The Dynamic History of the Yellowstone Ecosystem
Location: Yellowstone Forever Institute - Lamar Buffalo Ranch
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Please note: This course program requires membership in a 2024-2025 OLLI at MSU Membership
Physical Requirements
This trip is physically demanding. It involves:
- Hiking on uneven and rocky ground and unestablished trails
- Sitting on the ground
- Walking and standing outdoors, exposed to the elements (sun, wind, rain)
- Extended periods of standing (up to 2 hours)
- Picnic lunch (chairs, no tables)
- Driving in a personal vehicle to the program destination
This is a remote location with limited emergency response services and no nearby medical facilities.
Description
Registration opens on May 14, 2004 at 10:00 a.m. and closes May 29, 2024.
The nearly pristine landscapes of Yellowstone-ranging from dense pine forests to alpine tundra, hydrothermal basins to sagebrush grassland-are home to a diverse array of plants and animals. When and how did these ecosystems take shape? What was the role of geology, climate, fire, and people in their development? For over 40 years, internationally renowned paleoecologist Cathy Whitlock and her students have been seeking answers to these questions to enhance our understanding of the environmental history of Yellowstone. Much of their information comes from the layers of sediment in lakes and wetlands, which preserve fossil pollen, charcoal, and other clues to ecological changes of the last 15,000 years.
Paleoecology-a sub-discipline of paleontology, the study of ancient ecosystems (especially plant communities) over decades to millions of years.
From our base at the historic Lamar Buffalo Ranch (LBR), we will visit locations where researchers have made key paleoecological discoveries, experience and discover first-hand the mysteries and joys of lake mud, and learn how the past informs our understanding of Yellowstone's future!
This program is limited to 13 participants.
Meals and Lodging
Your program tuition includes instruction, lodging, three dinners with appetizers, morning coffee and tea, and field trip transportation for two days while based at LBR during your program.
We will stay at the historic Lamar Buffalo Ranch (LBR) in the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone National Park. Originally a stop for the Cooke City to Gardiner stagecoach in 1882, the LBR played a role in bison reintroduction efforts in the early 1900s. More than ninety years later, Yellowstone Forever manages LBR as a field site for courses, school programs, and research.
During your stay, you will be accommodated in small, modest guest cabins, each equipped with three single beds. For your convenience, the ranch features a heated bathhouse with separate men's and women's bathrooms and private showers. Please note that there are no bathrooms in the individual cabins. When not learning in the field, the communal bunkhouse houses two classrooms, our shared kitchen and dining area, and a bathroom. Pets are not allowed on this program.
Participants are responsible for travel to the park, park entrance fee, and all breakfasts, lunches, and snacks. After registration confirmation, additional information about the LBR facility, meal recommendations, kitchen resources and responsibilities (including one post-meal kitchen duty shift), and necessary forms will be provided.
Tuition
Option A: Single cabin $920 per person
Option B: Double occupancy cabin $1,390 for up to two people.
Highlights and Learning Goals
You will spend three nights in the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone National Park, accompanied by researchers from Montana State University and the professional staff of Yellowstone Forever. You will learn about:
- The major plant communities of Yellowstone and the role that plants play in the broader Yellowstone ecosystem.
- How fire shaped Yellowstone ecosystems in the past and the future.
- The Yellowstone hotspot and how volcanic and hydrothermal activity impacts ecosystems.
- The last glacial period and how plant communities respond to changing climate in the past and the future.
- Get muddy! Experience research techniques employed by researchers at Montana State University to study the ecosystems of the past.
- Enjoy early morning wildlife watching and night sky gazing in the Lamar Valley.
Sample Schedule
August 26: Introductions, orientation, course overview. 3:00 p.m. arrival time.
August 27: Wildlife and high elevation discoveries on the Beartooth Plateau. Evening sediment study.
August 28: Fire, volcanoes, and Yellowstone's ecosystems. Dunraven Pass, Caldera, Lower Geyser basin. Evening field day summary.
August 29: Bringing it all together, group wrap up and review. 11:00 a.m. departure.
The schedule is subject to change based on weather, field access, and other factors.
Scholarship
Apply for a needs-based scholarship before registering for this program. The application deadline is May 10.
| Fee: | $920.00 |
Fee Breakdown
| Category | Description | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Course Fee (Basic) | Option A | $ 920.00 |
| Course Fee (Alternate) | Option B | $1,390.00 |
Yellowstone Forever Institute - Lamar Buffalo Ranch
NE Entrance RdYellowstone National Park, WY 82190
View the location on a map
Mio Alt
Mio Alt, Ph.D. candidate, MSU Department of Earth Sciences, MSU Paleoecology LabChristopher Schiller
Christopher Schiller, postdoctoral researcher, MSU Paleoecology LabCathy Whitlock
Cathy Whitlock is a Regents Professor Emerita in Earth Sciences at Montana State University and a Montana Institute on Ecosystems Fellow. She is recognized nationally and internationally for her research and leadership activities in the field of long-term climate and environmental change. Her studies of Yellowstone's ecological history began in the 1980s and continue today. She has expanded her research to examine similar places around the world. Dr. Whitlock served as lead author of the 2017 Montana Climate Assessment and is co-lead author of the 2021 Greater Yellowstone Climate Assessment. She has received numerous awards and honors for her science. In 2018, she became the first person from a Montana university to be elected to the National Academy of Sciences.| Date | Day | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08/26/2024 | Monday | 12M to 12M | Yellowstone Forever Institute - Lamar Buffalo Ranch |
| 08/27/2024 | Tuesday | 12M to 12M | Yellowstone Forever Institute - Lamar Buffalo Ranch |
| 08/28/2024 | Wednesday | 12M to 12M | Yellowstone Forever Institute - Lamar Buffalo Ranch |
Cancellation Policy
Please read carefully:
- If a registrant cancels on or before May 29, 2024, we will issue a refund within 60 days, minus a 7.5% administrative fee.
- If a registrant cancels after May 29, 2024, no refunds will be issued. Registrants may, however, designate a replacement for this trip at the time of cancellation.
- Registrants are strongly encouraged to purchase accident, baggage, and trip cancellation insurance through a travel agent or other provider. Travel insurance can help protect against financial loss in case of an emergency.
- If it fails to meet the minimum enrollment by May 29, 2024, we will cancel this trip and issue full refunds to all registrants within 60 days.