Speakers and Guests
Throughout the semester we meet with different speakers and professors, each for varying amounts of time. With some professors we spend up to two weeks studying with them, while some speakers will spend only an hour or two with us. The people we meet are what make Semester in the West great: we are meeting those people who are involved in the issues that we are studying. These are the people on the ground who have experience and knowledge on these issues. What is more, speakers come from all walks of life and all political and moral/ethical backgrounds, so Westies come away with many varying perspectives--forcing Westies to make their own opinions.
November 19-20, 2008 - near Arvin, CA
Michael White, Private Contract Biologist, Tejon Preserve, Corvallis, OR
Mike White is a biologist working under contract with the Tejon Ranch Conservancy, a non-profit organization formed in part from Mike’s work on an agreement between the Tejon Ranch Company and environmental groups. Mike was born and raised in Southern California, and went on to work for the Conservation Biology Institute based in Corvallis OR on a wide variety of issues. These days though he works primarily for the Tejon Ranch Conservancy on biology issues throughout the ranch’s 270,000 acres.
November 19-20, 2008 - near Arvin, CA
Chris Niemela, Independent Contract Ornithologist, near Arvin, CA
Chris Nemela helped wrap up the 2008 SITW program with what can only be considered academic candy: watching raptors. From the top of Tejon Ranch, where Nemela works to protect the iconic California Condor, Nemela set out a still born baby calf on a hilltop and everyone waited. Unfortunately, California fog rolled in before the condors did, but the Nemela shared the fascinating history of condor conservation. In 1978, it was estimated that only 30 birds were left in the wild. At the clutches of a historic conservation debate, the last living condor was caught on Easter Sunday in 1987 and brought into captivity for breeding. Rerelease began in 1992, and today, there are an estimated 79 California Condors in California. While waiting on the hilltop, the Westies spotted several red tail hawks, as well as a feral pig that darted between the silver suburban.
November 19-20, 2008 - near Arvin, CA
Graham Chisholm, Director of Conservation, California Audubon Society, Sacramento, CA
Director of conservation for California Audubon society and chair of Tejon conservancy board, Graham Chisolm help explain to us the conservation agreement at Tejon Ranch near Bakersfield, California. The Tejon Ranch Conservancy is a non-profit organization has establish 240,000 acres of conservation land that is critical habit for the California Condor as well as valuable transition zone for many other species.
November 18-20, 2008 - near Arvin, CA
Rob Peterson, Project Manager, Tejon Preserve, near Arvin, CA
Rob Peterson is a development specialist for the Tejon Ranch, currently working in the land use planning department. Mr. Peterson gave us a tour around the Ranch to spectacular overlooks of the San Joaquin Valley, Coast Range, and Mojave Desert. He also gave us insight into the Ranch’s land-use philosophy, which ties a strong commitment to conservation with the development of real estate.
The Alliance for Responsible Energy Policy
Jim Harvey, Joshua Tree area, CA
John McFarlane, Joshua Tree area, CA
Ann Garry, Joshua Tree area, CA
Dave Garry, Joshua Tree area, CA
Danielle Alvarado, Elementary School Teach and No More Deaths volunteer, Whitman '07, Tuscon, AZ
Johanna Allen, No More Deaths Volunteer Coordinator, Whitman '08, Tuscon, AZ
Oscar Pawpaw, EMT and No More Deaths volunteer, Tuscon, AZ
No More Deaths is a humanitarian aid group that provides assistance to migrants in need along the Mexico/Arizona border. Founded in 2004, the group is principally composed of volunteers who provide food, water and emergency medical aid, saving lives of many who might otherwise perish under the harsh desert conditions. No More Deaths believes that the militarization of the border between the United States and Mexico and the associated border control policies and practices are the cause of the rise in migrant deaths. They seek to work with the surrounding community in mitigating the inhumane effects of such policies.
George Bridges, President, Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA
Tom McCracken, Trustee, Whitman College, Seatte, WA
George Bridges and Tom McCracken, President and Trustee of Whitman College respectively, came to visit the Westies for two nights while we stayed at the El Coronado ranch. In spite of offers of luxurious guest houses, they opted to stay with us the whole time, camping out, braving the cold for early breakfasts, and joining us in the field to help with our surveys of trincheras (low rock dams) on the Turkey Pen drainage. They brought news from the school, Whitman hats, and Bon Apetit brownies--yum! We had a great time showing George and Tom our setup and every day camp life and talking about the ecology project we created as a group to study the effectiveness of trincheras on incised streams. Thank you to the Whitman administration for being supportive of SITW and joining us on the road!
