Three Missoula International School (MIS) students and their teacher, Ted Muhs, are preparing to participate in an 8 - day field science project in Baja California Sur, studying the marine life that has inspired the likes of John Steinbeck.
The Island Ecology Program, organized by Ecology Project International (www.ecologyproject.org)
Students depart April 11 and return to the U.S. April 18.
Most EPI participants are local Costa Ricans, Mexicans, and Ecuadorians, joined by others drawn from around the world to collaborate with their peers in cultural activities and science research. This cultural exchange is often the most powerful experience of the course, as local students discover and learn to cherish the biodiversity that exists in their backyard, and international participants see first-hand how they can impact people around the world.
Students are partnered with working scientists, and contribute to scientific projects focused on improving conservation, such as protecting and monitoring Leatherback sea turtles; restoring native habitat for the giant Galapagos tortoise; collecting data on whales and other marine mammals to create a conservation zone; and restoring migratory corridors for wildlife and surveying whitebark trees for blister rust and pine beetle infection. Teachers, both local to the field site and also visiting (accompanying their students), also learn experiential teaching methods, to enhance scientific learning and literacy in their classrooms.
The idea behind EPI was born when EPI co-founders Scott Pankratz and Julie Osborn were living in Costa Rica during the 1990s. They realized that despite the ample presence of international research teams and prolific scientific studies, many critical habitats and species continued to decline. The gulf between local people and the scientific community was extensive: eggs from the critically endangered Leatherback sea turtle were sold at local markets and piles of trash washed up on the beach. Most researchers they interacted with were foreigners, and few spoke any Spanish.
Scott had recently finished a graduate program in experiential education at the Teton Science School in Wyoming, and Julie had completed her Master’s in biology at Stanford University. They combined their knowledge of education and science in 1998 and launched the first EPI course in 2000, involving 61 local Costa Rica youth and their teachers. EPI will celebrate its 10th anniversary this year.
To date, more than 6,000 people have participated in EPI’s programs. EPI’s innovative approach to environmental education immerses youth in the outdoors, during which they apply science to real-world projects with scientists to aid conservation efforts. Inspired by the natural wonders of the world, and empowered by their experience that they can make a difference in the world, students become better equipped to make informed decisions about natural resources important to their community’s economic and environmental health.
