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Wildlife Trails of the American West

Human expansion and development have made ours a fragmented world, isolating wildlife species and threatening their survival. In 1987, conservation biologist Dr. Bill Newmark discovered that even U.S. national parks aren't large enough to sustain some mammal species. Wildlife corridors are a logical solution, but designing a corridor that animals will actually use requires understanding why and where an animal moves and how it uses available resources. The closest thing to actually getting inside an animal's head is examining wildlife trails, which provide a cumulative history of animal movement. That's precisely what Newmark and Dr. Eric Rickart are doing with… more

Wildlife Trails of the American West

Human expansion and development have made ours a fragmented world, isolating wildlife species and threatening their survival. In 1987, conservation biologist Dr. Bill Newmark discovered that even U.S. national parks aren't large enough to sustain some mammal species. Wildlife corridors are a logical solution, but designing a corridor that animals will actually use requires understanding why and where an animal… more

Trip at-a-glance

Price: From $1,749* per person
Lodging: all_inclusive
When: June, July, October
Number of days: 8
Group size: 14

This trip is offered by:

Earthwatch Institute

Call them at 800-776-0188 about this trip and mention you saw it at TravelDragon, or contact them.

Trip details

You can expect a whole new perspective on wildlife while exploring these rugged, mountainous landscapes. You will hike along routes used by deer, moose, elk, coyotes, mountain lions, bobcats, black bears, wolverines, and wolves. Along the way you'll census wildlife, identify and count tracks, map game trails and kill sites using global positioning system (GPS) units, and survey vegetation. To document predators, you'll prepare carnivore scent and track stations and monitor and download remote cameras. Volunteers need to be fit for hilly country, unpredictable weather, and steep, slippery paths. You will be hiking five or six hours a day along some of the trails that Lewis and Clark followed 200 years ago.

Your team will stay in rustic but comfortable accommodations at an established mountain lodge, in heated cabins divided by gender. Each cabin features hot showers, essential after a hard day of mapping muddy trails, as well as flush toilets and simple kitchen facililties. Teams will share cooking and cleanup duties, using fresh ingredients from the local store.

As an Eons member, you'll get a free, 1 year membership to Earthwatch — a $35 value — when you sign up on any expedition. And members pay $100 less on their expedition contribution — so you save $135! Just put code EONS2007 in the comment field on the signup form, or, if you call, tell the Expedition Coordinator that you found us on Eons.

Earthwatch expedition-related costs may be tax-deductible in the US as volunteer expenses. Please check with your tax adviser.

*TRAVEL INFORMATION DISCLAIMER: Travel product and pricing information are the travel provider’s base estimates, published here as a convenience to TravelDragon users without verification by TravelDragon. Your actual price will vary depending upon length of trip, travel dates, number of traveling guests, transportation (e.g. airfare, rail passes, etc.), and optional service features such as room categories or individualized food requirements. This base price estimate may or may not include all necessary fees, taxes, government-imposed surcharges. Be sure to confirm availability, total price and trip details with the travel provider using the contact information provided here.

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