Round River Conservation Studies

06/03/2026

Curious about our field research, academics or the wild places we work? Or maybe you want to hear about our new program location… 👀

Join us on June 11th at 4 pm ET (2pm MT/1pm PT) for an info session designed to introduce you to our programs and show you how you can build field skills and make a difference in conservation work abroad.

In this session, you’ll have a chance to hear more about:
- Our program locations and their research
- What it’s really like to live and work in the field
- The courses you’ll take & credits you’ll earn
- Financial aid opportunities and how to apply

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/VzhohL79Qvi7NCPoB7T4_Q

🗓️ Can’t make this particular session? Join us at one of our other upcoming info session dates: July 9, August 6, or September 3.

📸: Gabe Kayano

05/21/2026

A new field program is on the horizon. New landscapes. New conservation questions. New ways of learning in the field.

Let us know in the comments where you think we’re headed! Official announcement coming soon.

05/18/2026

Tsamayang sentle to our Botswana cohort!

Three months of wildlife monitoring, community-based research, and legendary sandal tans — all in a historic flood year. Hats off to this group for surviving and thriving through one of the wettest seasons the Okavango has seen in recent years. They wrapped up by presenting their findings to local partners, leaving an impact that will go well beyond this field season.

Thank you to the communities of Sankuyo, Mababe, and Khwai, the Okavango Research Institute, our incredible instructors, and our amazing students for making our work possible and meaningful.

05/07/2026

Join us in advancing our fieldwork initiatives and conservation education! We are seeking dedicated and passionate Instructor/Leaders to join our Mongolia or Botswana teams for the Fall 2026 semester.

This field-based role involves a dynamic mix of leading undergraduate academic programs, conducting conservation research, managing logistics and safety, and fostering community partnerships. The ideal candidate has a strong background in conservation science, field research, and teaching, along with excellent leadership and organizational skills. This is a live-on-site position that requires a high level of presence, responsiveness, and mentorship to undergraduate students in an immersive learning environment.

The deadline to apply is May 20th! For a full description of the roles and how to apply, head to roundriver.org/who-we-are/employment.

05/05/2026

We were thrilled to have Round River Patagonia students present to the science staff at CIEP! It was a fantastic opportunity for the program to share about their research and for the students to receive feedback on their projects.

05/01/2026

That’s a wrap on our semester in Patagonia! 🏔️

Here’s to the countless moments that made it so special: long days tracking woodpeckers in Jeinimeni, stunning views counting guanacos in Chacabuco, sunny mornings studying geology at the base of a glacier… not to mention the manjar on crackelets that powered it all.

Thank you to our students, instructors, and partners who made this semester a success!

📸: Thank you to student Brayden Stanger for the photos.

04/21/2026

We’re excited to share that Chris Smith, Round River Mongolia Program Instructor, was recently honored by our Mongolian partners, the Ulaan Taiga Special Protected Areas Administration (UTSPAA), as the American Teacher of the Darhad Valley. In recognition of his contributions, a profile of Chris was shared through the UTSPAA’s Facebook account as well as in the newspaper, Echo of the Taiga, distributed throughout the Darhad Valley.

Chris has served as an instructor with Round River for eight years and in collaboration with Mongolia Program Director, Badmaa Dovchin, he has helped shape the program’s research and objectives while creating deeply meaningful learning opportunities for students. Chris is a beloved member of the Round River Mongolia team and we’re delighted to see him recognized in the Darhad Valley for his contributions to teaching and conservation.

Read the full translated profile recognizing Chris: https://roundriver.org/mongolia-chris-bob-smith-named-american-teacher-of-the-darhad-valley/

04/14/2026

The Botswana group’s had a busy past few weeks exploring Mababe and Makgadikgadi Pans!

In Makgadikgadi, students enjoyed their mid-semester break, taking time off of classes and research to enjoy the unique landscape of one of the largest salt flats in the world. Traveling to Mababe, they dove back into research and transects, discovering the grasslands and pans of the area.

Throughout, they also had the chance to dive into cultural activities, including a class on basket weaving and a ride through the Okavango in mokoros, a dugout canoe used for navigating the delta’s shallow waterways.

For the final weeks of the semester, they’ll be in Khwai completing final research transects and preparing their projects to present to our partners!

03/26/2026

Woodpecker tracking through the lens of Patagonia program student Brayden Stanger 📸✨

On a recent trip to Patagonia National Park, Jeinimeni Sector, students spent four days tracking two families of Carpinteros (Magellanic Woodpeckers), the largest woodpecker species in South America.

Every morning, tracking groups were ready at 6:30 am, waiting for the distinctive call of this year’s fledglings. The woodpecker families led students through their home in the vast, dense, and often difficult to traverse lenga forests (Nothofagus pumilio). Throughout the lenga forests, there were many trees in decay, a favorite foraging site for the woodpeckers.

While tracking, the group also witnessed a few conflicts between the woodpeckers and other species defending their territories. Each night around 9:30 pm, the woodpeckers returned to their nesting cavity, reminding the Austral Pygmy Owls who had slept peacefully inside all day who the cavity really belonged to.

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Rastreando carpinteros a través del lente de Brayden, estudiante del programa de la Patagonia.

¡De vuelta del Parque Nacional Patagonia — sector Jeinimeni!

Cuatro días rastreando dos familias de carpinteros negros el mas grande de sud américa.
Cada mañana a las 6:30 ya estábamos listos, esperando el llamado de la cría del año.

Nos guiaron por su hogar en los bosques de lenga (Nothofagus pumilio): bosques amplios, densos y difíciles de transitar. Muchos árboles en descomposición, sus lugares favoritos para alimentarse.

También presenciamos algunos conflictos: otras familias y especies defendiendo su territorio. Cada noche, cerca de las 21:30, regresaban a su cavidad para dormir, no sin antes recordarle al chuncho de quién es realmente el nido, el mismo donde él había pasado el día durmiendo tranquilamente.

03/24/2026

Congratulations to Kaggie Orrick on being named a 2026 National Geographic Explorer and Grantee in her role as Director of the California Wolf Project!

Dr. Orrick was an alum of the Round River Namibia '08 program and returned to lead the Botswana program from 2015-2018. She now serves on Round River's Board of Trustees, lending her expertise in human-wildlife interactions and community-focused conservation.

We're thrilled for Kaggie on such a remarkable achievement and we're excited to see what she accomplishes as a National Geographic Explorer.

Congratulations to California Wolf Project director, Kaggie Orrick, on becoming a 2026 National Geographic Explorer and Grantee!

As part of National Geographic’s newly-launched American Keystones Initiative, Kaggie’s research will merge social and ecological data to foster coexistence between rural communities and the returning wolf populations in Northern California. In both her past work in Southern Africa and now in California, Kaggie collaborates closely with local researchers, pastoralists, ranchers and wildlife managers to ensure conservation science reflects local knowledge and informs practical, community-relevant solutions. She is inspired by shared landscapes where people and wildlife must coexist and is motivated by a commitment to producing conservation science that is both ecologically sound and socially durable.

The National Geographic American Keystones Initiative reflects on 250 years as a nation with a yearlong effort to protect America’s iconic species and landscapes through 20 new conservation grants across the United States​​​​.‌‍ To learn more visit https://news.nationalgeographic.org/american-keystones-initiative/