Stories from The River: Amy Grisak, Listening To The Wild

Prior to her freelance writing career, Amy worked for a decade on natural history programs for National Geographic Television specializing in grizzlies and mountain lions, but pika have always had her heart. Besides writing for hundreds of magazines and online publications, Amy is the author of Nature Guide to Glacier and Waterton Lakes National Park, Found Photos of Yellowstone, and 100 Things to Do in Bozeman Before You Die. When she is not frantically working to meet a deadline, you’ll find her on the river or trail with family and friends, or trying a new gardening experiment in her Gore Hill (the windbreak for Great Falls) backyard.
During her decade working on natural history programs for National Geographic Television, Amy Grisak’s favorite role was sound recordist capturing the subtle, often overlooked sounds that bring wild places to life. From the clicking of caribou ankles to the near-silent footfalls of stalking coyotes, she learned to listen deeply and to notice a world most of us rarely hear.

In this presentation, Listening to the Wild, Amy shares some of her most intriguing field experiences from television production while exploring the art and importance of deep listening in our daily lives. We’ll hear surprising animal vocalizations, reflect on why true quiet is becoming increasingly rare, and talk about how and where we can still find it.
Audience members will leave with a new awareness of the soundscapes around them, simple ways to practice deeper listening in everyday settings, and a renewed appreciation for silence as a form of connection not only to the natural world, but to our own sense of presence and place. For those who are curious, Amy will also touch on accessible ways to begin capturing these sounds themselves, whether in wild landscapes or close to home.