Yellowstone Wildlife Ecology Summer Research Program
Experience the power of conservation where it began — in Yellowstone, the world’s first national park. On EPI’s Yellowstone Wildlife Ecology Program, you’ll walk among bison and elk. Track Yellowstone wildlife, like grizzlies, across ancient volcanic plateaus. And howl at the moon in the hope a wolf howls back. Our summer research programs for high school students and college students conduct meaningful science in a landscape so unique, it inspired the entire idea that places and animals deserve protection.
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sample itinerary
You’ll arrive to Bozeman, Montana, get to know your instructor team and then head south to the remote and vast Centennial Valley on the Western edge of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. This evening around the campfire and under the stars of the Big Sky you will get an introduction to the important work you will be accomplishing
sample itinerary
You will spend a day each with The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife removing fences that inhibit wildlife migration and monitoring the local population of Mountain Bluebirds. During down time, hike to a vantage point to take in the tremendous vista.
sample itinerary
sample itinerary
You'll begin your Yellowstone wildlife monitoring with the USFS. Depending on the project you might walk transects and search for animal sign, build a wolverine trap for the coming winter, or become a wildlife CSI investigator as you collect DNA evidence from a bear hair snare lure site.
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Today is pure adventure! You'll raft the Yellowstone River including the rapids of Yankee Jim Canyon in the Paradise Valley. That evening after a soak in historic hot spring, you will have a graduation dinner while hoping for a few last views of Yellowstone wildlife along the river.
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Today you wrap-up your course and head home. You'll say goodbye to the instructors and reflect on the wildlife you've seen, the summer research program you've conducted, and the amazing landscapes you've explored during your Yellowstone Wildlife Ecology course.
Conservation Impact
Yellowstone is among the few remaining intact islands of North American wilderness. Conservation work helps keep it that way. This renowned destination is home to iconic American animals and landscapes — the bald eagle, American bison, grizzly bear, geysers and rocky mountain peaks. Through our Yellowstone Ecology Program, students from Montana, across the U.S. and abroad work with local institutions like the Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to build on the great tradition of wildlife conservation in this remarkable place.
Academics and Education
During your time in the field, you’ll volunteer to work with regional conservation institutions conducting a wide variety of studies and projects. Under the leadership of our outstanding instructors, you’ll conceive, develop, analyze and present a field-based Yellowstone wildlife ecology research project and study wildlife ecology, terrestrial ecology, art and journaling. You’ll discuss the conflicts caused by bison, grizzlies and wolves leaving the park and talk about solutions. There are even opportunities to make on-the-ground differences through habitat restoration projects, such as pulling fence to open up migratory corridors for Yellowstone wildlife.
Cultural Exchange
A visit to Yellowstone is an opportunity to experience the history of two great influences — the opening up of the west and the subsequent tourist economy. You’ll come to understand how the migration west in the late 1800s nearly destroyed America’s wildest places and how tourism to parks like Yellowstone protected those places and led to the reintroduction of Yellowstone wildlife like bison and wolves.
If you are an individual student hoping to join an EPI group, you can! Check available dates and enroll now on-line!
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