It’s beginning to feel a bit “autumn-ish” in the air as leaves turn and drop and snow falls in the Montana mountains! (melting quickly for the moment)
Summer is for getting up in the high country, or on the water, or anywhere outside! I had the opportunity to get out and explore the Absaroka Mountain Range to the headwaters of the Yellowstone river with a good friend, Pat Musick. We have shared many adventures together, including spreading Jim’s ashes in the Scapegoat wilderness (with 4 others that summer of 2011). That was many years ago now. Today, we still remember the dedicated and playful way Jim encouraged young folks to think about the world outside, and themselves. Wild Wind is an attempt to continue that momentum and encourage a connection with the natural world. As you know by now, the primary way we have done that is by growing scholarship availability for young people to have experiences outside. Developing understanding and a comfort level and learning more about where we live or places far from home are all critical to gaining values that include a healthy planet for all “earthlings” in our future. This newsletter is a celebration of that concept.
Kid for the Wild Scholarships
This summer, Addison Grote, one of the scholarship recipients, attended The Hawk Mountain Appalachian Ecology program. Here is a note from Addison:
The first day we went on a backpacking trip on the Appalachian trail. We only walked a mile the first day but after spending a night at the campground we hiked 8 miles the next day. Throughout, we were taught about local snakes, salamanders, and tree and plant species on the mountain. There was also a rattlesnake biologist there who spotted a couple Timber rattlesnakes. The instructors (Steve and Noah) were very knowledgeable about the plant species and invasive species in particular. They made the whole course a lot of fun. When we got back from the backpacking trip we met a mushroom farmer who had a talk about mushrooms and mycelium which was fascinating. The next day we went songbird mist-netting and banded kestrels with some of the hawk mountain staff and the day after that we learned about vultures and how ornithologists are doing research on their migrations. My favorite part was probably banding the kestrels and getting to talk to and spend time with other teens who are just as interested in conservation as I am. We asked a lot of questions about college and a career in the field as well which was very insightful. Doing real field work like banding the birds was incredible and I definitely want to continue doing related work in the future.
Marley Crookston received a scholarship to participate in a program with the Alpen Girls Camp that provides experience and time outside with other young women. This program focused on learning about packing horses and you can see more about Marley’s trip here:
Wishing you all many wonderful moments outside,
From all of us at Wild Wind,
James, Randi, Jessica, Sarah, Mark, Leslie
Wishing you all many wonderful moments outside,
From all of us at Wild Wind,
James, Randi, Jessica, Sarah, Mark, Leslie