Another Rusty Spoke

Wheels are the most important part of the bike. This rule of thumb has been repeated many times by Bob, pretty much every time we start working on a bike. And it all started with a simple question: “Got anything for me to do?” Free Cycles may be laid back, but we sure get things…

Pelts and PowerPoints: My Time with the Great Bear Foundation

The vast majority of my internship with the Great Bear Foundation has been spent behind a computer, updating PowerPoint presentations on the fundamentals of bear safety. These mundane hours, however, were punctuated by two events on the opposite side of the stimulation spectrum: taking my knowledge of bears to the public sphere and sharing it…

Fracking in Montana: What People Don’t Know

This semester I chose to work with Environment Montana, an organization focused on protecting clean air, water, and open space for the environment that we all share. They have several different projects that they’re currently working on, but I decided to put my efforts into their Holding Our Ground campaign that is working to protect…

An Unexpected Opportunity

Last November, I had the opportunity to take a tour of the Bad Goat lumber mill and learn about some of the important work Watershed Consultation does in the western Montana area. It was all part of a make-up field trip for Wilderness and Civ. We began the day out at the water treatment facility…

Watershed Education Network

This spring I have had the pleasure of interning at the Watershed Education Network, or WEN. WEN offers a variety of programs in citizen science and educational outreach. Personally, I have had the opportunity to develop curriculum for 6th graders on Missoula’s watershed. The games and activities I am developing will be used in classrooms…

Oceans of Change

“The oceans are the planet’s last great living wilderness, man’s only remaining frontier on Earth, and perhaps his last chance to prove himself a rational species”   – John L. Culliney, marine biologist and author   Our oceans, rivers, and lakes are being emptied of life at a frighteningly rapid rate. In less than two…

PEAS Farm

For this spring semester, I chose the PEAS Farm for my internship. The farm is on 9.5 acres in the Rattlesnake, and my internship there involves all the aspects of a spring time farm operation. I will learn how to seed and tend to hundreds of plants in the green house, prune fruit trees, manage…