May 23, 2011

Wildlife In The West Students
And A Few Of Their Favorite Things
by Dave Morris

This spring is completely wild - high water, roaming bears, nesting birds, bursting buds. And we have a brand new college field course launched. Eleven students from around the nation are out exploring "Wildlife in the West" with Northwest Connections. We will be studying bears in the Swan, lynx in the Clearwater, wolves in the Blackfoot, and native fish in Salmon, ID. Check our Barn Blog and Facebook sites for photos and reports from the field.

Kaytlan Bockenstedt Iowa State University - Animal Ecology Hiking to Holland Falls and seeing golden-mantled ground squirrels.
Michael Carter Iowa State University - Animal Ecology Seeing deer and elk and how they were killed by various predators.
Sara Halm University of Vermont - Environmental Science/ Conservation Biology Seeing badger, lion, and bear tracks right out the door – so close!
McKenna Hansel Iowa State University - Animal Ecology/Biology Finding a beaver dam and learning about how important they are in shaping the landscape and wildlife habitats.
Kinsey Host Virginia Tech - Wildlife Science Being so far from home, and seeing so many new things in the Swan Valley.
Erin Johnson Iowa State University - Animal Ecology Learning how to use map, compass and GPS to navigate these woods.
Eric Locker Iowa State University - Animal Ecology Finding bear rubbed trees and imagining the animals scratching their backs right there.
Hanna Nielsen Willamette University - Religious Studies Finding bear skulls and comparing them with those of other animals.
Rebekah Rafferty Humboldt State University - Environment & Community Finding an elk carcass, and learning about the signs of the animals that killed and scavenged it.
Brenna Rietmann University of Montana - Political Science & Wildlife Biology Meeting with State biologists and learning how they trap bears for research and management.
Jed Winer University of Montana - Journalism Hearing Tom Parker's story about one of his hunters being stalked by a mountain lion and walking a mile backward down the road.
Laura Arvidson (Intern) Laura is an intern for the Wildlife in the West and the Landscape and Livelihood programs. She is a 4th generation resident of the Flathead Valley, and earned a degree in Resource Conservation from the University of Montana. Laura is an alumnus of Northwest Connection’s Winter Field Studies and Landscape and Livelihood programs. She is interested in natural history as well as conservation. Laura enjoys exploring the natural world and farming.
Robin Keisic (Intern) Robin is a graduate student in the Environmental Studies program at the University of Montana. He runs a sustainable screen printing business and is interested in environmental justice and place-based approaches to education and conservation. Robin currently serves on the board as co-president with CAJA3, Community Action for Justice in the Americas. In his free time, you’ll find Robin playing chess, climbing trees, writing poetry and climbing rocks.

Garden City's LocalFest
by Mo Bookwalter

NwC at LocalFest

Kyra and John Parker enjoying the festivities!

It was a very windy, but sunny Saturday here in Missoula–a perfect day to spend with my fellow NwC co-workers and board members at Sustainable Business Council's LocalFest on May 14th in Missoula. So, I packed up my 8 month old daughter securely in her "Chariot" and we biked down to Caras Park. Northwest Connections had a table at this event to share ideas about the important local resources sourced from the rural areas of Missoula County and to highlight our undergraduate educational programs in ecology and community based conservation.

The main lure of our table display was the birch bentwood chair made by our Landscape and Livelihood students. We raffled the chair off with all proceeds going directly into our student scholarship fund. Our past students paying it forward to future students! Many festival goers really liked learning that this high valued product was made using wood that is normally considered waste. And fortuitously, an alumni (who has recently become a seasonal staff member) and helped build the chair, won the raffle – congratulations to Laura Arvidson! It sure was fun being a part of an event that offered a sampling of local food, drink, artists and general elements unique to our five valleys area. And I'm glad we offered a sampling from the Swan Valley as part of this celebration of 'all things local'. A huge thanks to our board members (Mary Mitsos, Leah Swartz and Mark Phares) for helping us make it a successful and fun day.