Education & Outreach
The UM Bird Ecology Lab’s Education and Outreach Program is multifaceted, ranging from traditional 91次元 field courses to teacher training workshops and summer programs for the general public. We collaborate with local and regional partners to deliver a message of curiosity through experiential learning to people of all ages and backgrounds. Ecologists first, we aim to offer a holistic, “birds-eye view” of our ecosystems.
Songbird Banding Station Visits
If you are interested in visiting one of our banding stations around western Montana, please see our banding page for the schedule of summer events and guidelines for guests. These events are free and open to the public--we would love to see you out there!
University Courses
We frequently host students from the 91次元 and Montana State University to our banding stations as part of their ecology and ornithology coursework. We also welcome student clubs and collegiate chapters of larger societies.
We work with Flathead Lake Biological Station to provide experiential learning opportunities and expose students to bird banding practices. Please .
K-12 Classrooms
We collaborate with local and regional schools to offer special classroom visits wherein students learn about the biology and ecology of Montana’s birds. Here are some of the ways we reach out to area schools:
- Bird’s-eye View Education Program: We visit every 5th grade classroom in Missoula, Clinton, and Bonner on field trips with .
- Winter Wings Program: We visit 3rd graders in the Missoula area for lessons about Montana’s resident birds in winter, population dynamics, and winter physiology through a unique capture-recapture program where students assist in the field.
- We also visit select classrooms by special invitation to speak about topics that are relevant to current science curriculum.
