VALLEY CITY, N.D. (VCSU) – Valley City State University students taking Biology 376, also known as the Yellowstone Ecology Course, recently traveled to Yellowstone National Park with their professor, Dr. Michelle Abshire.
The group of 10 students and three faculty spent the week of Sept. 23-28 studying the ecology of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Students explored the park’s geothermal features and saw many animals including wolves, grizzly and black bear, bison, moose, and elk. Other topics included the reintroduction of wolves, trophic cascades, the impacts of climate change, and the volcanic history of the park and how it shaped what Yellowstone is today.
The trip to Yellowstone National Park is an annual part of the Biology 376 class. Students will be presenting in class about their personal experiences in Yellowstone later this month.
Trip participants included students Macy Brahos, Callen Kruger, Trista Weigelt, Kelby Gjovik, McCoy Mohl, Hannah Houle, Zach St. Aubin, Amber Kologi, Tyler Johnson and Chase Bladow, along with faculty members Dr. Michelle Abshire, Dr. Bob Anderson and Dr. Staci Dreyer-Larson.
