Ecology Project International is a non-profit organization based in Missoula, Montana, dedicated to developing place-based, ecological education partnerships between local experts and youth (typically age 14-20) to address conservation issues. Ecology Project International (EPI) works with students and educators at seven program sites around the world: Belize, Costa Rica, mainland Ecuador, Galápagos Islands, Hawaii, Mexico, and Yellowstone. EPI's programs typically run 5–14 days in some of the most biologically diverse and unique ecosystems in the world, where students work alongside professional land managers and research scientists. EPI was founded on the principle that engaging locals is essential to the success of conserving biodiversity. The organization works to provide communication, mentorship, and learning between scientists and the general public. Since EPI's first field season, more than 45,000 participants have joined their field programs resulting in increased scientific literacy, and community-based conservation that is connected to the needs and priorities of the people who most impact the ecosystem. History Co-founders Scott Pankratz and Julie Osborn worked in Costa Rica during the 1990s and recognized that despite the ample presence of international research teams and prolific scientific studies, many critical habitats and species continued to decline. Julie and Scott combined their educational and scientific expertise in 1998 and began formulating a plan to partner local students and communities with scientists working on critical conservation issues. EPI's first field program, involving 61 Costa Rican students and teachers, took place in May 2000. The goal was simple: to involve local residents in the monitoring and protection of critically endangered nesting leatherback sea turtles. The students monitored the beach at night and learned about turtles and the surrounding lowland tropical forest during the day. In October 2001, EPI received official independent non-profit status under United States Internal Revenue Service tax code 501(c)(3). In February 2003, EPI began work in the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador, partnering with the Charles Darwin Research Station on a green sea turtle monitoring program. In 2005, EPI began work in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico, partnering with the Centro Interdiciplinario de Ciencias Marinas (CICIMAR) and in Montana, partnering with the United States Forest Service out of Gardiner, Montana. In 2006, EPI’s campus in La Paz, Mexico officially opened.. In 2010, EPI headquarters moved to Missoula, Montana, where both the world headquarters offices and the Yellowstone Program offices reside in the historic Swift Building. EPI's program in Panama commenced in 2012, focused