The Rim Country board of directors made a very difficult decision at its regular meeting in May of this year.  Based on analysis of our current and potential financial footing, we decided, regretfully, that as of July 15, 2011, Rim Country will cease activities in the Billings area. 

Such a decision was especially difficult in light of the great success of Rim Country programs.  Over 2,000 people have participated in and benefited from Rim Country programs since 2004. Despite our program success, the organization has not achieved a level of steady income that can support paid administrative and development staff, and we can no longer continue to maintain our programs, as we have for the past ten years, with a volunteer executive director. 

Rim Country has accomplished much in the areas of education, research, land conservation and protection, and outreach.  Some of the highlights in these areas are noted in the page accompanying this letter. 

The Board wants to assure you that every dollar donated was used for the goals and purposes expressed in Rim Country's vision statement.  You - through your generous donations -- have accomplished much and we hope you can, like us, trust in the harvest of all our past efforts.

Although we will cease activities in the Billings area, we will maintain our status as a nonprofit organization headquartered in Clancy.  The Rim Country Board is currently considering the future form of the organization as we continue to ask the what and the how of action oriented to connecting people to land, self and others so all species can flourish. Inquiries about Rim Country's progress in this regard can be addressed to Carol McEvoy at the address above.  Past and future contributions to Rim Country will continue to be tax deductible as allowed by law.

Thank you for your support of Rim Country. 

Sincerely,

Members of Rim Country Land Institute Board of Directors

Mary Fitzpatrick,  Chair

Clarann Weinert , Vice Chair

Pat Feldsien, Treasurer

Marya Grathwohl, Secretary

Carol McEvoy, Director

Larry McEvoy, Director

HIGHLIGHTS OF RIM COUNTRY LAND INSTITUTE ACTIVITIES

IN THE BILLINGS AREA

EDUCATION

• A two-year program for Adults with Developmental Disabilities
• Summer of the bug - 4 month entomology class for middle school students
• Indian Education for All - integration of State Curriculum classes with on site learning
• A series of ten workshops for the general public;  Prairie On  My Mind...Getting to Know Grasslands. 
• A three day state-wide Teachers' Workshop (K-12)
• Weekly flower and bird hikes and monthly moonlight hikes
• Collaborative programs with other nonprofits including the Girl Scouts, Zoo Montana, Rocky Mountain College, MT State University, Billings, Billings West High School, Audubon Conservation Education  Center to name a few
• AND MORE...............

RESEARCH

• Research projects on bats, prairie dogs and bluebird populations conducted by Rocky Mountain Environmental Science classes; Research projects conducted by high school and middle school students
• Continued research using Holistic Wealth Inventories to assess community knowledge, attitudes and actions regarding sense of place and conservation issues.
• Continued research on the evaluation of place-based programs.
• Expansion of inventory and research databases on the Rim Country web site as observations and research data are accumulated
• AND MORE....................

LAND CONSERVATION AND PROTECTION

• The 3000 acres on which Rim Country operates is under a conservation easement. However, this acreage represents only half of an intact plateau ecosystem, located directly in the path of rapid, unplanned development.  Rim Country has worked actively to network with surrounding landowners to form community support for protecting the remaining plateau land.
• A 10 year collaborative research project with RockyMountainCollege science classes and the NRCS on mediation of cheat grass invasion on the prairie

OUTREACH

• Web site (www.rimcountry.org)
• Web log - What's Happening on the Land?
• Monthly electronic newsletter
• Two program DVD shorts to be used for promotion of the Institute and its vision
• DVD presentation by Jim Posewitz - keynote presenter for introduction of the Rim Country Vision to the public
• Initiated formation of a coalition of environmental nonprofits to maximize effectiveness of limited resources
• AND MORE........

SEE WEBSITE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND PAST ACTIVITIES