Travel Field-study in Montana, Wyoming(GC 495, PS 495, & SP 495)
Summer Session II, June 30 – August 9, 2008
This field-based course will use land use controversies in Yellowstone national Park to apply principles of conflict assessment, adaptive management planning, collaborative learning, and public participation as alternatives to traditional practices. The course is designed to combine on-line instruction with the opportunity to travel out West to interact with National Park Service personnel, environmental organizations, and private citizens. Students may elect to only participate in the 2 credit, web-based portion of the course (495a) or obtain an additional 2 credits (495b) for also being in the field July 21-29.
Anticipated Field-Based Cost per Student: $1250
Non-refundable deposit due March 31: $625
Students attending the field-based course receive housing at Mammoth Hot Springs (WY) and in Bozeman (MT), transportation while in the field, instruction by local experts and citizens, and most meals for 8 days. Each student will be responsible for financing (a) their own transportation to and from the field location, (b) meals not included in the course fee, (c) NMU tuition and course readings, and (d) personal expenses for scheduled free-time activities (e.g., rafting, horseback riding, etc.). Space is limited and attendees must provide a 50% non-refundable deposit of the field-based costs upon registering for 495b.
Phase 1 (June 30 to July 20, 2008)
On-line
Students receive a packet of readings for the course and participate in a series of on-line discussions focusing on linkages between the separate readings. They will also identify and begin researching a local controversy of their own choosing, and complete a comprehensive examination covering the readings for the course.
Phase 2 (July 21 to July 29)
Travel
7/21 Students arrive at the Mammoth Hot Springs hotel complex in Yellowstone National Park (WY). Cabin assignments and an orientation session will take place in the evening.
7/22 Students participate in a classroom-based review of readings already completed. The afternoon includes a light-walking tour of the Blacktail Plateau. A presentation on the natural history of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem will take place in the evening.
7/23 Students participate in discussions with National Park Service resource specialists regarding bison management, both in the classroom and at a site in the Lamar Valley. The afternoon includes a visit to Cooke City (MT) and a discussion with representatives of the Beartooth Alliance. A presentation on the social history of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem will occur that evening in Silvergate (MT).
7/24 Students are introduced to exercises designed to apply conflict assessment, adaptive management planning, collaborative learning options, and effective public participation processes to bison management in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. That afternoon, they participate in discussions with National Park Service resource specialists regarding snowmobile conflicts. The evening is open.
7/25 Students travel to West Yellowstone to visit with snowmobiling entrepreneurs and activists aligned with the Buffalo Field Campaign. The afternoon includes a visit to Norris Geyser Basin. The evening includes a presentation on the bears and wolves of Yellowstone National Park.
7/26 Students will have the option of (a) spending the day in the Old Faithful area sightseeing, hiking, or fishing, (b) white-water rafting on the Yellowstone River, or (c) fishing and horseback riding in the Slough Creek watershed. The evening is open.
7/27 Students participate in a second series of facilitated exercises dealing with snowmobile management in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The afternoon includes a visit to Dunraven Pass and a short hike to the top of Mt. Washburn. The evening is open.
7/28 Students travel to Bozeman (MT) for a presentation by the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. In the evening, they will collaborate on fleshing-out their home-based civic engagement projects and reflect upon their experiences over the previous seven days.
7/29 Students return to the Midwest.
Phase 3 – (July 30 to August 9)
On-line
Students will use principles of conflict assessment, adaptive management planning, collaborative learning options, and effective public participation processes to analyze a home-based conflict and chart out a program that they could initiate to better manage the controversy for the good of the larger community.
For More Information: Conflict, Collaboration, & Voice [pdf]
or contact:
Dr. Jim Cantrill, Communication & Performance Studies,
(906) 227-2061, jcantril@nmu.edu.
