Museum’s final Working with Animals Speaker Series Program
Working with Animals speaker series concludes with Raising Cattle, presented by lifelong cattle ranchers Martin Davis and Connie Malcolm on Wednesday, November 15, 6:00pm. The program is held at Yellowstone Gateway Museum, 118 W. Chinook St., Livingston. Participants can also register for any or all of the livestreamed Zoom programs at https://www.parkcounty.org/Yellowstone-Gateway-Museum. Programs are uploaded to museum’s YouTube channel after the live virtual event.
Martin Davis is a fourth-generation rancher. His family moved from a family ranch in northeastern Colorado to purchase a ranch in Paradise Valley in 1964. He attended Rosedale School through eighth grade and graduated from Park High. Martin began working on the ranch at a very young age: feeding cattle and horses, moving cattle by horseback, running equipment, and irrigating. Ranching runs in his blood as well as in his two children and his grandchildren. The family has raised Herefords, Gelbvieh, and now raise Red Angus cattle.
Martin and his brother started the Flying Diamond Guide Service in 1976, guiding clients on elk hunts and summer horseback rides and pack trips. He educates people on the hardships of the rancher, ups and downs of the cattle market, and for the past 20 years has talked about the effect of wolves and other wildlife on his operation. Martin helps people understand the rancher’s side of controversial issues with wildlife and range issues. He has been interviewed for documentaries on the wolves in the park as well as speaking at conventions and talking to college students and professors. Some educators have told him that they have changed their curriculum to show both sides. Martin loves ranching and being a steward of the land.
Connie Malcolm was raised on the ranch of her parents, Ellery and Eril Merrell in Tom Miner Basin. She attended primary grades at the Tom Miner rural one-room school. After graduating from Gardiner High School, she attended Montana State University for three years. The call of the ranch life, the land, the domestic animals and the wildlife beckoned her back to the life she loved. Marrying Bruce Malcolm brought her to the Mile High Ranch on Mill Creek. Together they ranched at Mill Creek, Tom Miner Basin, and Big Creek. Connie continues to enjoy ranch life and her interactions with all animals to this day.
The in-person program is at Yellowstone Gateway Museum, 118 W. Chinook St., Livingston. Programs begin at 6:00pm; please note earlier time from previous programs.
Visit Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for program updates. Register for Zoom programs at https://www.parkcounty.org/Yellowstone-Gateway-Museum/Nature-Nurture-Working-with-Animals-2023-Fall-Speaker-Series/. Please contact Karen Reinhart, 222-4184 or kreinhart@parkcounty.org, if you need assistance. Donations welcome. The Yellowstone Gateway Museum is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-5pm.