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Students pull weeds at the Lamar Buffalo Ranch as part of Climate Class 2018

New Summer Field Course Focuses on Montana's Changing Climate

A new summer field course is allowing students to "take the pulse" of stakeholders across the state after the release of the 2017 Montana Climate Assessment last September. The three-week course, supported by the MSU Honors College, is led by Dr. Tony Hartshorn and Dr.

IoE Affiliate Publishes Breakthrough Research on Gut Microbes in Cattle

Carl Yeoman, an associate professor in the Department of Animal and Range Sciences at MSU and affiliate of the Institute on Ecosystems, has published new research in Scientific Reports, a publication of the science journal Nature.

IoE Undergraduate Student Summer Research Blogs

Have you ever wondered about the diversity and abundance of cavity-nesting bees and wasps in Bozeman? Been curious about the impact of sheep and goat grazing in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco? If you want to learn more about these topics and others, then check out the blog posts from our 2018 IoE undergraduate summer research students.

Lake Trout from Yellowstone National Park

New Research Demonstrates Effectiveness of LiDAR to Detect Invasive Fish in Yellowstone Lake

New research published in the journal Applied Optics describes the potential of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology to locate invasive lake trout.

MSU Ecologist Awarded Fulbright to Work on International Conservation Project in Colombia

Dr. Andrew Hansen, a professor in the MSU Department of Ecology and Fellow of the Montana Institute on Ecosystems, has been awarded the Fulbright-Universidad Nacional de Colombia Distinguished Chair in Biodiversity and Sustainable Development. As a Fulbright Scholar in the Distinguished Chairs Program, Hansen will work on a project to help countries meet conservation goals outlined in the Convention on Biological Diversity 2010.

IoE Fellow Cathy Whitlock Elected to U.S. National Academy of Sciences

Dr. Cathy Whitlock, IoE Fellow and lead author of the 2017 Montana Climate Assessment, was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences according to an announcement made on May 1st. Whitlock is the first scientist from a Montana institution to receive this honor, in which members are elected in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. From a press release published by MSU News:

"Our Shared Place" Summit Examines the Changing Landscape of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

In a recent summit hosted by the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, land managers, conservationists, researchers, and students came together to discuss the changing landscape of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE).

Blackfeet climate change adaptation plan cover

Blackfeet Nation Release Climate Change Adaptation Plan

The Blackfeet Nation recently released a Climate Change Adaptation Plan, the result of a planning process which began in 2016 and was led by Gerald Wagner of the Blackfeet Environmental Office and facilitated by the Center for Large Landscape Conservation. The plan addresses eight major sectors: agriculture, cultural resources and traditions, fish, forestry, human health, land and range, water, and wildlife.

Snowpack Levels Declining Across Western U.S.

A new study published in npj Climate and Atmospheric Science (a Nature publication) shows that snowpack levels across the western U.S. have declined over the last 100 years. The team of researchers analyzed data from snow monitoring sites across the West and found declines between 15 to 30 percent with the largest impacts occurring in the spring due to warming temperatures.

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