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Wild Wetlands! Moose wading in water.

Wild Wetlands! 

Spend 3 days playing in the mud while you learn about the natural history of wetlands.  In this Experience Montana field course taught by Andrea Stephens of Northwest Connections, you will learn to see life and beauty beneath the surface of a landscape you may not have explored before. 

Frog peeking out of the water.

The course fee includes lodging, meals, transportation to the various wetland sites, and canoe rental.

Planned Class Schedule: July 26-28, 2013

Participants should arrive Friday morning. The course begins at 9:30am with a Northwest Connections facility orientation, followed by a visit to Elk Creek, lunch in the field, and a walking lecture. Saturday and Sunday mornings will be spent in short lectures, viewing slides and learning about the significance of wild wetlands and the creatures that inhabit them.

Afternoons will be spent outdoors on rivers, ponds and lakes, exploring pristine waterways in hip waders and canoes, and hiking streamside trails.  Participants can expect to encounter a wide variety of living organisms that depend upon the wetlands.  There will be ample opportunities to hike, wade, canoe, swim, and take photos of landscapes and wildlife. The course ends Sunday at 4pm.

Learn how amazing, beautiful, and overlooked the wild wetlands are!
Participants will also learn:
  • Identification of wetland types and their ecological values
  • The importance of beaver to the environment
  • Sight identification of wetland bird species
  • Wildlife track identification
  • Identification of key plant species

Activity Level

This course is rated as Moderate, suitable for people who exercise regularly.  Participants will walk through streams and wetlands in waders, canoe for 1½ – 2 hours on easy, flat water (Class 1), walk on level ground for perhaps 2 miles, and generally, enjoy being outdoors for a good portion of each day.

Please review the full required & suggested Equipment List. Participants are responsible for bringing their own gear. Both The Trailhead and REI in Missoula rent equipment you may need for this course. 

Accommodations:

Dragonfly resting on sand.

Lodging is in Condon, Montana at the turn-of-the-century Beck Homestead, an 80-acre property complete with barn, bath house, and cook house. The original hand-hewn log animal barn has been painstakingly restored as a classroom, dorm, and office building. Dorm rooms occupy the second story, and each room is equipped with four hand-built bunk beds, a closet, and a desk.

A map and directions can be viewed and printed HERE.

Registration:

Registration is now OPEN.. The deadline for registration is July 12, 2013.  This course requires a minimum of 10 participants.  If minimum enrollment is not met, the course will be cancelled and registration fees will be refunded.

This personal enrichment course is not offered for university credit.  Formal admission to The University of Montana is not required, and all participants pay the same course fee, regardless of state residency.

Experience Montana logo

Wild Wetlands!

Swan Valley

Course Dates
Friday, Saturday, & Sunday
July 26-28, 2013

Registration
Registration is now OPEN.
Enrollment is limited to 12 participants.

Cost
$410

For more information or to reserve a seat, contact:
Candi Merrill
Candi.Merrill@mso.umt.edu
406.243.6431 

Redwing Blackbird perched on a reed.



  • School of Extended & Lifelong Learning
  • The University of Montana
  • 32 Campus Drive
  • Missoula, MT  59812
  • Phone: (406) 243-2900
  • Fax: (406) 243-2047
  • Email: sell@umontana.edu