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Feature Article
"Draped" in Knowledge Photo and article by Kelly Eastlund Enrich your next trip to Yellowstone with a visit to Cody's Draper MuseumOrdinarily, if the sun isn't up and the temperature is single-digit, the last place you'll find me is standing around outside. But these were not ordinary circumstances; I was in Yellowstone National Park, and if I wanted to see gray wolves in their natural habitat, I'd have to play by their rules. It was just before dawn, a time when wolves are typically active (dusk is another). A group of people gathered around several viewing scopes at Hell Roaring Overlook near the Lamar Valley, and everyone was bundled up like Michelin men, shuffling and whispering. Anticipation mingled with clouds of white breath in the brittle air. Snow squeaked under our boots. We saw them briefly through the scopes, a pack of eight (six gray and two black), trotting single file across a snowy meadow. Then it began: a long, steady howl rising from the valley. All movement and talk stopped as we listened. It was haunting and wild, an ancient sound. I didn't just hear it, I felt it in my bones. "When we heard the wolf howl, that's how we learned to sing," a Nez Perce elder once said. Remembering those words gave me an even deeper appreciation of what I was hearing. It felt like a secret only I knew, linking the present moment to the past and connecting my encounter to that of Native Americans more than a century ago. That special connection was made only because I had read the elder's words in an exhibit at the Draper Museum of Natural History in Cody, Wyo. I had visited the museum before entering the park to test a theory that learning about Yellowstone's history and ecosystems in advance would enrich my experience of the park. Happily, that's exactly what happened. Located 52 miles east of Yellowstone's east entrance, in Cody, the $17-million Draper Museum opened to wide acclaim in June 2002. It is the newest addition to the highly regarded Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody's massive museum complex that also contains the Buffalo Bill Museum, Whitney Gallery of Western Art, Plains Indian Museum, Cody Firearms Museum and McCracken Research Library—all under one roof. While a writer for The New York Times once called the complex "The Smithsonian of the West," the first thing that struck me about the Draper was its open and warm atmosphere. Exhibits focus on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, leading visitors along an interactive trail through the sights and sounds of the region's four ecosystems. After an introduction in the "Expedition Trailhead," the trail begins in the Alpine Tundra section at the top of the rotunda, then spirals down through the Mountain Forest, Meadow/Aquatic, and finally, the Plains/Basins environment. Along the way, visitors learn through a combination of dioramas, computer touch screens, listening stations and videos. What you won't find are many artifacts behind glass. The intentionally open layout is designed to make the museum accessible and engaging. Curator Dr. Charles Preston, formerly with the Museum of Nature and Science, believes in "the timeless, generationless appeal of nature." He explains, "It can be presented in a poor way or an exciting way. The best approach for a natural history museum is to get out of the way and let nature shine through." In addition to creating an inviting environment for visitors to learn about the geology, flora and fauna of the land, the museum also seeks to examine the human impact and interaction with this natural world. By incorporating the human element, however, the museum had to address certain controversial topics. The reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone (in 1995) is one example. "It was a conscious decision to take on this issue and present the facts," says Kristin Atman, Draper's natural history education coordinator. "There is dogma and misperception on both sides." A comment box near the display asks visitors, "Is there room for wolves?" The museum has received nearly 5,000 comments since opening. So far, 78 percent of respondents favor reintroduction, 12 percent oppose it and 10 percent are neutral. Posted comments convey the emotions this issue arouses. "No, we don't want nor need wolves to kill our livestock," is posted near "If there isn't room for me (sketch of a wolf), how can there be 'room' for you?" Wildfire, or the management of it, is another emotionally charged subject. The Draper's fire display contrasts the historical attitude that fire is always bad, with the modern view that fire is a natural phenomenon that actually renews the forest, ultimately strengthening wildlife populations. Enriched by what I had learned at Draper, I immediately reaped the benefits. On my first day in the park, when I saw what looked like a Christmas tree farm (densely growing young pines) interspersed with bare, blackened tree trunks, I knew it was evidence of the 1988 fires. I also knew that the saplings were natural revegetation, not reseeding by the Park Service. So what I probably would have viewed as tragic—if not for the Draper—I instead saw as a natural process, and proof of nature's incredible resiliency. I also learned from the Draper that those bare trunks (standing dead or dying trees) have a name: snags. A perfect example of the maxim "nothing is wasted in nature," snags provide shelter and food for many creatures, and their bare branches are used by birds of prey as hunting perches. During my Yellowstone trip, I got the chance to witness this concept in action. A great gray owl was perched high atop a twisted snag near the road. Just seeing the owl was a thrill, but having "behind-the-scenes" knowledge about his perch made it even cooler. It had never occurred to me that dead trees were anything extraordinary; now I was seeing them in a new light. The Draper Museum reminded me that if we just look a little closer, nothing in Yellowstone-or nature anywhere, for that matter-is ordinary. Kelly Eastlund is a freelance writer based in Eugene, Ore.
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