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By: Clare Freid, CSBSJU & Gia Silverman-Randolph, Harper College
Our last week in Mongolia was spent preparing to present our research to the local community […] The day of the presentations, we were running on minimal hours of sleep, but everyone gave very well-articulated, informative presentations. A highlight was getting to see the snow leopard that our camera traps had spotted – a first for any Round River trip!
By: Cade Conahey, Westminster University & Sam Herzig, University of California, Davis
We headed back into the talus to count and measure juvenile and adult Vansemberuu plants across ten plots on the mountain. We accomplished something that no other Round River group has done: We finished all ten plots on the mountain in one day!
By: Sophie Scothern, Montana State University & Tristan Jeo, University of Oregon
In Mongolia, you learn quickly that not every Furgon ride goes according to plan…
By: Fabian Espinoza & Greyson Fesko, SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry
Fabian and Greyson walk you through what their days on the Mongolia Summer 2025 program have been like!
By: Aida Stevens, University of Montana & Campbell Stewart, Colby College
Follow along with Aida and Campbell as they arrive in Mongolia and travel out into the field for the first time!
he park hosted us a dance and with much enthusiasm and energy we learned the Russian waltz. This waltz is easy(ish) to learn and looks great the faster you can do it. By the time night fell we were spinning and swaying together to the sounds of Mongolian music and Amka and Badmaa’s singing.
The Vansemberuu trip has offered me adrenaline-fueled adventures that have left me with unforgettable memories. These memories allowed me to appreciate this area that boasts a wide range of natural wonders. As I ventured into the great outdoors, I immersed myself in the beauty of rolling grassland, snow-capped peaks, and dramatic canyons.
As there is no word in Mongolian for “schedule” or “stress,” there was no rush to start. It was only when everyone was present and ready to begin that Naadam commenced.
I am very excited to be working on my research project here in the Darhad Valley, which looks at the recent decline of Daurian Pika through traditional ecological knowledge. Mongolia has been an amazing learning and cultural experience thus far, and I hope you enjoy reading about our many Pika days in the field!
The next day we went out to retrieve four camera traps, it was going to be a long day for us all. We packed our daypacks and set off toward the Mongash River, which is still frozen enough to walk on safely. We decided that since we had extra cameras, there was an interest in setting a camera up to watch the ice of the river melt on a timelapse setting to retrieve in a few weeks when the ice breaks and melts. The cameras all went smoothly, and we captured boar, elk, moose, and other smaller mammals.
By Sophia Adami-Sampson of Bowdoin College My name is Sophia Adami-Sampson and I am a completing my degree in Biology from Bowdoin College with the Round River program in Mongolia. Before our journey to base camp in the Darhad Valley,…
Written by Leah Thomas of the University of Pittsburgh A year ago today, July 24, 2021, you couldn’t have convinced me that I would be here in Mongolia. I wouldn’t have imagined that the ground of this basecamp would have…
By Tj Guercio of Colby College and Gitanjali Matthes of Carleton College Round River’s camera trapping project provides unique, systematically collected data on mammal populations in the park’s protected area, but our camera trap project faced some unprecedented challenges on…
by Ella Reilich-Godino of the College of the Atlantic and Gila Goodwin of Colorado College On June 29th, we piled eight Americans, five Mongolians, and our abundance of gear into two vans and hit the dusty trail to begin our…
By Caton Langston of the University of Montana The great trek to the Darhad valley for me began in Boise, Idaho. After a quick flight to San Francisco, I was soon aboard a 12-hour flight to Seoul, South Korea. After…
by Joscie Norris, of University of Vermont In a last minute decision in 2018, I realized I was going to leave the continent for the first time and study in Mongolia. A place so distant and off of my radar…
by Isaac Schumann, of Reed College, Fall 2019 Mongolia study abroad I’m writing this blog on the darkened plane from Seoul to Seattle, though I’ve been thinking about how to write it for the entire trip. From the beginning, I…
by Lonnie Briggs, University of Vermont (written depicting the events from 10/17/19 – 10/23/19) The end is near, and denial is in full effect. On our group calendar of events coming up, “not” is written directly above “Leaving.” The 16th was the…