Join Us!
Whether it’s pulling weeds along the Gallatin River, learning about wildflowers on guided hikes,
or volunteering at the Crail Gardens, we want you to join us!
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Many of our Big Sky Wildflower Festival events will be held at Crail Gardens, located at 2100 Spotted Elk Road.
Big Sky
Farmers Market
June 7 - Sept 27
Every Wednesday, 5-8pm
Look for us and our new education trailer every week at the Big Sky Farmers Market!
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Come ask us noxious weed management questions, bring in samples or pictures of that unknown plant, and explore our new trailer.
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We'll be there every week except for illness or inclement weather. And because everyone needs a summer vacation, we won't be at the market on June 28.
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Volunteer @
Crail Gardens
All season long!
Join us in helping us maintain our native demonstration garden.
Contact us and we'll put you on our volunteer list.
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Summer Wine Down
Open House
August 28
4 to 6pm
Join us & Gallatin River Task Force to celebrate the end of summer at Crail Gardens!
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Enjoy a glass of wine and other light refreshments, play a game of cornhole, and take in the changing colors of the garden.
Learned how native plants conserve water and create wildlife habitat, and get inspired for next year's growing season!
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End of
2023 Events
2023
We may look to host more events, but as of now, we are a wrap!
We've kept earlier events up, so you can see what we'll be up to in 2024.
Join us and let's Grow Wild!
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Give Big to
Grow Wild
May 4 - 5
Join us at Beehive Basin Brewery to kick of Gallatin Valley Give Big on Thursday, May 4th from 5 to 7pm.
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We'll also be at BASE on Friday, May 5 from 2-6pm.
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A $10 donation made at the brewery gets you a bowl of Sean’s famous gumbo soup and a raffle ticket for prizes.
Funds raised at the event go towards the Alliance's
conservation works!
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Landscaping Workshop
May 25
Noon to 2pm
Join us and Gallatin River Task Force to learn all about landscapes!
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Wednesday, May 25
from noon to 2pm.
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More info coming soon!
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Native Plant Sale
Fundraiser
June 1
2 to 6pm
The Alliance is selling native plants to raise funds for Crail Gardens and our conservation efforts.
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Order online NOW on our "SHOP" page.
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Big Sky:
Pick up June 1, from 2 to 6pm
at Crail Gardens
@ 2100 Spotted Elk Rd.
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Gallatin Valley:
Pick up June 4, 4-6pm
at location TBD.
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Gallatin River
Weed Pull
June 10
9 to 11am
Pull together for the Gallatin!
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Saturday, June 10 from 9 to 11am.
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Join us and
Madison-Gallatin Trout Unlimited for our 15th annual event!
9,559 lbs removed from the banks of the Gallatin River to date, help us make it an even 10K!
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Wildflower & Weed Hike
June 12
9 to 11am
June 12 @ Deer Creek
9am to 11am
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Rendezvous at the trail-head.
Hikes will last 2 hours and proceed at "plant identification pace".
Free & open to everyone!
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Crail Garden
Open House
June 19
4 to 6pm
Join us to learn more about
Big Sky's inspiring demonstration garden at the Historic Crail Ranch!
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Enjoy light refreshments & learn about the benefits of
water-wise, native landscapes.
Monday, June 19
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From 4 to 6 pm.
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Big Sky Community Park Weed Pull
June 20
5 to 6:30pm
Pull together for the park!
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Tuesday, June 20
from 5 to 6:30 pm
with BBQ following.
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Rendezvous at River Pavilion
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2022 will be our 10th annual event, and we're bringing
back the BBQ to thank volunteers!
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Big Sky Wildflower Festival
July 10 -14
This week we'll be hosting a variety of events to celebrate wildflowers!
Join us to learn about the vital role native plants have in our ecosystem.
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Events are listed individually, and a few require registration.
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We're excited to celebrate Big Sky's unique flora beauty with you all!
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Wildflower & Weed Hike
July 10
9 to 11am
July 10 @ Porcupine
9am to 11am
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Rendezvous at the Porcupine Creek trail-head.
Hikes will last 2 hours and proceed at "plant identification pace".
Free & open to everyone!
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Crail Garden
Open House
July 10
4 to 6pm
Join us to learn more about
Big Sky's inspiring demonstration garden at the Historic Crail Ranch!
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Enjoy light refreshments & learn about the benefits of
water-wise, native landscapes.
Monday, July 10
From 4 to 6 pm.
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This event is part of our
Big Sky Wildflower Festival!
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Event is free and open to all!
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Crail Gardens is location at 2100 Spotted Elk Road, Big Sky.
