WILD ROCKIES

April 2024 Newsletter

Don't Forget to RSVP for the 30-Year Celebration!

Register Today to Join Us This Summer!

Can you believe that WRFI is turning 30?!?

And we plan to celebrate – with you! Whether you are a former (or current) instructor, staff, board member, donor, alum, parent of an alum, or an avid WRFI supporter of another ilk, you are invited to join us.



We’ll gather in beautiful Missoula, Montana the weekend of July 26-29, 2024. Come for the weekend, stay for a week. Summer in Missoula is chock full of adventurous and fun things to do. On Saturday, July 27th, you can explore Missoula on your own and in the afternoon we’ll gather for a float of the Clark Fork River, ending at Silver Park for a WRFI-hosted BBQ from 4-8pm. On Sunday, you’ll have the option of joining other WRFI folks on private guided whitewater or flat water rafting trips, fishing opportunities, a cycling tour of downtown, and suggestions for self-guided hikes and scenic drives near town. Our anniversary celebration will culminate in not one, but TWO WRFI courses ending on the evening of Sunday, July 28th with student presentations and a party with catered food, drinks, and celebration. We can’t wait to see you here!

Matt Thomas and other WRFI community members we've lost too soon are always in our hearts and will be part of our celebrations this summer.

Cob Staines: The Humans Behind the Theory

WRFI Impact Stories

Colorado Plateau Kicks Off!

WRFI's first course of the year, Colorado Plateau, is officially underway! Heather and Dave, our wonderful instructors, drove down to Green River, Utah this past weekend and met up with their students to begin two months of adventure, education, and connection. We can't wait to share their photos and stories from the field. Keep them in your thoughts as they begin this journey together!

Hosting impactful, academically rigorous courses like Colorado Plateau is WRFI's mission, and it wouldn't be possible without your generous support. To ensure we can continue this mission, please consider making a donation today. It will go directly towards bringing more students into the field with us!

Featured Course: Environmental Ethics

Climate Change and Visions of a Sustainable Future

21 Field Days | 3 Semester Credits | $5,695 

July 9th-29th and August 2nd-22nd, 2024

This course explores the Northwest corner of Montana, known as the Crown of the Continent, through a backpacking trip in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, meetings with land managers, civic leaders, and scientists in local communities, and a visit to Glacier National Park. Students will receive an introduction to contemporary approaches to environmental ethics that have developed from the primary ethical traditions of western thought and examine the political, social, economic and cultural changes required to effectively address climate change and sustainability.

National Wildlife Federation

Seeking Research Fellows

Apply to join the 2024 Cohort of Graduate Students

The National Wildlife Federation’s Education and Engagement Department regularly supports a cohort of Graduate Student Research Fellows who contribute to the advancement of programs across the department through dedicated research projects. Past fellows have completed research projects on a variety of topics including community partnerships, NWF’s EcoLeaders Community, environmental justice, Tribal Colleges and Universities to name a few.

The new cohort will join a national network of alumni, many of whom have gone on to lead new businesses, agencies, and programs for sustainability all across the U.S. 

Follow the link below for more information about the program and to find the application.