2023 Yellowstone Group B - Day 8

Today was our last day on our EPI trip.  We woke up at 7 AM and quickly began taking our tents apart.  The previous night was our last night camping at Eagle Creek.  Jamming our rain covers, tents, and stakes into their respective bags, we proceeding to fill the EPI trucks and leave the site.

We then made our way to arch park where we worked on our research projects.  Using markers and paper, we created infographics to assist our final presentations tomorrow morning.  Afterwards, we took some tourist pictures in front of the Roosevelt Arch and the Yellowstone Sign.  Next, we were given some free time to shop for tourist items and snacks.

With some huckleberry shakes and candies in our stomachs, we ventured over the to the Montana White Water company where we suited up in helmets, water booties, life vests, and splash jackets.  After a short bus ride, we got in to the Yellowstone River and white water rafted for a little over 8 miles.  Sadly, we didn't have a lot of pictures, but we had an incredible time.  **We didn't have a camera for the boys' boat!  Sorry parents...

After pulling our rafts ashore and riding back to our EPI vans, we set off for the Follow Yer Nose BBQ shack in Emigrant, MA.  We enjoyed pulled pork, smoked turkey, Portobello sandwiches, baked beans, coleslaw, collard greens, and a variety of delicious sauces.  It was a well deserved meal after a week of cooking for ourselves at our campsite.

After settling into to our cabins at the Kampgrounds of America (KOA) in Paradise Valley, we met up once more to prepare for our project presentations in the morning.  We built a fire and spent our last night together for a closing activity.

Thanks for reading! 

2023 Yellowstone Group B - Day 7

After an early start to Day 6, we returned to our normal wakeup time (7 AM). After breakfast, we moved our tents over to a neighboring campground because our old campground reservation had expired.

Today was amphibian day so once we arrived at our new campsite, we had a lesson on the importance of amphibian populations in conservation science as well as how to identify the most common amphibian species in Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. We discussed the relevance of amphibians as indicator species, as they are particularly sensitive to environmental disruptions such as pollution (especially agricultural runoff), precipitation changes, and invasive species. We went into detail about the characteristics of the Western Toad, Plains Spadefoot, Boreal Chorus Frog, Columbia Spotted Frog, Garter Snake, and Tiger Salamander.

After the lesson, we departed for a site about 20 minutes from basecamp. From there, we hiked for a half hour up to a pond. On the hike, we observed many different wildflower species such as bitterroot, lupine, and forget-me-nots. Additionally, we saw an elk carcass on the way. It is likely that the animal died in the winter but has since defrosted.

Once we arrived at the pond, we put on waders and had a quick lunch. Then, we split into two groups and each travelled half of the pond, starting at opposite ends, searching for amphibians of different life stages as well as Wandering Garter Snakes. During our first survey, we found ten Garter Snakes, five adult Columbia Spotted Frogs, three Tiger Salamander larvae, and one Tiger Salamander metamorph. While not included in our data collection, one group found and caught a large water spider with an egg sac. Unfortunately, we had one casualty – Eric fell into the pond during data collection! 

After taking a short break, making observations about the site, and compiling our data, the two groups swapped sides of the pond and did their second survey. At the end of that, we found eight Garter Snakes, two adult Columbia Spotted Frogs, and one Colombia Spotted Frog larva. We had an additional casualty during our second survey, as Tina fully submerged into the pond as she fell. Throughout the surveys, both groups observed many leeches, snails, and macroinvertebrates. While it threatened to rain multiple times during our data collection, there were only a few minutes of drizzle, and much of the day was spent in the hot sun.

After hiking back down from the pond, we assembled to work on our research projects. We split up into our groups to formulate our guiding research questions. We are working hard on our projects in three main research categories: fire ecology, wolf biology, and amphibian-fungi interaction.

After a delicious dinner of Tikka Masala, we had our final Quest for Knowledge! Kaileen, David, and Felipe led a very spirited game of Yellowstone-themed Heads Up.

