WILD ROCKIES

January 2025 Newsletter

Save the Date: WRFI's Beer Launch!

Join Us February 19th for the WRFI x Native Root x Imagine Nation Coffee Stout Release!

We recently reconnected with WRFI alumnus Simon Winograd, who is now the Director of Impact for Native Root Coffee in Colombia, and an exciting idea was born: a collaboration between WRFI, Native Root, and Missoula-based Imagine Nation Brewing Co. to brew a coffee stout that gives back! By supporting Native Root, you are supporting fair pay for Indigenous Colombian coffee farmers. By supporting Imagine Nation, you are supporting an inclusive community space in Missoula. And you already know that when you support WRFI, you are supporting transformative educational experiences for tomorrow's leaders. We hope you'll join us on February 19th to raise a glass to these initiatives. More details to come!

Visit the link below to read Simon's WRFI Impact Story and learn more about how his journey led him to where he is today.

WRFI's Scholarship Fund

Save Big on a 2025 WRFI Course!

Did you know that WRFI has both scholarships and course discounts available for eligible students? Funds vary for each scholarship and the discounts are stackable for up to 20% off of a course. We never want our tuition to be a barrier to getting more students out into the field on a course, so visit our Financial Assistance page below to learn more about the financial aid we are able to provide. Please note that there are deadlines for applying for scholarships, so don't delay!

WRFI Impact Stories

Featured Course: Environmental Ethics

21 Field Days | 3 Semester Credits | $4,700 - $5,875

Section 1: July 11-31, 2025

Section 2: August 3-23, 2025

This course explores the Northwest corner of Montana, known as the Crown of the Continent, through a backpacking trip in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, meetings with land managers, civic leaders, and scientists in local communities, and a visit to Glacier National Park. Students will receive an introduction to contemporary approaches to environmental ethics that have developed from the primary ethical traditions of western thought and examine the political, social, economic and cultural changes required to effectively address climate change and sustainability.

Fresh from the Field: Jack Dodson

Through Two Lenses: Reflections on Wilderness and Photography

In his blog post, photographer and Conservation Across Boundaries student Jack Dodson explores how his photography shapes his experience of wilderness, and even alters the definition of the word itself.

Take a look through Jack's lens and read his blog post:

Fellowship Opportunity

The Uproot Project Fellowship

The Uproot Project Fellowship offers funding to seven journalists to pursue reporting projects over the course of a year. Fellows will receive up to $2,000 to cover travel and other reporting expenses. Fellows’ projects should focus on stories related to one of these categories: environmental justice, climate solutions, water/food/culture, or science. Projects should be aimed at highlighting how the climate crisis and key environmental issues of our time are inextricably linked with other forms of inequity. These are the kinds of stories that have often been left out of the narrative in mainstream environmental journalism and the ones that The Uproot Project is dedicated to uplifting.