the number of visitors down, the farm managers applied a fee of ten cents to each visitor. Still, the number of visitors increased. It became necessary to build fences and a tower to protect the animals. About the same time Lyons learned that Yellowstone National Park was to add a northeast entrance that would include a roadway passing through the Lyons farm! The highway was built and the public demand to see the animals continued to grow. So did the number of all kinds of animals (African lions and other exotics!) and the farm was renamed the "See 'Em Alive Zoo."

In 1948, Lyons and Columbus made the zoo their full-time commitment. In 1963 the zoo was sold to Elmer Neff who operated it profitably for 13 years. It exchanged hands again in 1976 when the zoo was purchased by Tom and Linda Averill. They moved the zoo several miles north of Red Lodge where it grew to include more than 200 animals! But in 1983 the Red Lodge Zoo closed its doors as a private family business due to the tremendous responsibility and time needed to care for the animals.

Many people were disappointed when the zoo closed and so in 1984 local Red Lodge citizens formed the Red Lodge Zoological Society and began the enormous task of reopening the Red Lodge Zoo, this time as a non-profit entity. The Red Lodge Zoo held its grand opening in Coal Miner's Park (the current location of the BNC) in the summer of 1988 as a children's petting zoo and hoofed animal display. From this petting zoo developed the Beartooth Nature Center. The name and mission change occurred in 1990.

Mission Statement: Beartooth Nature Center advocates the protection of Montana's wildlife and its habitats. By receiving and caring for animals unable to be returned to the wild, the Nature Center provides an opportunity to educate our citizens as to the value of wildlife

and its conservation.

We care for approximately 75 animals ranging from bears, wolves, mountain lions, eagles, hawks, owls, porcupine, raccoons, turtles, and so on. The animals are here for a number of reasons... from injuries that couldn't be rehabilitated, to being orphaned as young and not taught survival skills by their mothers, or to being illegally taken from the wild to be kept as pets. Moufie the Mouflon sheep was the first rescued animal to arrive at the BNC in 1992. Imported illegally from the Mediterranean, he was confiscated by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and sent to live out his days at the BNC--he is now 13 years old! Orphaned Emily elk was the first native wild animal to be rescued by the BNC after her mother was killed in a logging accident--she is now 12 years old! Helen the mountain lion was the first predator in the BNC's care--she is now 12 years old as well!

One thing has been constant -- Change! The BNC has rescued so many animals that we now have to turn away animals for lack of space. We are currently land-locked on 8 acres. Since these 8 acres are on reclaimed land that was formerly the Red Lodge dump, we are experiencing issues with drainage and flooding in times of heavy precipitation. We have turned up car hoods, diapers and other trash when digging water lines. Consequently, we are in the process of getting the animals to a better place. After a year of focused fundraising, we were able to purchase a 20-acre parcel of land 5 miles North of Red Lodge that borders Rock Creek in October 2005. The parcel is beautiful with ponds, meadows, and Aspen stands. Our goal is to move all the animals in 3 to 5 years. We have contracted a grant writer to help us obtain the funds necessary to build the larger and more natural animal habitats. We are also working with an architectural firm in Billings to help us with design.

Check out our quarterly newsletter to get the latest on our progress!