Alpine Ecosystems Research Institute - AERI

05/08/2026

See PCEC and MFP at the Native Plant Sale this Saturday! Also, join AERI in a soil health workshop where we will also install a native plant bed! Participants will learn both macroscopic and microscopic methods to determine soil tilth! No need to attend the entire day, stop in for a while when you're ready! See the full event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/4271927946357410

Come see us at Montana Freshwater Partners Native Plant Sale this Saturday! Chat with us about enhancing pollinator habitat and become a Livingston Loves Bees sign holder.

PRESALE PICK-UP
9am-12pm • Park County Fairgrounds • 46 View Vista Dr. • Livingston, MT

DAY OF SALE
12:30-2pm • Park County Fairgrounds • 46 View Vista Dr. • Livingston, MT

05/07/2026

Starting at 10am, May 9th at the Yellowstone Gateway Museum in Livingston. Join us in a soil health workshop and help us install a native plant bed in the YGM lawn! Come for all or part of the event.

See the full event here:
https://www.facebook.com/share/17LNnwXCVW/

05/02/2026

We did it! Our main goal for our fundraiser was to double the number of individual donations during the 24-hour Give Big Gallatin Valley event. Our supporters answered our calls to action and made it happen! A HUGE thanks to each person who showed up to support more outdoor and lab opportunities for Montana's youth!

It was so much fun meeting with the curious community members at Give Big Fest on Thursday evening!

Also, it's not too late to make a donation!
https://www.givebiggv.org/organizations/alpine-ecosystems-research-institute

05/02/2026

It was so much fun engaging with all the curious folks who showed up to support the community! Thanks to Park County Environmental Council for coordinating this event! And CONGRATS to all the winners!

05/01/2026

We're one donor away! Even a $5 donation can help us reach our goal!

Our primary aim today was to double the number of donors who give on the day of Give Big from 2025 to 2026. We only need one more donor before 6pm!

See our campaign page here:
https://www.givebiggv.org/organizations/alpine-ecosystems-research-institute

By the way, can you name the flowers in the foreground of this photo? (Beartooth Mountains, MT)

05/01/2026

Help us get more kids outside! We host multiple public archaeology projects in which students and members of the public can participate in the data-collection process, promoting place-based learning and environmental literacy.

05/01/2026

Help us support our youth! Montana is a BIG state with BIG outdoor spaces. And we want to keep it that way! That is why we work so hard to support and teach our youth about the depth of time during which people occupied these beautiful landscapes, and how past peoples interacted with those spaces and past environments. Our youth are going to be the top advocates for our wide-open spaces, and there has never been a greater need to get them outside and interested in our beautiful world now!

How can we protect something that we've never learned about? The more we know about what came before, the more we can protect and continue to enjoy these spaces and the natural and cultural histories that are embedded in the landscape. Join us as Scott and Sari Dersam, AERI Directors and professional archaeologists and researchers, lead the charge in educating the public and our youth about these amazing landscapes.

Give today! This year, we aim to DOUBLE the number of donors who give on the day of Give Big. We're already only 6 donations away from achieving our goal! Even a $5 donation will help us reach our goal!

https://www.givebiggv.org/organizations/alpine-ecosystems-research-institute

04/30/2026

Today, we need your help more than ever! We remain committed to providing opportunities for students and the public, but this can only remain a reality with your support! Donate to our Give Big campaign today!

We provide low-cost programming where EVERYONE (ages 5 - 90) can participate in projects that promote environmental literacy and place-based learning. Our students and volunteers learn about the natural and cultural histories in the mountainous ecosystems within and around the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

The discoveries made by AERI Researchers (Scott and Sari) and our volunteers over the last few years have been described as "world-class." The high-elevation Clovis artifacts discovered through our work on the BEAAR Project could easily go to a large institution like the Smithsonian. Instead, we remain committed to keeping Montana history in Montana, where this collection can support our mission to research and educate our local communities about human-environment interactions in mountainous ecosystems—past, present, and future.

This year, we are proud to announce one PAID high school student intern. Our intern(s) will join AERI projects, gaining hands-on experience that translates across a multitude of outdoor sciences. AERI intern(s) will go through the entire process of data collection, curation, and building a museum exhibit at the Yellowstone Gateway Museum, gaining valuable field and lab experience across a variety of disciplines.

With your help, we can support more student opportunities, allowing them to gain experience right here in Montana. We hope that these students will follow in our footsteps to pursue career paths that bring them back to this amazing state, where they will be fully equipped to advocate for public lands and conservation practices that are grounded in historical wisdom and scientific backing.

Visit our Give Big campaign here:
https://www.givebiggv.org/organizations/alpine-ecosystems-research-institute

Even a $5 donation helps us gain visibility! (By the way, Give Big is 100% fee free this year, meaning 100% of donations go directly to supporting AERI's mission!)

04/24/2026

This April, we aim to double the number of donors who give during our Give Big Gallatin Valley campaign. Even a $5 donation will help us reach our goal! This year, we're prioritizing student learning in the field and the lab. Help us reach our goal of offering PAID student internships for all Montanans! Our youth represent the future of conservation!

AERI Give Big Fundraiser:
https://www.givebiggv.org/organizations/alpine-ecosystems-research-institute

AERI Internships and participation:
https://www.alpineresearch.org/participate

Also, take a second to check out Bozeman Field School, another great nonprofit focused on immersive youth education!

Bozeman Field School:
https://www.givebiggv.org/organizations/bozeman-field-school-398c87b5-00e6-445f-86a7-bc2aa941a70f

Our mission:

Alpine Ecosystems Research Institute (AERI) conducts multi-disciplinary research focused on clarifying the evolving relationships between humans, montane ecosystems, and their native species in order to educate the public on humanity's role in the past, present, and future of mountain conservation.

04/22/2026

On Earth Day, we wanted to share our plans to add a little diversity to the office lawn. In partnership with the Yellowstone Gateway Museum (YGM), AERI will put in a native plants bed!

Huge shoutout to Karl at YES Compost, who donated a load of microbe-rich compost to start a native plant bed at our shared office with YGM.