Welcome to Yellowstone Valley
Audubon Society
Visit Us On Facebook
Education, Activism, and
Conservation
Yellowstone Valley Audubon Society is a local chapter of the National Audubon Society located from the Beartooth Mountains to the prairies of eastern Montana. YVAS hosts monthly Programs with a featured speaker September through May on the 3rd Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the Mayflower Congregational Church (Billings). Members and the general public are invited to join us. YVAS sponsors birding field trips, ornithology classes, the Christmas Bird Count, a monthly newsletter, and various conservation and educational projects. Feel free to contact any Board or Committee member for more information.
For the latest news and updates, see the December 2025/January 2026 newsletter, The Flyer.
Visit us on Facebook.
Join a birding trip – 2025 Bird Field Trip Schedule.
Become a Yellowstone Valley Audubon Society member.
The YVAS mailing address is YVAS, PO Box 1075, Billings MT 59103.
Program of the Month
Speaker Bob Landis, Videographer and Filmmaker
December 15, 2025
The Holiday tradition continues at Yellowstone Valley Audubon Society on December 15, 2025, as Bob Landis returns to show his latest wildlife highlights from this past year. Bob shares his experiences in Yellowstone and Denali National Parks through his films, many of which have been coproduced with National Geographic and have appeared on National Geographic Television and PBS’s Nature as well as others.
A new National Geographic production on wolves aired in January 2025. “Yellowstone Wolves: Succession” was directed by Leslie
Schwerin and focuses on the complex social structures and rivalries of wolf packs in Yellowstone National Park. The documentary is based on Bob Landis’ videos detailing the rise of new pack leaders as older ones pass away. Included is the ongoing struggles for territory, survival within the pack rivalries, and the crucial role of the alpha female. For more information, check out the YVAS December 2025/January 2026 Flyer.
The 45-minute program begins at 7 p.m. at the Mayflower Congregational Church on the corner of Poly and Rehberg. It is free and open to the public so bring your friends! There is plenty of seating room.
Upcoming YVAS Birding Field Trips 2025
Unless otherwise noted, field trips are open to the public and depart at 8:00 a.m. by car from the Rocky Mountain College parking lot on Rimrock Road next to Billings Studio Theater.
December 20, Saturday – Christmas Bird Count 2025. Meet at Perkins at 7 a.m. More information to follow. Contact Jerry Dalton to sign up.
January 1, Thursday – 2026 Annual New Years Day Bird Trip to Yellowtail Dam Afterbay. Will leave at 8 a.m. from Rocky/BST parking lot. Ron Kuhler trip leader. Sack lunch.
January 4, Sunday – Mid Winter Eagle Count. Will leave at 8 a.m. from Rock/BST parking lot. Mike Weber/Ron Kuhler, trip leaders.
For the current status of bird trips, check the YVAS website, YVAS Facebook or the Flyer. Links to these and the 2024-25 Bird Trip Schedule can be found above. To be added to the Bird Trip Notification List, contact Carolyn Jones at carolyn684@gmail.com.
Lawsuit Filed on behalf of Yellowstone Valley Audubon Society – Killing of Native Migratory Birds to Save Nonnative Fish
Ospreys – Edie Linneweber
On behalf of Yellowstone Valley Audubon Society, Earthjustice filed a complaint against the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) for allowing the State of Montana to shoot and kill migratory birds in order to protect nonnative fish species.
The November 14, 2024 press release, “Conservation Group Sues Feds Over Fish Hatchery Shooting Migratory Birds” can be found on the Earthjustice website.
In 2018, the US Fish Wildlife Service began issuing Osprey Depredation Permits to the Miles City Hatchery allowing them to kill native migratory Ospreys that were eating their nonnative largemouth bass. With the approval of the US Fish Wildlife Service and the Dept. of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services, the eastern most breeding population of Ospreys on the Yellowstone River was lethally removed by the MT Fish Wildlife & Parks’ Hatchery Division at the Miles City Hatchery in less than two years.
Great Blue Heron
Hundreds of native migratory birds have been shot at the Hatchery including Great Blue Herons, Double-crested cormorants, Canada Geese and Ospreys. YVAS and others immediately protested this practice and the permit process.
YVAS, Earthjustice and others are vigorously pursuing corrective measures to this lethal management of native birds and misguided permit process.
For more information see:
Journal of Raptor Research – Range Contraction of an Osprey Population Following Lethal Control at a State Fish Hatchery in Montana by Dr. Marco Restani
Billings Gazette – FWP’s Bluewater Hatchery contaminated by mudsnails 2nd time in 2 years
Shooting Birds at the Miles City Hatchery (070821) and Protect The Wild Fishing Birds Of Eastern Montana (121321).
Recycle Your Aluminum with YVAS and Support YVAS’ Educational Fund
YVAS is accepting ALUMINUM CANS ONLY for recycling. The refund received goes toward YVAS’ Education Fund which supports a variety of projects – educational signs in public parks, Citizen Science Kits at the Billings Public Library and educational projects as requested.
ALUMINUM CANS can be dropped off in secure bags at 918 Avenue C by the garage. Aluminum cans are the only items currently being accepted. If you are uncertain if a can is aluminum, try a magnet. It will not attach to aluminum. Aluminum cans can also be left with a board member at the Chapter Programs from September through May (those details are above). If you have several bags, contact Larry at larryhandsaker@gmail.com and he will be happy to pick it up.