Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation (WPEF)

We are a science-based non-profit dedicated to counteracting the decline of whitebark pine and enhancing knowledge about the value of its ecosystems.

Contact

406-925-9545
[email protected]

Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation
PO Box 17943
Missoula, Montana 59808

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Student Grant Program

About the Grant

The mission of the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation (WPEF) is to “promote the conservation of whitebark pine and other high elevation five needle white pine ecosystems through education, restoration, management, and research.” In support of this mission, the WPEF offers a research grant of up to $2000 to an undergraduate or graduate student (MS or PhD) conducting research and writing a thesis on whitebark pine. We are also partnering with John Van Gundy to offer a second $1000 scholarship for anyone who is doing research in whitebark pine dynamics under climate change.

Monies for the WPEF funds will only be awarded for travel expenses for field work or consumable research supplies. However, the Van Gundy funding may also be used for analysis. Grants shall not be used to buy equipment that will be used beyond the duration of the project (and thus would be retained by the lab in which the student works).

Proposals will be evaluated based on sufficient objectives, economic feasibility, quality of science, scientific originality, and sufficient justification.

Please send application materials (electronic only) to [email protected] by March 1, 2024.

For more information on both grants view or download the 2024 WPEF student research grant RFP.

Proposal Requirements

The Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundations annually offers a research grant of $1000-$2000 to an undergraduate who is writing an undergraduate thesis or graduate student (MS or PhD) conducting research on whitebark pine.*

Monies will only be awarded for travel expenses for field work, or consumable research supplies. Grants shall not be used to buy equipment that will be used beyond the duration of the project (and thus would be retained by the lab in which the student works).

Relevant areas of research include, but are not limited to:

  • Threats to whitebark pine, including mountain pine beetle, white pine blister rust, successional replacement, and climate change (only in whitebark ecosystems)
  • Interactions with wildlife, such as Clark’s nutcracker or other birds, red squirrels and grizzly bears
  • Restoration strategies for whitebark pine, including both field operations and nursery seedling production
  • Ecosystem level impacts of whitebark pine die off
  • Social or policy aspects of whitebark pine decline and restoration, including wilderness issues

Because of concern over whitebark pine populations, destructive sampling (particularly of mature, healthy trees) is strongly discouraged, and if the killing of mature, healthy trees is needed for your research, please discuss alternatives and justify your chosen sampling method. It is also your responsibility to ensure that you have all the necessary permits from land management agencies before starting any field work.

Grant recipients are encouraged to present their research findings at a subsequent WPEF annual science meeting and are expected to publish a research summary in our bi-annual journal Nutcracker Notes.

While the WPEF is concerned about all high-elevation, five-needle white pines, we are focusing this grant just on whitebark pine.

Previous Awardees