WILD ROCKIES
September 2020 Newsletter
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WELCOME BACK, STUDENTS!
Fall semester is underway for many students, and everyone seems to be settling into a new normal of socially distanced classrooms and remote learning. Here at WRFI, we've been doing what we can to prepare for our 2021 field season, making adjustments that will allow us to implement next year's field courses as safely as possible. We also have a critical season ahead of us--census counting, voting, public health concerns moving into winter--and we invite everyone to join us in our efforts to be our best, most engaged citizen-selves.
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VOTE. VOTE. VOTE.
Social and racial justice is on the ballot. Education is on the ballot. Public lands are on the ballot. Climate change is on the ballot. Healthcare is on the ballot. The people you elect as your local, state, and federal representatives will be responsible for legislation that has real impacts, on real people and real places.
Please vote.
Already registered to vote? Double-check your registration status HERE.
STUDENTS: make sure you check your registration status! If you've recently moved, then there's a chance that a recent ballot was sent to a wrong address, in which case your registration may have been suspended. It's easy to double-check your voter status HERE.
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THE CENSUS MATTERS!
You count! If you haven't already, it's quick and easy to fill out the 2020 Census questionnaire. Census data will determine the amount of resources that states receive for school funding, tuition assistance programs, affordable housing, employment assistance, and so much more. 2020 Census data will also determine the number of seats that will represent each state in the U.S. House of Representatives over the next decade. 10 minutes of your time will help your state for the next 10 years. The 2020 Census deadline is SEPTEMBER 30!
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AN AGE OF VIRTUAL INFO SESSIONS
Like many of you, we are doing our best to change our behavior and adapt to new expectations as we continue to live through a global pandemic. In other years, the start of fall semester would mark the start of our travel season, during which we would be sending WRFI representatives to different campuses across the country in order to connect with students and help them learn more about WRFI experiences. This year, we're leaning into the ERA OF ZOOM, and we're offering a regular schedule of online info sessions that anyone can attend--from anywhere! Prospective students, parents, faculty, and advisors are all welcome to join in order to learn more about WRFI. Simply register at one of the links below for an invitation to join a session!
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MEET OUR AMBASSADORS
We've added some new faces to our team of WRFI Student Ambassadors, composed of alumni from various different WRFI courses. We encourage prospective students to reach out to any one of our ambassadors--all of whom are current students at a variety of different campuses across North America--in order to hear more about the WRFI experience from a student perspective!
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ALUMNI TRACKS
The adventures continue!
In 2013, Whitney Beadle joined WRFI as a student on our Cycle the Rockies course. Naturally, we were thrilled to see Whitney's recent bikepacking adventures featured in an entry on the Trek Blog! Check it out for a joyful read on Whitney's 12-day bikepacking trip through Banff National Park.
Trek Bikes has long been a supporter of WRFI, supplying us with our fabulous fleet of touring bikes available for students to use on our Cycle the Rockies course. For a blast from our cycling past, check out this Trek article featuring our 2017 Cycle the Rockies crew.
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JOB BOARD
Job & volunteer opportunities for WRFI alumni
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ONLINE SHOP
Check out our WRFI goods
WRFI buffs are now in stock! Check out these new goods, along with the rest of our WRFI gear collection in our online store.
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WRFI BOARD SPOTLIGHT:
Welcome Grace Gardner and Christy McCann to the WRFI Board!
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Dr. Grace Gardner has been the Director of UM Summer at the University of Montana since May of 2019 in the Provost’s Office. Prior to her Director of UM Summer role, she held the position of a Director of Student-Athlete Support Services for Athletic Academic Services at the University of Montana for the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics for seven years. Grace holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, a Bachelor of Arts in Communication studies, a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, and a Doctorate of Education, with an emphasis on Higher Education Administration, all from the University of Montana. In her undergraduate days, she was the starting goalkeeper for four years on the UM Griz Soccer team. She still tries to kick a ball around in Missoula’s city leagues and as a 5th generation Montanan, she enjoys spending time outside hiking, biking, and skiing with her husband Landon, their two year old son Sawyer, and border collie, Hitch. Her favorite spots in Montana are the Mission and Swan mountain ranges.
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Christy McCann is delighted to be joining the WRFI board in 2020. From her early years learning how to get well and truly grimy in the woods of the Catoctin Mountains in Maryland, Christy has valued her time outside. After a brief hiatus from outdoor pursuits while earning her BA at Brown University, Christy finally made it across the country to Colorado in 1992 and has called the West home ever since. A decade of working ski slopes, trails, and rivers in Colorado, New Mexico, and West Virginia (that counts as "the West," right?), led her eventually to law school at CU Boulder, where she was fortunate enough to learn a lot from public lands and Indian law guru Charles Wilkinson. Good fortune brought Christy to Missoula, Montana, where she, her spouse, their teenager, and their two dogs continue to get outside as much as they can. Christy supports her outdoor habits by practicing law at Browning, Kaleczyc, Berry & Hoven, P.C.
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Wild Rockies Field Institute is a 501(c)3 organization. Your gift is fully tax deductible. Our Federal Identification Number is 81-0487425. |
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