Research opportunities range from birds to bears

Glacier National Park isn't the only place in Northwest Montana where volunteers are helping out with scientific research projects.

Several local and national organizations offer a variety of "citizen science" opportunities.

Cornell University's Lab of Ornithology, for example, has almost a dozen different programs, ranging from periodic bird-feeder counts that help researchers track avian distribution and abundance to investigations of the impact of habitat fragmentation on different species.

Detailed information about the programs and about how to participate is available on the lab's Web site at www.birds.cornell.edu/LabPrograms/CitSci

The EarthWatch Institute also has dozens of opportunities for people who want to combine vacation and research.

Participants pay a fee to help out on a project. The fee ranges from several hundred to a few thousand dollars, and the programs typically last for one to three weeks. Projects are available all around the world.

Visit www.earthwatch.org for a list of expeditions.

Kate Kendall, a research ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey's Northern Rockies Science Center in West Glacier, offered an EarthWatch program for three years as part of her study of grizzly bear populations in Glacier Park.

"It's the type of program that tends to attract people who have done a lot of traveling," Kendall said. "They're looking for a more in-depth experience, an opportunity to learn about a project and have different experiences than the average tourist here would have."

Participants had to make a two-week commitment. They were trained and paired with experienced people before being sent out into the field.

"We had them collecting bear hair and scat, or putting out hair snag stations," Kendall said. "Because they were paired with experienced people, they had an opportunity to ask lots of questions and learn about the study."

Half the fee paid by participants went to Kendall's study, so she benefited as well. She used it as the matching contribution for larger grants and was able to double or triple the value of their contribution.

"It was a really good deal," Kendall said.

Another local biologist who has worked with hundreds of volunteers over the years is Denver Holt, founder of the Owl Research Institute and Ninepipes Wildlife Research and Education Center in Charlo.

In 1986, Holt started what is now the longest-running study of long-eared owls ever undertaken. More than a thousand owls have been captured and banded since then, providing information on migration patterns, mating and communal roosting habits. He's also involved in a variety of other research studies.

Holt works with about 25 volunteers every year. Some are university students hoping for a career in wildlife biology; others are amateurs who just become fascinated with owls.

"They get immersed very quickly," he said. "They'll be helping to set up mist nets, carry gear and hold birds on day one. If they're really good, they'll be banding in a month and trapping birds on their own in two months - but only a few ever get to that level."

More information about Holt's work is available at www.owlinstitute.org

Despite the differences in their respective projects, Holt and Kendall both felt amateur scientists could make worthwhile contributions.

"If they have a high level of interest, they can be out there doing exactly what we do," Holt said. "I had one English major who became one of the world's experts on snowy owls. He went on to help out with whale studies and other projects. You wonder why he didn't become a scientist, but he said he just wanted to be out in the field."

Kendall cautioned that it might be difficult for someone working on their own to answer the type of questions being asked about different species today, simply because much of the basic research has already been done.

"I don't think that's necessarily bad news," she said. "It's just a measure of our increased scientific knowledge. The questions that remain are more difficult and require a larger effort to address - but I wouldn't say amateurs are shut out. There are still tons of opportunities for volunteers to contribute in meaningful ways."