 

 

2023 Yellowstone Group B - Day 6

We groggily woke up at 5 and stumbled into the car. After driving for a bit we arrived to meet Jeremy, an expert wolf biologist who works for the National Park Service. While we waited for wolves to appear, we had a talk about wolves. We were told that rocky mountain wolves were down to the 700s in the entire United States by the 1930s, but they rose back up to 1000 and 1500 in Montana and Idaho respectively after being reintroduced. Their original goal was to get to 150 wolves in those states, so this was a happy surprise. One of the wolves in Yellowstone, named "1084," traveled all through Wyoming to Colorado, and found a mate. Now Colorado has its first set of pups in 150 years! We drove to two different spots in Lamar Valley to see the wolves. In the first spot, we saw 6 wolves moving quickly into the trees across Lamar River. We recognized this spot because it was quite close to the area where we observed the bison! The wolves seemed playful and we witnessed their complex social hierarchy. However, the group soon moved out of frame into the trees and we moved a mile down the road onto a hill. This time, we saw another group of 2 wolves napping in the sunny plain. The 6 from earlier met with the new group, and they began playing together, rolling around on the grass and wrestling with each other. Jeremy showed us a paintball gun from the trunk of his car that he uses to deter wolves from the roads. He also told us that 1/3 of the wolves in the park have GPS or radio collars.

 

As we were wolf-watching, we spotted a bison pooping. We wanted to collect a fecal sample, so we kept our eyes on the spot where the bison had pooped, and then approached the poop a safe distance away from the bison herd. We put on gloves and used little spoons to break the crust of the poop and scooped the creamy interior into small plastic bags. Of course, as a symbol of accomplishment, we high fived the slimy, slippery, steamy pile of fecal matter, making sure not to splash. After a successful fecal-five our fecal collectors then high-fived each other with their poopy gloves. We then collected another, smaller poop sample from an adult male pronghorn. We noticed the pronghorn appeared unhappy that we had taken its poop and it decided to replenish the pile. After our collection we showered our hands in sanitizer to cleanse the little pieces that slipped through.

We drove to another spot in the park and discussed the wolves’ complicated history in the park. However, our lesson was somewhat interrupted by a black bear sighting. The bear trotted around the woods, scratching itself on trees and munching on berries. We approached a shady spot with several rocks to sit on, and we discussed the viewpoints of various stakeholders in the Yellowstone wolf conversation. We paired up and were each assigned an organization or lobbying interest. We read articles pertaining to our organization and discussed the issue of wolves in the Western United States from the perspective of our assigned roles.

 

We drove to Norris Geyser Basin to explore. We learned that the varying colors of rock in the different geysers could be attributed to the different minerals that make up each geyser pool as well as the microbes that live in each geyser pool. Microbes are more spongy and wavy, whereas minerals are more rock-like. Three things affect the microbes living in the geyser pools: temperature, pH, and chemicals, and impact what can live within each pool. Seasonal changes impact the microbes as well. Each pool has three layers: the top layer of photosynthesizes (usually cyanobacteria), a middle layer of photo heterotrophs, and then a bottom layer of anaerobic bacteria that survive in extreme conditions. We spent some time walking around the geyser basin and exploring the different features before getting back in the car and driving back to camp, stopping along the way to drop our poop samples off with the National Park Service. It was super cool to see all of the different thermal formations with the colored rocks and steam!

 

We had mac and cheese for dinner and then played Taboo for our QFK, which was really fun!

 

2023 Yellowstone Group B - Day 5

 

After a delicious breakfast, we headed to B-Bar Ranch where we were greeted by Mark and his son Taylor. They are experienced Montana ranchers who talked to us about invasive species, specifically the knapweed plant. They taught us about how it spread from Eastern Europe to the United States on their ships. Within the U.S.A, it spread with the help of erosion, rain, wind, and animals.

Once we learned about the dangers that the knapweed plant has on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and Mark’s ranch such as harming many of the other plants near it by releasing phototoxins, it was time for us to start weeding them out.  Weeding was tough.  We used trowels and shovels, trying to dig out not just the knapweeds, but their taproots which can extend far beneath the surface of the soil.  We even had a competition to see who could dig out the longest taproot.

After a bit of rain and lunch we headed to the main lodge of the ranch. There we were greeted with some delicious cookies and lemonade. Mark began to talk to us about his experience as a rancher and the problems he faces. We then learned about the different ways that the various predators in the area attack his cattle. For example, wolves will often work as a pack to take down the cattle by slashing open their underside. We also learned about Mark’s perspective as a rancher on the harms that brucellosis can cause cattle and how it has affected other ranchers he knows. Mark’s personal perspective helped us form our own opinions on this complex issue as it not only involves bison but also elk, who can both spread brucellosis.

At the end of the day we took showers at an RV camp and had quinoa for dinner. After, we played a fast paced Yellowstone trivia game to end off the day.