Immerse yourself in conservation
Become a PERC Future Leader and join fellow students in America’s wildlife and outdoor adventure capital—Bozeman, Montana—for a wild exploration of creative conservation in action.
PERC’s 2024 Conservation Economics Student Summit is an immersive, three-day adventure designed to educate, enlighten, and inspire tomorrow’s conservation leaders.
Participants will:
Summit DirectorS
Katherine Wright is a PERC senior researcher. She is an expert on water policy with a particular focus on western water scarcity. She graduated with a Ph.D. in sustainability from Arizona State University.
Sara Sutherland is a lecturer in agricultural and resource economics at the University of California Davis, as well as a PERC senior research fellow.
Key topics for exploration:
Free Market Environmentalism
How are market solutions helping conservation make economic sense? Learn how property rights and incentives can be harnessed to produce good environmental outcomes.
Conservation in Action
Technology is quickly changing how we interact with the world, including how we do conservation. Learn how novel technology like virtual fencing works for business and conservation by helping ranchers improve migratory wildlife corridors while lowering operational costs.
Academic Research that Makes a Difference
Do markets have a role to play in conserving scarce water resources? Learn how PERC’s in-house academics tackle tough conservation problems, such as water scarcity, with novel research.
Policy That Prioritizes the Environment
99% of species listed under the Endangered Species Act have avoided extinction, but only 3% have actually been recovered. Learn how data can help us evaluate environmental policy, and how that information can help us reform policy to deliver better outcomes like greater species recovery.
Undergraduates wanted
- Camp PERC is geared toward junior and senior-level undergraduate students studying the fields of economics, law, natural resources, environmental sciences, political science, public policy, communications, and agriculture.
- Participants are expected to read relevant essays and papers in advance of the summit and engage program leaders and guest speakers in conversation as we explore a variety of pressing conservation issues.
- Only a select number of applicants will be accepted. Applicants will be determined by strength of interest and background.
Lodging and logistics
- Lodging, food, and experiences are provided by PERC for Camp PERC participants.
- Overnight accommodations are provided at Montana State University.
- Students are responsible for covering their own travel to and from Bozeman, Montana. Limited travel stipends are available for students who qualify, based upon financial need.
- Students must be able to attend the full summit.
Start your adventure and become a PERC Future Leader.
About PERC
The Property and Environment Research Center (PERC) is the national leader in market solutions for conservation, with over 40 years of research and a network of respected scholars and practitioners. Through research, law and policy, and innovative applied conservation programs, PERC explores how aligning incentives for environmental stewardship produces sustainable outcomes for land, water, and wildlife. Founded in 1980, PERC is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and proudly based in Bozeman, Montana.