September 1, 2011

A stellar start for L&L 2011
by Fiona Brown and Dave Morris

Landscape and Livelihood (L&L) is off to a stellar start. Since arriving on Sunday, the students have been introduced to the homestead, the staff, and a resident great horned owl. They dove straight into field journaling with artist Claire Emery, and began their training in Wilderness First Aid with Dave McEvoy of Aerie Backcountry Medicine.

Many of our students this semester came to us with an interest in sustainable agriculture and food politics so, along with the standard biographical info, we asked them to describe their ideal sandwich:

Meara Cassidy
University of Montana - Resource Conservation
Meara comes to us from Colorado, specifically Fort Collins and the beautiful Western Slope community of Paonia. She has been working on farms and agricultural issues in the Rockies, and in Japan where her mother’s family originates. Of her work and study she writes, "Experiencing a community's drive to progress culturally and environmentally while maintaining traditional values is a beautiful thing."

Meara's sandwich: A perfect combo of fresh cut tomatoes, fresh mozzarella from the neighbor's raw milk, a bit of basil from the garden with the most perfect drizzle of balsamic vinegar, on freshly baked bread.

Riley Clement
University of Montana - Environmental Studies
Riley is from Montana's big city, Billings, where he played soccer with great passion. But now he also is deeply involved in agriculture. He has worked on the PEAS farm in Missoula this summer, and plans more work and study in this line. The products of agriculture are of great interest to Riley as well – he might be described as a "foodie."

Riley's sandwich: Toasted multigrain bread, stone ground mustard, applewood smoked black forest ham, Tuscan kale, musckovich heirloom tomato, sliced peppered free-range turkey, Humboldt fog chevre cheese, and marinated sliced zucchini.

Emille Legendre
University of Montana - Environmental Studies
As the name suggests, Emile is from so far south they speak a different language – Cajun French, Louisiana. He is interested in community interactions with conservation both in Montana and his home state. A recent field course in wilderness medicine and rescue techniques make him especially welcome on Landscape and Livelihood. He also completed a bike touring course across Montana studying energy and climate issues this summer.

The sandwich: A soft shell crab, po-boy dressed! (Predictable)

Charlie Smillie
University of Montana - Resource Conservation
Another Billings boy, and another interest in agriculture. Charlie's parents worked for the Northern Plains Resource Council, and early on inculcated him with the value of community and the necessity of conservation. Great high school teachers furthered his love of conservation issues, as did the Wilderness and Civilization program at the University of Montana. Charlie is "drawn to the dynamics of community that link people and soil, soil and plants, plants and people, people and our fellow animals…"

Simple sandwich: An Oreo cookie.

Diani Taylor
University of Montana - Environmental Studies
Diani has dual origins, coastal and mountain. For generations her family has run a shellfish business based in Olympia, Washington, where Diani was born. At 13 she moved to Butte, where another branch of her family bases an international guiding business. Diani is looking forward to learning more about community-based approaches to natural resource issues with Northwest Connections before she returns to the coast and begins work on the oyster farm. She writes, “A community and really any functioning system is based upon all of its pieces working together.”

Sandwich: A reuben! That is my favorite sandwich of all time!

Sarah Velk
University of Montana - Resource Conservation
Sarah hails from Havre, Montana, where her family owns a homestead 10 miles from Canada. She is in the Resource Conservation program at the University of Montana, and is interested in environmental policy and community conservation. In her studies Sarah wants to "focus on the link between governmental agencies and those affected by decisions made by agencies…. I feel Landscape and Livelihood is a perfect starting point for learning about how natural resource policy practically affects people."

Sandwich for Sarah: Bird Man bread, mayo, tomato, cucumber, avocado, sunflower seeds, spicy sprouts and muenster cheese.

Erin Williams
University of Montana - Environmental Studies
Erin is a 5th generation Montanan from Missoula, majoring in Environmental Studies. Her studies so far have made a huge impression, she writes "but (my college experience) has molded my thoughts on how I will live and conduct myself in life." Erin's goal in Landscape and Livelihood is to focus her studies further through the variety of experiences and viewpoints she will explore.

Erin’s championship-level jump-roping (really!) is fueled by: A grilled tuna melt with pepper jack cheese, Bird Man bread, horseradish mayo and artichoke hearts- nicely toasted!

Fiona Brown
Intern

Fiona is the Education Intern for Landscape and Livelihood. She grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Fiona was an L&L student in ’08 and graduated from Whitman College in 2011 with a B.A. in Environmental Humanities. She spends her summers leading backpacking trip for teens, and enjoys writing and whitewater kayaking.