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What course credits can be earned?

• Goal 13 – “Writing for Citizenship” goal, usually met through ENGL 400
• Goal 6 (GNED 261), BIOL/ENSC 295, HONS 495

How does that work?

1. Pre-departure meeting (before spring final exams)
2. On-campus work in the week after final exams
3. Eight-night field excursion in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE)
4. Continued work on course requirements in an online format during Summer Session I

 For this 2016 version of LU@YNP, the following faculty and staff members are participating:  Dr. Carl Riden, Dr. Edward Kinman, Dr. Alix Fink, Ms. Jennifer Cox, Mr. Josh Blakely, Dr. Phillip Poplin, Dr. JoEllen Pederson, and Ms. Jessi Znosko.  Other faculty may join the group to help with driving responsibilities.

What are the travel days like?

As you can see in the tentative schedule below, we move around a lot.  Our days in the GYE are very busy and very intense.  Everyone needs to be “on” for many hours each day.  We get up very early and leave the motel before dawn in search of wolves, bears, and other excitement.  We work until at least dinner time, and we often meet as a group after dinner to talk about the day’s work and to look ahead to the next day’s adventure.

We work with local experts while we are in the GYE, including two very well respected (and incredibly friendly and helpful) wildlife guides in Gardiner, MT.  Each has a graduate degree in wildlife ecology, and each has worked with wolves in Yellowstone for many years.  Additionally, we meet with local ranchers, a local artist, and other key stakeholders to gain understanding of how the management issues in the GYE affect the lives of the people who live in the landscape.

While we are out in the field, cell phone service is intermittent at best, and we discourage use of cell phones while we are exploring the GYE.  However, each overnight location affords both good cell service and reasonable wireless Internet access.

 What are the dollars and cents of it?

 The trip costs are approximately $500-550 per person. That may be paid in multiple parts.  That includes your local travel (by minivan), transfer to and from the airport, all lodging, almost all meals, use of classroom space, visits to local museums, guest speakers and guides, etc.

1. Deposits are made to Cashiering using a special deposit slip that can be picked up from any member of the faculty team. It is very, very important that you keep your copy of your receipt in a safe place so that any accounting errors can be corrected (and it does happen, unfortunately).
2. You also must buy a plane ticket. That’s not included in the fee cited above.  Ideally everyone would travel from their home airport to Jackson, WY, arriving on Sunday, 15 May, and returning home on Monday, 23 May.  Those tickets usually run about $450-550, but in past years they have been both higher and lower than that range.
3. Longwood will bill for the tuition credits separately. Tuition and fees for Summer 2015 can be found on the Cashiering and Student Accounts website (http://www.longwood.edu/studentaccounts/56283.htm; the 2016 rate isn’t available yet).  It is useful to compare the costs for completing a course on campus during the semester and in the less expensive off-campus mode during the summer.  Compared to rates for the current academic year, the summer course is $315 less in tuition and fees (VA in-state rate).
4. We will stay in clean, tidy motels with 4 people in a room with 2 queen beds. If you prefer not to share a bed, you may always pack a sleeping bag and use the floor instead.
5. Except during your airport adventures to and from the GYE, all breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and morning coffee will be provided.
6. You will need pocket money for most dinners [which can be purchased for little cost (~$10-15) in Gardiner], impulse snacks, hot drinks, souvenirs, etc.

What is next then?

A brief application is available through our blog site (http://blogs.longwood.edu/yellowstone/).  Please do not buy plane tickets until you have been “accepted” to participate in the program.   Just after Spring Break, we will announce the dates of a mandatory pre-departure meeting.  This meeting will serve to help you prepare for the travel as well as provide key course content.

Do you have more questions?  Please see any member of the faculty team to talk about the particulars of the LU@YNP experience.  You may also email Yellowstone@longwood.edu with any questions.

Click here to apply!

Contact the team via email at yellowstone@longwood.edu

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