Wildflowers & Watercolors
July 11
9 to 11am
Join us and the Big Sky Arts Council to play with watercolors in the garden!
Participants will be guided on using watercolors to create unique artwork reflective of wildflowers found at Crail Gardens.
Art supplies will be provided.
Limited to 15 participants, register by clicking link below.
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This event will be held at
Crail Gardens.
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Flower Arranging Workshop
July 11
noon to 2pm
Join us and The Hungry Moose to learn how to create a sunburst colored bouquet and bring Montana inside to your table.
Participants will learn how to arrange fresh cut flowers, the important tools of the trade, how to condition and maintain flowers, flora mechanics, and how to elevate an arrangement.
Bring your own vase.
Limited to 10 participants, register by clicking link below.
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This event will be held at
Crail Gardens.
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Camp Big Sky Scavenger Hunt
July 12
10am to noon
We're headed to Camp Big Sky to lead a wildflower inspired scavenger hunt!
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We'll start at the yurts, exploring the natural world while hunting for clues and items on our scavenger hunt list.
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Kids will end the hunt at Crail Gardens, making bee & butterfly masks.
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Noxious Weed Bouquet Contest
July 12
5:30 to 7:30pm
Pretty Wildflowers?
Think again!!
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Let's pull those invaders and create something beautiful!
Make a bouquet of noxious & nuisance weeds and deliver entries to our booth at the Big Sky Farmers Market (in front of Choppers) between 5:30 - 7pm.
Judging begins at 7 pm,
with awards to be handed
out at 7:30 pm.
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Event is free and open to all!
Native Bees
of Montana
July 13
11 am to Noon
Montana is home to between 500-750 species of native bees, which can be found throughout our diverse ecosystems. These important pollinators provide essential pollination services to agriculture, home gardens, and native plant biodiversity. Abiya (Abi) Saeed, Extension Horticulture Specialist at Montana State University, will inform us on some simple steps that you can take to help conserve these important animals.
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Event is free and open to all!
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Creating Pollinator Habitat
July 13
1 to 2pm
Learn how to create pollinator habitat with the Gallatin Conservation District!
Elizabeth Emeline, Natural Resource Specialist, will discuss the various types of pollinators, what makes for good pollinator habitat, which native plants to select, and how to build and maintain a pollinator garden.
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Event is free and open to all!
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Trout and
Native Plants
July 13
2 to 3pm
Join us to learn about how "Roots Run Deep" and the importance of native plants to trout.
This will be presented by Connor Parrish, Project Manager for Trout Unlimited. He has a B.S. in Natural Resource Sciences and an MS in Biology with an emphasis in fisheries ecology. Currently, Connor focuses on habitat and water quality issues impacting the Gallatin Watershed’s treasured trout fishery.
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Event is free and open to all!
Photography Workshop
July 14
9 to10:30 am
Join us for an introduction to wildflower photography
with Paul Holdorf.
Whether you use a digital camera or the camera on your phone, come learn the basics of composition to better help you capture and share Montana’s beautiful wildflowers!
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Event is free and open to all!
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Big Sky's
Bears
July 14
11am to Noon
Join us for an informative talk about Big Sky's bears!
Learn all about these iconic species, what makes good bear habitat, what native plants are their favorite, and how to share the land with them. Cecily Costello, Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks' Bear Biologist, will be there to educate us these keystone species and their future in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
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Event is free and open to all!
Healthy Forests
in Big Sky
July 14
Noon to 1pm
Join us for an informative talk about healthy forests!
Sara Pearce, Forester for the National Wild Turkey Federation, will discuss the importance of healthy forests, forest ecosystem dynamics, and how to get your private land involved in forest conservation projects with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
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Event is free and open to all!
Montana Native Plant Society Tour
July 14
1 to 3pm
Montana Native Plant Society Valley of Flowers Chapter members will join us for a garden tour that will be followed by a guided hike to view blooming plants in the meadow and surrounding forests.
We'll hike at "plant identification pace" for about 1.5 miles, but folks are welcome to continue on and enjoy the full four mile loop if they like.
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Event is for Montana Native Plant Society members.
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Bag the Peak
Cornhole Fundraiser
August 1
5 to 8pm
We usually encourage bagging weeds, but this time let's
"bag the peak"!
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Teams of 2 will compete in a cornhole tournament to help raise funds for our conservation work.
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Registration via link below.
Limited to 16 teams
Food & drink included
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Tuesday, August 1
5 - 8pm
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Wildflower & Weed Hike
August 14
9 to 11am
August 18 @ Beehive Basin
9am to 11am
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Rendezvous at the trail-head.
Hikes will last 2 hours and proceed at "plant identification pace".
Free & open to everyone!
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