Yellowstone National Park invites the public to attend an open house from 3:00 - 5:00 pm on Tuesday, July 22 at the Whispering Pines Lodge in Silver Gate, Montana. The open house will provide an opportunity for the public to view projects and hear presentations by high school students which are being developed during the course of the park's premiere high school field camp-- Camp Wildness: Where the Yellowstone Legacy Continues.

The National Park Service, in partnership with the University of Idaho and the U.S. Forest Service, developed the camp's curriculum with funds from the Yellowstone Association and is piloting the camp with federal grant funds for Wildland Urban Interface (WUI)/Fire Education and Prevention projects. This WUI project is designed to increase public education and understanding for the importance of implementing hazardous fuels risk reduction activities on both Federal and private land.

Summer 2003 participants, high school students enrolled in the University of Idaho's Upward Bound Math and Science Program, arrived in Silver Gate on June 26. Researchers, fire management and education staffs, and university interns are engaging the students in an integrated study of fire ecology through scientific research projects, components of the U.S. Forest Service Firewise program, classroom experiments, field trips, and presentations. They are learning about adaptations of plants and animals to fire, fire management, and ways to increase the safety of people and property in areas at risk for wildfire.

Residents of the Silver Gate and Cooke City communities are conducting evening educational programs on a variety of topics. To express their appreciation to the Silver Gate and Cooke City communities, and to increase public understanding of the field camp, the students are assisting park staff with the planning and hosting of the July 22 open house.

To obtain further information concerning Camp Wildness contact Yellowstone's Education Program Manager, Janet Ambrose at: 307-344-2253.