Research Permits for Work Affiliated with WMRS
WMRS visiting researchers are required to obtain all necessary permits required to carry out their work: this is not something that WMRS does. The WMRS Research Application form has some reminders built in to the application process, but we provide supplementary information here.

Our upper stations, Crooked Creek and Barcroft, and virtually all the mountain habitats in the region are in the jurisdiction of the Inyo National Forest. The INF has a web site describing their special use permit process:

http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/inyo/passes-permits/event-commercial

Their instructions say to submit the paperwork to the ranger station responsible for the lands in question: for our immediate area this would be the White Mountain Ranger Station on Main Street in Bishop 760-873-2500.

It is important to note that they have implemented a requirement that permits be requested 6 months in advance, so plan ahead!

You should also be aware that the White Mountain Wilderness Area has been officially designated. The boundaries of this area have been "cherry stemmed" around most WMRS active sites, but if your studies will take you into wilderness there may be additional restrictions on what you can and cannot do. The WM Wilderness web page shows the boundaries in the high Whites; consult that map when planning your studies.


Over the crest of the Sierra are lands administered by the National Park Service. Researchers working on National Park lands should contact the administrative offices of the park where they want to work.
Our Bishop station, the Owens Valley Lab, is located on land owned by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), as is virtually all the open land in the flat bottom of the Owens Valley. You need to contact DWP at 760-873-0370 if you plan to work or set up equipment on their land.
The "foothills" between the valley bottom and the mountains is often administered by the BLM. Contact their office in Bishop 760-872-5000 if you will be working on their land.

Special research permits are also needed for work which involves handling and care of animals, collecting of animals and plants, and human subjects. Call our office if you have any questions about this. These permits include but are not limited to:

  • Department of Fish and Game permits for collecting or handling vertebrate animals and game birds (most other birds require federal permits, see below). The DFG office in Bishop is at 760-872-1171
  • US Fish and Wildlife Service permits for collecting and handling wild birds. Call the Bishop USGS office at 760-873-5012 for information.
  • Human subjects protocols approved by your home institution for human subjects research.
  • Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) protocols approved by your home institution for care and handling of laboratory animals or vertebrate wild animals brought in to the lab. These approved protocols are then reviewed again by the WMRS IACUC committee, which approval is needed before research can begin.