on local students, and the program ended in 2015. In 2013, EPI's Belize office opened its doors, partnering with the Oceanic Society and the University of Belize. In 2015, Pacuare Reserve, a 2,500 acre coastal rainforest reserve, was gifted to EPI by John and Hilda Denham. In 2017, EPI piloted two new programs, the Hawaii Ecology Program based in Maui, Hawaii, and the Andes to Amazon Ecology Program based in Ecuador. Programs Belize Programs in Belize center on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, where students work with the Toledo Institute for Development and Education (TIDE) to survey the reef and collect data on seagrasses, the endangered Antillean manatee, and the yellow-headed parrot in Southern Belize. Inland portions of the course take students to the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, home to jaguars, peccary, and other large mammals. Costa Rica On the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, site of the world’s fourth most important nesting habitat for critically endangered leatherback sea turtles, EPI involves high school youth in leatherback protection and research. Youth walk the beaches of Pacuare Reserve to protect nests, gather vital data about leatherbacks, and move nests when necessary to protect against human and environmental threats. Pacuare Reserve's coastline and surrounding lowland tropical rainforest are home to hundreds of species of mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles. Galapagos In the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, EPI students work to rehabilitate the threatened giant Galapagos land tortoise in partnership with the Galapagos National Park. Youth support biodiversity protection by helping researchers monitor wild tortoises, protect nests, care for juveniles, eradicate invasive species, and restore habitat. Mexico EPI’s Turtle, Whale, and Island Ecology Programs in Baja California Sur, Mexico engage youth in marine biodiversity protection and research. Students collect data on whales, dolphins, turtles, and marine invertebrates to monitor populations and ecosystem health to support a proposed conservation zone, proactively address threats to marine life and terrestrial ecosystems, and ensure the stability of Mexico’s thriving marine biodiversity into the future. United States In the U.S., EPI students have contributed to projects that protect the wildlife and habitat of Montana’s Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem – from grizzly bear and lynx to whitebark and bristlecone pines, to the current projects involving bison and other ungulates and amphibians. Students become aware of and informed about their surroundings and learn about interactions between humans and wildlife, all while contributing to on-the-ground projects that directly improve local conservation efforts and inform