Biodiversity Institute

06/10/2026

From Wyoming to Borneo! 🌏

BI Director Brent Ewers just got back from Borneo, where he led a 14-day field course focused on tropical ecology, conservation, and international collaboration. UW students and local students gained hands-on experience in one of the world's most biodiverse regions while exploring the challenges and opportunities of conservation in tropical forests.

Experiences like these connect students and researchers with ecosystems far beyond Wyoming while building the skills and relationships needed to address biodiversity challenges worldwide.

The course was recently featured in The Borneo Post, highlighting the importance of collaborative learning and global partnerships in conservation science. For those who don't want to zoom in on the text, you can read the full article here: https://wyomingbiodiversity.org/index.php/blogs/borneo-post-dgfc-highlights-conservation-through-collaboration

06/09/2026

Summer Moose Day registration is NOW OPEN! 🫎☀

Summer Moose Day is more than an adventure. It's a chance to be a community scientist! Join us on July 18 or 19 in Happy Jack or Snowy Range areas to track moose and gather valuable data for biodiversity research. We have over 40 routes with varying difficulty levels to choose from. Your efforts contribute to ongoing studies on moose populations and improving our knowledge of behaviors and habitats. First-time participants are asked to watch our online training video to become a moose expert and learn about moose tracks, s**t, biology, and more. ☀🫎

Routes and registration are available at our website: bit.ly/SummerMooseDay

06/09/2026

06/09/2026

🐦🍓 Meet 2026 BI Graduate Student Enhancement Grant recipient Zach Holmes!

Zach is studying whether fruit-eating birds in Hawaiʻi listen to one another's calls (or eavesdrop) to locate food more efficiently. By understanding how birds find fruit, researchers can better understand seed dispersal, one of the most important processes for maintaining healthy forests and biodiversity. His work could reveal how communication between birds helps shape entire ecosystems.

"The Biodiversity Institute funds will allow me to purchase the necessary equipment to understand what types of information is available for these birds, and how that information is used to increase frugivory and subsequent seed dispersal. This can have long-lasting impacts on our understanding of the causal drivers of successful frugivory events. Given that many native fruiting plants depend on successful dispersal events to avoid density-dependent mortality and increase gene flow across the landscape, understanding the drivers of successful frugivory is important for management plans to save the species that are still present in this endangered system."

Read more about Zach's research and other recipients' at our website: https://bit.ly/WyoBioGrants2024

06/08/2026

Join us for Wyoming BioBlitz 2026, June 26-28. 🐦⛺

Spend the weekend camping and discovering the incredible biodiversity of Bridger-Teton National Forest, where the sagebrush steppe meets forests, rivers, and wetlands. Work alongside experts to document birds, mammals, pollinators, fungi, wildflowers, and more. 🌼🔎

Whether you’re an experienced naturalist or simply curious about the outdoors, Wyoming BioBlitz is a chance to connect with nature, contribute to community science, and meet fellow conservation enthusiasts while exploring one of Wyoming’s most beautiful places.

Registration with meals also includes a catered breakfast and dinner by Pitchfork Fondue. For teachers participating in the event, we offer two Professional Standards Teaching Board credits. 🙌

📅 June 26-28
📍 Bridger-Teton National Forest
⛺ Near Big Piney, Wyoming
💲 $25 Base Registration, $50 with Meals

Learn more and register at the link below: https://bit.ly/BioBlitz26
With Audubon Rockies, Wyoming State Parks, and more.

Take part in Wyoming's annual community science weekend extravaganza, June 26-28!

06/08/2026

BI Director, Dr. Brent Ewers, has led a field course in Borneo for the last three summers. Here's just a small part of what they study through local collaboration!
Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources
University of Wyoming

06/06/2026

The following Bat Walks have a few spots left! Sign up now for a bat-astic time, and before it’s too late 🦇

📍 June 15 – Pinedale, WY
📍 June 18 – Cody, WY
📍 June 28 – Lander, WY
📍 July 21 – Sheridan, WY
📍 August 14 – Casper, WY

All ages are welcome. Registration is required, and donations are always appreciated to help us continue offering free public programs across Wyoming.
Sign up here: https://bit.ly/SummerBatWalk

06/04/2026

Meet 2026 BI Graduate Student Enhancement Grant recipient Emily Davis! 🐺🦊

Wolves, coyotes, and foxes all share the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Have you ever wondered how they coexist?

Emily is using GPS collars, camera traps, DNA analysis, and habitat data to understand how these carnivores divide resources, avoid competition, and survive in landscapes shared with people. Her work highlights the important role of often-overlooked species like coyotes and red foxes while helping scientists better understand predator communities in the modern West.

“This funding directly supports DNA metabarcoding and remote camera analyses that are essential for linking spatial and dietary partitioning across the canid guild of the GYE. By enabling this work, the funding helps reveal the mechanisms that sustain multi-species carnivore assemblages in a system shaped by ecological interactions and persistent human presence, while also elevating the “underdogs” of the system—coyotes and red foxes—often overlooked yet critical to maintaining ecosystem structure, stability, and biodiversity alongside wolves.”

🦊 Learn more about Emily's work and other grant recipients at our website: https://bit.ly/WyoBioGrants

06/01/2026

Meet 2026 BI Graduate Student Enhancement Grant recipient Beatrice Bugos! What can fossil forests teach us about the future of climate change? 🌍

Beatrice is studying tropical dry forests in Costa Rica and comparing them to fossil forests from Wyoming that existed more than 50 million years ago during a period of extreme global warmth. By examining tiny pores on leaves called stomata, she can determine how forests recovered after disturbances and how plants responded to changing conditions. Her research may help scientists better understand how forests could respond to future warming and extreme weather events.

"With the support of the BI Research Enhancement Grant, I have the funds to visit an international collaborator to advance my method development. These methods are novel to the paleobotany community and will provide valuable framework for conducting modern to fossil proxy work in the future. The resulting data will contribute to our understanding of the biodiversity of tropical dry forests and early Eocene Wyoming fossil forests."

🌿 Read more about Beatrice and other BI Grant recipients on our website: https://bit.ly/WyoBioGrants

05/27/2026

Two events. One fun-filled day. 🐝🎨

Join us on June 20 for a FREE double-header event celebrating pollinators, creativity, science, and summer!

🐝 Bee Jubilee | 10 AM–Noon
📍 UW Berry Center
Enjoy bee yoga on the deck, catch-and-observe pollinators in the Berry Prairie Garden, indoor science booths, and bug-themed crafts for all ages.

🎨 Summer Solstice | 11 AM–2 PM
📍 UW Art Museum
Create cyanotypes and butterfly crafts, try screen printing, and experience the Shining of the Coin at Noon.

These events are family-friendly, hands-on, and open to the public!

✨ Bee Yoga has limited spots available, so sign up in advance here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe9_jD1IsUS6OjmnHRS2lyM5WiNThrAtsoaQS0AP2SYAlSWBQ/viewform