Wrangell Mountains Field Studies

• Wrangell Mountains Field Studies is an interdisciplinary field research program in subarctic landscapes, featuring high mountains, alpine tundra, boreal forest, and extensive glaciation

• Based in McCarthy, Alaska, a remote community in the middle of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve

• Course dates: June 22 - August 10, 2025 (7 weeks long)

• Awards 6 semester units of upper-division Earth/Climate Sciences field research credit from the University of Maine

The Field Studies Curriculum explores subarctic ecological and geophysical processes, glaciology, system modeling, and land use/natural resource management.  Local narratives and stories are an important part of the course, adding to our annual compilation of selected academic readings. Climate change impacts to local landscapes and social-ecological systems, as well as regional climate adaptation, are unifying themes.

In McCarthy, students learn alongside core and visiting instructors from across the region, and take part in community events and workshops.  In the backcountry we use natural history field journaling and sketching techniques to notice landscape processes from momentary to geologic timescales.  We travel across glaciers and through boreal forest into high mountain tundra, taking routes through remote terrain to reach sites selected for student projects.  Academic readings and seminars provide context for fieldwork.

The location is well-suited for learning about dynamic changes and far-from-equilibrium conditions.  The lands within Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve are heavily glaciated; glaciers connect the high mountains and their eroded material to the Copper River watershed and North Pacific, forming landscapes in constant states of change following glacial advance or retreat.

WMFS is hosted by the Wrangell Mountains Center in the tiny town of McCarthy, Alaska, as a collaborative learning community and field research program comprised of our students, Faculty, staff, and community partners in the Copper River Basin.

Students learn backcountry skills necessary for local terrain and conditions. Previous experience is helpful but not required. Most joining WMFS are upper-division undergraduates and the course is structured accordingly, but graduate students and students unaffiliated with a university are also welcome.  We work with graduate students and researchers to accommodate their research goals in the program. WMFS is generally rigorous enough to meet departmental field research and/or capstone project requirements in addition to general credit requirements – we can provide supplemental credit transfer information to students and/or their home institutions if needed.

Students interested in climate-related field research will be interested in both Wrangell Mountains Field Studies and the Juneau Icefield Research Program (JIRP). We encourage students interested in high-latitude systems and climate science to consider participation in both programs over two summer seasons, as the experiences are complementary. The WMFS field season focuses on links between alpine tundra, boreal forest, and glacier systems of the Wrangell Mountains; the JIRP field season focuses closely on the ice, climate, and geomorphology processes of the Juneau Icefield. For the motivated student, these two curricula could fit together to present a comprehensive study of varying glacial systems, and the climatic, ecological, geological, and social processes that comprise them. Staff at WMFS and JIRP are eager to discuss options with students weighing participation in either or both programs.

Recent Testimonials

Fireweed sketch by Kristin Link, WMFS Instructor

• “Wrangell Mountains Field Studies to me was far more than a high caliber academic experience. It is a totally different way of understanding the world around you through scientific reasoning, human thought and deep reflection. With a basis in the unknown the course was a different way of learning about and thinking about earth systems through a holistic lens.”

• “Attending Wrangell Mountain Field Studies was truly a life changing experience for me, in more ways than one. It will challenge your perspective of the meaning of place, science, education, and comfort. If you want to spend seven weeks learning alongside peers from around the world, backpacking, exploring, and laughing, WMFS is the place for you!”

• “I learned so much and had so much fun in the WMFS program, exploring the backcountry, learning about and interacting with the town of McCarthy, getting to know my fellow field studies students, and working on our group projects. The program’s emphasis on place-based learning was invaluable to me, always encouraging us to think and ask questions about how aspects of the landscape interact with each other. I am incredibly grateful to have gotten the opportunity to learn about ecology, geology, and more in such a unique and hands-on environment, and I had a wonderful time in the program.”

• “Spending seven weeks in this exact program enlightened me on many aspects of how we live our lives. I crave a chance to be out in the front and backcountry, and I have craved it more since leaving the program. After basing my project on the jökulhlaup and learning how it affects the local area and ecosystem, I hope to continue doing more observational and basic research.”