Research Summary
Jackson Hole, Wyoming — A great collection of North American wildlife awaits you in a high valley bordered by majestic mountain ranges. Bison, wolves, and bears live here, along with an array of forest songbirds, waterfowls, raptors, and trumpeter swans. Sadly, studies have shown that the number of both resident and migratory songbirds has been declining for the past 30 years. To learn more about why the chickadees, sapsuckers, grosbeaks, thrushes, warblers, woodpeckers, and vireos are disappearing, Dr. Kevin Krasnow is mist-netting, colorbanding, and counting songbirds in several locations throughout Grand Teton National Park and Bridger-Teton National Forest, both parts of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. With your help, he hopes to better estimate songbird populations, understand how both migratory and resident songbirds use various habitats, and figure out what is causing the population declines.
Meet the Scientists
Dr. Kevin Krasnow
Dr. Kevin Krasnow is an educator and ecologist passionate about understanding how to live sustainably with the natural world. He has instructed Outward Bound courses in the Beartooth Mountains, taught high school biology and chemistry, and directed an outdoor leadership and science program in San Francisco public schools. He has conducted research in the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains focusing on aspen ecology and restoration, fire history/ecology, and fuels mapping and fire simulation. Kevin enjoys being outdoors and is looking forward to exploring the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem with Earthwatch volunteers.