(Fremont County, WY) – Broadening Inclusion Knowledge and Experience in Science (BIKES), is a new initiative that aims to take nine CWC students (some who are brand new to cycling) training them intensively, then having them ride bikes a thousand off-road miles along the Great Divide, all while taking air samples and testing environmental quality.
The project began at the CWC Alpine Science Institute (ASI), and is overseen by Jacki Klancher, Darran Wells, and Stacy Wells, and the idea has now progressed into a full academic and adventure cycling program.
The BIKES expedition will leave Lander on June 7, with the team driving to Roosville, Montana, on the Canadian border. They will then begin their southward trek on June 9, ending in Lander, after traveling about a thousand miles on unpaved primitive tracks. They hope to average 30-40 miles a day and will collect air quality data all along the route.
The participants are a diverse group of CWC students, with the riders/researchers including Jada Antelope, Tammy Green, Aidan Hereford, Will Joca, Tara Jorgenson, Alex Minge, Ryan Towne, and Madi Worthy. Most of the BIKES students are enrolled in CWC expedition science, GIS, or outdoor education programs.
Visiting audiographer and podcast producer Marcella Fernandez will bike with the team and help to document the adventure. CWC students Gigi Holley and Keppy LaClair will provide logistical support, CWC faculty Stacy and Darran Wells are the field ride and road guides and are assisted by Ryan Towne, who will also serve as science coordinator. Kyle Nicholoff, Wyoming PBS videographer and senior producer, will capture the project in a documentary film. Klancher is the project coordinator.
For more information about the program, click here.