WILD ROCKIES
September 2021 Newsletter
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After taking a year off of field courses in 2020, it's a bit surreal for us to be looking behind us at a full summer field season. It was a season filled with peaks and valleys, sun and smoke, bears and...more bears, and exceptional groups of students who thrived in the screenless surroundings of their WRFI "classrooms." College students from twenty-six different schools—plus WRFI's first-ever cohort of high school students—have joined us in the field in 2021. We're thrilled to be back in action, doing what we do best: school, outside.
Now we're setting our sights on 2022: a new year and a whole new batch of students eager to learn in—and from—the landscapes and communities of the Rocky Mountain West.
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Currently in the field is our last course of 2021, WRFI's Montana Afoot & Afloat semester. Representing six different states and eight different schools, students on this course kicked off their fall semester by winding their way through the Scapegoat Wilderness, where they explored the natural and cultural history of the Rocky Mountain Front while also diving into questions of wilderness, public lands management, Indigenous legacies, and colonization. Now, after spending time with ranchers, activists, and Blackfeet land managers in the area, students are paddling down the Upper Missouri River, where they are examining the troubled history of Western settlement and homesteading that has led to many of the complicated resource management policies we see today. Keep an eye on the WRFI Blog for student insights from the field once they get off the river!
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Want to experience the seasonal shift from summer to fall while immersed in Montana's mountain, river, and prairie communities? Apply today for WRFI's 2022 Montana Afoot & Afloat course, and earn an entire semester's worth of credits OUTSIDE the classroom!
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Desert Canyons & Cultures
March 22 - May 23, 2022
Earn 15 semester credits (22.5 quarter credits) while studying concepts of resilience and revolution among the desert communities of the Colorado Plateau.
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Energy & Climate Change in Montana
June 14 - July 11, 2022
Earn 6 semester credits (9 quarter credits) while bike touring across the state of Montana studying energy production and climate change issues.
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Summer Semester
June 16 - July 27, 2022
Earn 12 semester credits (18 quarter credits) while studying transboundary conservation issues in the Northern Rockies.
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In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
June 20 - July 10, 2022
Earn 3 semester credits (4.5 quarter credits) while studying ecological restoration in the bioregion including and surrounding Yellowstone National Park.
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Climate Change & Visions of a Sustainable Future
July 20 - August 9, 2022
Earn 3 semester credits (4.5 quarter credits) while studying philosophy and applying various ethical frameworks to climate change issues in Northwestern Montana's Crown of the Continent landscape.
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Human/Land Relations
August 24 - October 25, 2022
Earn 15 semester credits (22.5 quarter credits) while studying the past, present, and future relationships that define various landscapes and communities in Montana.
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Desert Canyons & Cultures
September 13 - November 14, 2022
Earn 15 semester credits (22.5 quarter credits) while studying concepts of resilience and revolution among the desert communities of the Colorado Plateau.
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FALL INFO SESSION SCHEDULE |
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Know anyone interested in learning more about WRFI? Send them our way! We'll be hosting virtual information sessions throughout fall semester and we welcome all students, faculty, advisors, and others who want to know more about who we are and what we do. These are great opportunities to meet WRFI staff and alumni, hear stories from the field, and ask questions about how students can make WRFI a part of their college plan.
View the full schedule on our website, or register for a Zoom link below:
**Please note that times above are listed in Mountain Standard Time**
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JOB BOARD
Job opportunities for WRFI alumni
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GO, DAVE, GO!
Most folks who have been in the WRFI orbit for a while know—or have at least heard of—the one and only Dave Morris. Dave is a longtime WRFI instructor who, after spending over eight weeks teaching in the field on WRFI's Colorado Plateau and Cycle the Rockies courses earlier this year, is currently making his way from Montana to Scotland...by bicycle.
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Earlier this month, Dave embarked on a bicycle tour from his home in Montana to the 2021 UN Climate Conference in Glasgow, Scotland. His journey, fueled by a passion for climate action, is called the Climate Courage Tour and aims to:
*Collect and share stories about climate issues from across the U.S.
*Gather direct input for attendees of COP26
*Act as a bike messenger service for signed letters of support for COP26
*Report back from the climate conference with a Rocky Mountain West perspective
*Fundraise for organizations doing good work on climate issues.
Before he embarked on his journey, Dave met with several 5th grade classes at a Missoula elementary school to tell his story. Now, sixteen days into his ride, Dave has met with activists, scientists, ranchers, and politicians, all with different stories and perspectives on the ways in which climate change is affecting their families, livelihoods, and communities.
We're rooting for you, Dave. Thanks for your ongoing commitment to positive climate action in our rapidly changing world. Ride on!
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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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