This is a 6-credit field class with an anticipated lab fee of ~ $500-600 depending on enrollment. The lab fee covers park entrance fees, camping at Mammoth Hot Springs inside Yellowstone National Park, van transportation, course materials, etc. Students will shop for their own food for the duration of the field class and cook in groups at the campsite. We will also go into town for some meals out (optional). There are no prerequisites and the course is open to all majors, but FRES and BIO majors will have preferential registration for a period of 2 weeks after the course announcement.
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Time
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Monday
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Tuesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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12:00 – 12:30
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Intros, Logistics, Grading
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Video: Yellowstone Aflame
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Discuss Bison Management
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Split into Teams Review findings on Snowmobile Issue
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12:30 – 1:30
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Video: Yellowstone, America’s Sacred Wilderness
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Fire Ecology (Greg)
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Yellowstone Web of Life Exercise
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Student Teams: Discuss & Present Snowmobile Issue
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1:30 – 1:45
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Break / Yellowstone Timeline
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Break
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Break
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Break
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1:45 – 2:15
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Nat’l Parks vs. Nat’l Forests (Lindsey)
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Bison Overview NPS Perspective (Greg: P-point)
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Grizzly Bears and Y2Y (Greg)
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Snowmobile Issue Recap (Greg)
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2:15 – 3:00
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Wolf Overview (Greg: P-point)
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Video: With the Buffalo
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Video: Yellowstone : High Country Treasure
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Video: Yellowstone : A Symphony of Fire and Water
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3:00 – 4:00
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Video: Wolves: A Legend Returns to Yellowstone
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Elk & Northern Range Mgt. (Greg: P-point)
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Yellowstone Vegetation (Lindsey)
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Overview of Research Paper Requirements - Questions -
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4:00 – 4:15
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Break
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Break
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Break
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Break
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4:15 – 5:30
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Outside Less/More Exercise
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Lab Time Bison issue & Buffalo Field Campaign (web research)
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Lab Time 2 Teams: Pro & Con Snowmobile Issue
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Lab Time Yellowstone Thermophiles Computer Exercise
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5:30 – 6:00
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Quiz 1
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Review Quiz 1 Quiz 2
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Review Quiz 2 Quiz 3
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Review Quiz 3 Quiz 4
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Evening Readings
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Aldo Leopold “Thinking Like a Mountain” Island Biogeography
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What is biodiversity and why should we care about it? Preserve Design
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How big is big enough? Snowmobile & stress articles
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none
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“On route from Hellroaring overlook, we got to stop and and observe the Leopold wolf pack. It was a very surreal experience as I realized that I wasn’t at the top of the food chain in this mysterious place. This was realized earlier as we were sitting at Hellroaring Overlook. When I looked at the awakening earth, the mountains came into view further and further into the horizon and it finally hit me that this was not a dream, but it was very real. I was really in the middle of this beautiful, powerful place.”
“The hiking adventure was totally awesome!! We found a lot of bones near the trails and got taken to school by Greg on bone anatomy and bone condition. I felt like a 4-year-old learning to write again. Being out here is enough to put anyone in their place, be it with all of the information around you that you have to identify, or the vast wilderness that will consume you if you do not respect it. However, if you open up your eyes and ears a little, and close your mouth, you will learn much about Yellowstone without having to be told anything.”
Torrey Horness, senior (biology)
The view from the Fire Tower here is breathtaking (atop Mount Washburn at 10,243 ft). The Grand Tetons are snow-capped and clearly visible to the south (75 miles away) and Yellowstone Lake is shimmering with blue-green water. On our way up we ran into a handful of bighorn sheep and some marmots and an unidentifiable squirrel of sorts”.
“This trip out west has been excellent ‘brain food’ for me. My mind is racing with ideas and possibilities. I’m finding myself becoming addicted to this magnificent place. We have had a great balance of learning from park employees and from being in the field. It’s a huge bonus that Greg is so knowledgeable about the park. He can field our questions and has a great handle on birds, plants, geology and animals. It has helped with the experience”.
“Midway geyser basin was the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen in my life! Literally! In particular the Grand Prismatic hot spring pool. Its metallic colors were astounding. I found trouble walking away from it. The complex variation of colors is due to bacteria, each color representing a different form of bacteria that needs its own special conditions to live. The blending of the brilliant oranges, blues, yellows and greens was like the work of an artist.”
