WILD ROCKIES

August 2025 Newsletter

End-of-Summer Check In!

From the WRFI Team

Hello from WRFI Headquarters! It's been another eventful and successful summer for our team and students, and we're grateful for all of you reading this who have helped make it so. Whether you donate to a scholarship fund, attend our local events, or offer encouragement via comments on our Instagram posts, every bit of support is felt by us and makes a difference. Thank you!

As our last two summer courses, Environmental Ethics and Restoration Ecology, make their way through lessons and backpacking itineraries, we are preparing to welcome them back to Missoula and to celebrate the summer with our End of Summer Party. If you can, please join us on August 23rd at the Confluence Center! The afternoon will be full of activities. Stop by from 2-5pm to bid in our silent auction, jam-packed with goods from local businesses and artists. Join us from 5-7pm to hear from our students as they present their final course projects. From 7-9pm, the End of Summer Party will be rocking the house with food, music, and messages from WRFI leadership! More info here.

If you haven't yet, give a listen to the recent episode of The Shadows Run podcast that features our Executive Director, Matt Baker-White. The podcast is hosted by WRFI alum Eva Happy and this is the first episode of a new series within the show called WRFI Stories! Be on the lookout for the next episode coming out soon...

We want to extend a special thanks to Yellowrock Campground in Lolo, MT for recently hosting our Summer Exploration students during their course. Watch a short video about the partnership here.

There's still much more to share - keep reading for a variety of updates from the field. Again, thank you for being here!

Summer Scrapbook 📸

Kodak Moments from the 2025 Field Season

These are just a few of our favorite photos from the more than 2,000 shared by WRFI students and instructors this field season (so far)! From biking across Montana, to backpacking in varying weather conditions, to sunset paddles, and more, we're so thankful to have these special memories documented so beautifully. We'll be sharing the stories behind these photos until next season and beyond!

Fresh From the Field: Jonathan Robinson

Perseverance on the Colorado Plateau

Jonathan's blog post "Perseverance on the Colorado Plateau" isn’t just about rugged terrain—it’s a testament to resilience. From the scorching temperatures and canyon-carved landscapes to the timeless ingenuity of Indigenous communities like the Hopi, this blog reminds us how people and place endure against all odds. Read about the land’s story and the remarkable strength of those who call it home in Jonathan's thoughtful post!

Reflections from CXB '25

by WRFI Instructor Sam Sharp

The students from WRFI's Conservation Across Boundaries had been on course for 5 weeks already, studying conservation across Montana and Canada, when I joined them for the last section of their journey.

We started at the National Bison Range of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT), an 18,000 acre reserve that the CSKT has managed for over a century, but only recently reclaimed as their own from the federal government in 2021.

Peter, an ecologist on the reservation, shared with us that for four centuries, this ecosystem historically burned every 12 years, based on dendrochronological data. The last burn took place in 1956.

In 2024, the CSKT led the first tribal burn. The work of the CSKT is a template for and case study of #LandBack and Indigenous conservation.

Then it was 5 days/ ~50 miles on the Lower Flathead River, living as desert rats: paddling, sun bathing, discussing, writing, reading, teaching, eating, working on final papers, swimming, eating, lounging, swimming again, etc.

Wonderful, hard working, hilarious students. Wonderful co-instructor. Clear, warm water (controlled by the SKQ dam). Lots of cows. Many birds. One bear. And a wood rat who squatted in the trailer.

Grateful.

CXB '25 students paddle the Lower Flathead; Sam with co-instructor Eva

Meet Our Instructor Team!

Zac became came to environmental education when he realized it was a way to help others become involved in solving the world’s big problems. With an advanced degree in International Conservation and Development and a professional background in engineering, he brings a wealth of knowledge to the courses he instructs. Students often point out the intentionality in his lessons and questions and how he can therefore lead thoughtful discussions about everything from renewable energy, to environmental ethics, to resource rights and much, much more. We appreciate the effort and creativity he brings into the field on each course. Thanks, Zac!