Gregg Treinish and Deia Schlosberg are embarking on an expedition to understand wildlife connectivity and the relationships between people and nature in the Northern Rockies of the United States. Open migration and dispersal routes are essential for the survival of grizzly bears, wolverines, wolves, moose, mountain lion, lynx, and so many other species that need the ability to wander. With increasing human development, wildlife habitat in this area is becoming extremely fragmented, and populations are at a much greater risk of extinction.

Beginning in July of 2010, they will trek ~450 miles by foot over two months to gain a point of view of the wildlife and the locals along the way, gathering data and knowledge of conditions and threats to the animals to help ensure the unimpeded movement between Yellowstone National Park and the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness area.

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DISPATCH 9: 8/8/10

Connecting the Gems is complete! Gregg and Deia have completed their epic 500 mile trek, finishing in almost one month exactly! The pair have exited the Frank Church Wilderness, just in time for the Harmonica Festival in Yellow Pine. Now if they can only get a ride into town…

Watch as they take their final steps of this awesome adventure: MVI_3121-desktop, MVI_3336-desktop, MVI_3581-desktop

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DISPATCH 8: 8/2/10

The Frank Church Wilderness – a.k.a. the Frank Church River of No Return – is within sight! But the Harmonica Festival in Yellow Pine, ID still seems awfully far off. Check in with Gregg and Deia as they narrow in on the home stretch!

Check out some footage from this update:MVI_2907-desktop, MVI_2994-desktop

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DISPATCH 7: 7/28/10

The Continental Divide Trail comes as a relief to Gregg and Deia, who can bask in easy navigating and company on the trail. Up next, though, is the Lenheigh Range, which remains a much bigger mystery.

Audio Update July 28

Check out some footage from this update: MVI_2213, MVI_2339

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DISPATCH 6: 7/21/10

No pings? No worries – the team is sitting safely on top of the Snow Crest Range.  The team is still in hot “pursuit” of bears as they continue west a head of schedule.

Audio Update July 21

Check out some footage from this update: MVI_2138, MVI_2146

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DISPATCH 5: 7/20/10

A good cure for two 20+ days? How about sitting on top of the Gravelly mountains surrounded by endless flowers and spectacular views. Gregg describes the scene as he gives us an update on the team’s status.

Audio Update July 20

Check out some footage from this update: MVI_1407, MVI_1980

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DISPATCH 4: 7/16/10

Leaving the Gallatin Mountains behind, Gregg and Deia have now entered Lee Metcalf Wilderness. And, of course, there is no greater welcome than a rough bushwack in pursuit of a new trail! Deia provides an update.

Audio Update July 16

Check out some footage from this update: MVI_1281, MVI_1816

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DISPATCH 3: 7/14/10

The Duo has arrived in at their camp on the Big Horn Creek Trail, with the Gallatin Range up coming over the next couple of days.  Spirits are looking up as coyotes and wolves howl in the distance!

Audio Update July 14

Check out some footage from this update: MVI_1286, MVI_1309

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DISPATCH 2: 7/10/10

Heinous hiking.  Late nights.  Lost trails. Swarming mosquitoes. At least it is beautiful!  Gregg gives us the first audio update from the trip.

Audio Update July 10

Check out some footage from this update: MVI_1434-desktop, MVI_1361-desktop

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DISPATCH 1: 7/7/10 from Deia

This afternoon we take off for the trail.  It’s been hard to pull ourselves away from our wonderful friends in Bozeman, but we keep having to remind ourselves that it’s only six weeks this time.  The last time we were preparing for a big hike, we were guessing a year but really leaving for two.  I keep flashing back to those feelings and getting overwhelmed, but when I remember that this one is different, I find myself getting excited about it–excited to be doing a project wherein the walking has a specific purpose beyond my own learning and experience.  I’m hopeful that by doing this we can provide data that will lead to a much more complete picture of animal movement patterns and problems between Yellowstone and the Frank Church, and hopefully some solutions will emerge out of that.

We’ve spent the last five days finalizing logistics, packing, putting together resupply boxes and making sure our ducks are lined up.  The idea of having people come meet us on our route with resupplies is amazing–the whole project will be streamlined, and we’ll be able to focus on the hike and the film much more.  I’m fairly floored that so many people have volunteered their time to help us with the project–the support has been incredible and we are totally thankful.

The route itself should be gorgeous.  We’re really excited to get to know our own part of the country in way more depth.  Even after hiking just the whole Bridger ridge last summer, I feel much more connected to those mountains every time I look at them or spend time in them.  Like I know them more and have an understanding of them–the animals that reside there, the geologic history and the water that trickles down from their snow melt each spring.  So to have a similar KNOWING of the entire transect across the whole Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and into the Frank Church is a very special prospect.  I’m hopeful that our documentation will do it justice and remind people that these areas are worthy of our awareness and that extra step toward understanding.  After all, we cannot appreciate that which we cannot understand.

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Check back to this post to follow Gregg and Deia’s progress on VertiCulture.  More details can be found here and on their site at www.connectingthegems.org.

This video of Wildlife Corridor of the Month: Centennial/Beaverhead was produced by Danny Schmidt.

The Northern Rockies of the United States are one of the most important and intact ecosystems found today in the world’s temperate zone. The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness in central Idaho are large, important landscapes that still fit the descriptions of Lewis and Clark, who came through the area more than 200 years ago. Rich wildlife populations and vast areas of untouched wilderness still reign here. Unfortunately, these areas are increasingly at risk of becoming isolated islands of disjunct habitat.

When populations of animals exist in isolation, they are left without the ability to maintain genetic diversity. Gene flow across populations is crucial if animals are going to survive in the face of a changing climate and a rapidly expanding human population. It is essential to the survival of grizzly bears, wolverines, wolves, moose, mountain lion, lynx, and so many other species that need the ability to wander, that clear and safe migration and dispersal routes remain permeable long into the future. It is believed that the best chance for the preservation of a viable carnivore community in North America is in this area, and indeed it may be the last place in the lower 48 states where this is possible. With increasing human development, wildlife habitat in this area is becoming extremely fragmented, and the populations it sustains are therefore at a much greater risk of extinction.

Connecting the Gems

During the summer of 2010, we will team up with the Greater Yellowstone Coalition (GYC), the Craighead Environmental Research Institute (CERI), and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), to help ensure the unimpeded movement between Yellowstone National Park and the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness area. By traveling through the region on foot, from the point of view of the wildlife, we hope to gain a unique understanding of the conditions and threats to key habitats, presence of various species, current management practices, and perspectives of the local people. We will be collecting data about the choices that moving animals are forced to make and the hazards they face, while we trek through some of the most remote and rugged mountains in the lower 48 states. By documenting specific instances of fragmentation, GYC, CERI, WCS, and other agencies working to promote and protect these areas, will have the information they need to ensure that future generations have the ability to experience these charismatic megafauna, which we are lucky enough to share our wild spaces with today. We expect that the trek will be about 450 miles in length and take about two months to complete. We will be following the most likely routes that wolverines and grizzly bears would take through the area, and are bound to encounter several wildlife species along the way. You can follow our progress here on VertiCulture as well as at www.connectingthegems.org