Shawn Granlund, junior (business)
“Today we went on a 12-mile hike. The first mile hit me hard, but after that it was all smooth sailing. We had to cross the river four times and my feet got soaked! On the wildlife watching front it was a good day. We saw a group of four mountain goats before we started the hike and two more during the hike. After our dinner on the way home we saw a cow and calf moose which was very interesting”.
“We went on a beautiful hike. It was great to get away from all the crowds, and it’s amazing how different the park seems even a few hundred yards off the road. We saw a huge osprey nest and a lot of beautiful scenery. When we got back we had a wolf talk, then Greg’s friends came over and played music.”
Charles McDaniels, senior (biology)
“On the way back to the lodge we spotted a Mama grizzly and her cub at a bison kill!!! We were able to sight them in with spotting scopes from a height advantage, and had a great view of the carnage. What a way to end the trip!”
“Janelle Holden of the Predator Conservation Alliance met with us in our cabin to discuss the importance of predators in this area. Her presentation was very informative and her current projects and their success were very encouraging to me.”
Dave Fenlon, junior (biology)
“Woke up about 7:30 am, packed our gear and headed to Hellroaring Canyon for a day hike. We saw lots of elk and bison bones that were bleached from the sun and weather. The view of the grand canyon of the Yellowstone River was breathtaking. The cliff walls go straight down with erosion slots the size of houses. Walking the edge we saw an osprey nest that was just huge, it had to be 8 or 9 feet tall! Baby osprey and Mom or Dad hung out and looked at us, so we kind of backed away to give them their space.”
“Within one minute of setting up spotting scopes, Lindsey and Charles simultaneously spotted a black wolf. Then the rest of the pack got up from their morning snooze—grays and blacks meeting and greeting. This was the Leopold Pack and there were four bull elk close to them. We left to find a grizzly. Our first stop was Antelope Creek where we spotted four bull elk with big racks. Not 15 minutes after we arrived, Greg spotted a mama grizzly and baby cub who were foraging. The excitement was higher than Electric Peak. Our sacrifice of sleep paid off with priceless views of grizzly bears.”
Dave Jayroe, senior (biology)
“The hike was wicked awesome. I really felt like we were IN Yellowstone seeing the beauty that everyone talks about. The wildflowers were totally amazing. We saw so much color such as purple, blue, reds, pink, white, yellow everywhere! I lead for a while and that was way cool…a little freaky since the willow is prime grizzly habitat. ‘Whoa Bear!’ During the hike we got to enjoy the beauty that surrounded us. The 1.5 mile stretch with 1,000 foot elevation gain was pretty rough. It was so worth it though. You climb to the top with views of gorgeous mountain peaks. Then you climb down and the trail opens to a beautiful meadow.”
“It was a beautiful morning! The sun was up and we were again by ourselves soaking up God’s beauty. Greg spotted a grizzly with a cub in the grass valley. It’s an amazing animal. The cub was really adorable bouncing through the grass. The mama bear was trampling around in the bushes munching on vegetation. It was just really cool to watch their behavior, especially from a distance. Actually it’s weird how the human spirit is excited by wild adventures.”
Emily Grosvenor, senior (applied ecology)
“Night time fell and we soaked once again in the hotsprings. The ‘boiling river’ ranged in temperature from ~ 60 – 130 F. Geothermal activity heats the water that flows into the river making an awesome, but neat temperature variation. We met a local who told us about a few caves downstream that made perfect natural hot tubs.”
“This writing comes from the top of Mt. Washburn at 10,234 feet in the northeast side of Yellowstone. Today was another amazing day. Mark Haroldson, a 30-year veteran of bear studies came by in the morning to give a presentation about his findings. The presentation was great in the makeshift classroom of our cabin, ‘Above the Rest Lodge’. The slideshow and lecture was very informative and interesting. I got the feeling that he really knew a lot about bears and had extensive experience handling them.”
Greg Lemon, senior (business)
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Topics vary yearly but may include gray wolf management, grizzly bear recovery, bison management, snowmobile use in the park, fisheries issues, and bioprospecting. The class will meet with biologists, resource managers and experts who deal with these issues daily. Discussions will focus on the natural history of the species in question, human dimensions of natural resource management, and principles of conservation biology. In addition to meetings with resource managers, we will explore the ecology of Yellowstone during back-country day hikes and visit the park’s major attractions.