Jones entertained thoughts of studying forestry or wildlife biology as a student at Utah State University, but ended up on the other end of the spectrum, graduating with a political-science degree.

Her interest in the outdoors remained strong, and when she heard about a volunteer program that involved fly-fishing, she jumped at the opportunity to become a researcher at the world's first and most recognized national park.

"I've caught and held fish that were being tagged for research. It is an amazing feeling. I've been to places in the park I probably would not have gone," said Jones, who first took part in the Fly-Fishing for Science program four years ago and has returned at least twice a summer since with her husband, Nick. "I don't think I truly appreciated Yellowstone and its entire ecosystem until I got some hands-on experience in the park. I've also been able to get into the park free and fish with biologists. You just can't beat it."

Since its inception in 2002, an average of 80 anglers a year have traveled to Yellowstone from all corners of the country to wet a line in the name of research. Their efforts have helped identify areas of pure strain cutthroat trout, confirm rumors of exotic species in backcountry waters and aided fisheries officials in making regulation changes in the park.

For many of the volunteers, fishing with ranger Tim Bywater provides as many memories as the wildlife, scenery and fellow anglers.

"Tim has awakened my knowledge to Yellowstone and its importance," said Jones, who works in Logan for the Bear River Association of Governments. "He is also a lot of fun to fish with; he's quite a character."

Bywater, an English professor at Dixie State College in St. George for 24 years and a seasonal ranger in Yellowstone or Grand Teton national parks since 1965, was asked by another Utahn to use his fishing wisdom in the park.

John Varley, then-director of the Yellowstone Resource Center, since retired, and a graduate of Olympus High School in Holladay, came up with the idea of the volunteer fishing program and asked his friend of two decades to help get it started.

"He knew I was a fishing lunatic," Bywater said. "John wanted to find a way for anglers coming to Yellowstone to help the fisheries of the park, and the volunteers have responded amazingly. It is obvious that anglers love Yellowstone, and the volunteer program gives them a chance to feel like they are giving something back to the park."

Since the program began, fly fishers have visited numerous waters in the park, gathering information ranging from tracking hybridization of Yellowstone cutthroat trout in the Lamar River to confirming rainbow trout in the upper waters of Slough Creek to studying the relationship of catch-and-release angling with barbed and barbless hooks.

"The volunteers gather information we otherwise would not be able to get. We learn a lot about places that would otherwise slip by due to staff and time limitations," said Todd Koel, supervisory fisheries biologist for Yellowstone National Park.

Volunteers have been most involved, he said, in a study to determine if Arctic grayling in the Gibbon River are the native fluvial, or river, population that once lived in Yellowstone or are planted fish that have moved down from Grebe and Wolf lakes at the headwaters of the Gibbon.

"To be honest, anglers are a lot better at catching fish for the grayling project than we are," he said. "We have this really neat high-powered electrofishing gear, and these anglers come through and always catch more grayling than we do."

Amber Steed, a master's candidate in fish and wildlife from Montana State University, has taken over the grayling project started by the National Park Service. She has spent the past two summers wading, snorkeling and electroshocking the 38 miles of the Gibbon River from Grebe Lake to the start of the Madison River looking for grayling.

More often than not, she spends long summer days searching for the grayling in vain. During her research in 2005, only 17 grayling were caught. Now is when the value of the volunteer program becomes obvious.

"Thirteen of the 17 were caught by the volunteers," Steed said. "They are able to get to all these different places that we don't have the ability to, and they have a freedom to target areas likely to find grayling. Their knowledge is invaluable, and the information they are providing us with is critical."

Grayling may not seem that important given the plight of cutthroat trout in Yellowstone, but Steed said she expects the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to place fluvial grayling on the Endangered Species Act list within a year.

The only known fluvial grayling population in the United States resides in the upper Big Hole River in Montana. Officials believe fluvial grayling are limited to 5 percent of their historical range.

Stanley Gralak, a resident of Weedville, Pa., had no idea he would be fishing for grayling when he and two buddies decided to contribute four of their 14 days in the Yellowstone area to the volunteer program.

"We heard about it from a friend and it really struck our interest," Gralak said. "We will be fishing waters we probably usually would skip. It's pretty cool to be able to fish and feel like you are doing something that could help the park fisheries down the road. Yellowstone is as good as it gets, and just being here is awesome in itself."

Bywater said most of his volunteers are from Utah and Idaho, but he has seen anglers from nearly every state and some from as far away as England and even Croatia. The vast majority of the anglers are experienced and male.

In all of her trips, Jones said she has only fished with another women once. She wants to encourage women and any novice anglers who might be intimidated by the program to realize there is a place for all levels of fishers.

"Maybe the idea of fishing with biologists scares them off," she said. "Maybe they think they have to be great fishermen, but Tim is good at planting you on fish and he has even coached me a little in casting. You don't have to be a great fisher at all. You just need to want to help."

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Contact Brett Prettyman at brettp@sltrib.com or 801-257-8902. Send comments to livingeditor@sltrib.com.

Fly-Fishing for Science in Yellowstone National Park

80 - average number of anglers participating in the program each year

400-500 - estimated hours volunteers spend annually with the program

2,650 - miles of streams and rivers in the world's first national park

150 - number of lakes within the park's 2.2 million acres

- Source: Yellowstone National Park

To Participate

The Fly-Fishing for Science program in Yellowstone National Park runs June 1 to Sept. 15 each year. Tim Bywater typically coordinates volunteer efforts from the start until mid-July when Bill Voight takes over. Volunteers receive free entrance to the park, a campsite or dorm room if they need it and instruction from one of the coordinators. Contact Bywater or Voight at 307-344-2422 or by e-mail at tim bywater@nps.gov or bill voigt@nps.gov.