Valer Austin, private conservationist, Sunizona, AZ
Joe Austin, private conservationist, Sunizona, AZ
Joe and Valer Austin have been the Westies hosts on the San Bernardino and Los Ojos Ranches in Mexico and in the Chiricahua Mountains of southern Arizona. The Austins are conservationists on the ground. They have undertaken large-scale projects to restore the streams and rivers on their land in Arizona and south of the border as well as committed to preserve their land as open space. Josiah, originally from Maryland, and Valer, originally from New York, have installed thousands of trincheras, small rock dams, and hundreds of gabion rock cage dams on their land to slow water from flash floods and to fill in the incised stream channels with sediment. The Austins also graciously hosted the Westies in Arizona for a potluck and conversation about their work. The Westies conducted ecology fieldwork on the Austin’s land in Mexico and stream morphology fieldwork in Arizona to help assess the effectiveness of the Austin’s restoration methods.
November 7-9, 2008 - near Cliff, NM
Sharman Apt Russell, Author, Cliff, NM
For one of our final writing workshops the Westies met with accomplished nature writer Sharman Apt Russell at the Nature Conservancy’s Lichty Center, outside of Silver City, New Mexico. The objective of the workshop was to explore the melding of science and literature as well as the future of nature writing. Over 3 days of discussion and writing, Sharman shared her perspective on the breadth of the nature genre of writing, answered students questions and helped us discover the Gila River Farm Preserve, Sacaton Mesa, Gila River Watershed and surrounding National Forest land. Sharman’s writing experience, community involvement and kind generosity enriched everyone’s nature and science writing and brought an even warmer glow to the cozy amenities of the Lichty Center living room.
November 7-8, 2008 - near Cliff, NM
Martha Schumann, Director of New Mexico Nature Conservancy, Cliff, NM
We met with Martha Schumann at the Nature Conservancy’s Lichty Center for Ecological Research near Silver City, New Mexico. Martha is the Nature Conservancy’s Southwest New Mexico Field Representative. Martha educated the group on the restoration projects taking place on the preserve, including efforts to widen the flood plain and increase habitat in the riparian ecosystem of the Gila River valley. Along with other TNC members and volunteers, Semester in the West students worked on a project for the Gila Farm Preserve after learning about the international organization and its mission in conservation. Students removed debris from irrigation channels to increase water flow to pastures. Students also removed barbwire fence from a recently donated property adjacent to the Farm Preserve. This work was a small contribution in return for the generous use of the Center and an introduction to the local and international work of The Nature Concervancy
October 29, 2008 - near Santa Fe, NM
Sam Johnson, Whitman '05, Field Manager, Santa Fe Office for Barack Obama, Santa Fe, NM
Whittie alum Sam Johnson, who graduated in 2007, came and spoke to us while we were doing ecology work outside of Santa Fe. A professional cyclist turned Obama activist, Sam was the Obama campaign field office manager for the Santa Fe area. He talked with us about what it is like to work in a swing state, and what kinds of activities are involved in campaign management. It was inspiring to see his passion and work ethic just days before the election
William DeBuys, Author, El Valle, NM
Writer William de Buys has lived amidst the mountains of Northern New Mexico since 1977. Recently he welcomed Semester in the West for a 2 day-writing workshop, taking them on “the walk” for which his most recent book is titled and sharing tidbits of the complex history of the place where he lives; historically Northern New Mexico has been inhabited by both Hispanics and Indians, but formally it held the titles of both “Mexican” and “American” territory. The Westies camped in a small hay meadow rimmed by cottonwood trees shedding fall colors and pine trees above the Río de las Trampas, “the River of Traps,” for which another book by de Buys is named. At 8,000 feet in late October, the thick morning frost was the sign of the season that Westies have been averting as they migrated south through low deserts. Inspired by de Buys message and newly armed with the cumulative sentence, many Westies began writing essays, sitting in the blue canvas chair circle, rolling crispy leaves between their palms, pondering the stories of the gurgling acsecio irrigation ditch upslope and the Río downhill.
Craig Childs, Writer and Journalist, Crawford, CO
We met Craig Childs in Southern Utah for our fourth writing workshop. Craig is the author of The Secret Knowledge of Water among other books about his life in the American West and the area’s natural history. He also works for NPR and several magazines. His many writings are inspired by his life as an avid adventurer. We got a small taste of Craig’s lifestyle by spending part of each day on solo hikes through Mule Canyon discovering spring-fed pools, pot shards, rock art, and cliff dwellings all around the path-free canyon. Every night Craig told us stories about his travels and experiences, and he encouraged us to explore everything we come across whether it be in the desert or in New York City. We began each day with Craig by congregating near a ruined Anasazi tower to watch the sun rise over the canyon, while Craig played a Japanese flute. Craig gave us various writing assignments, including writing “six word memoires,” describing ourselves in six words exactly. We concluded our four days with Craig with a written story about our time in Mule Canyon.
Ernest Jones, National Park Service and Resident of Canyon de Shelly, near Chinle, AZ
A native to Canyon De Chelly, Ernest Jones works as a ranger at Canyon De Chelly National Monument. Generous with his time, patience and stories, Ernest joined us for multiple meals, sharing life stories and a unique perspective on Navajo history and culture. On our final night in Navajo land, he took us up the canyon to his home, showing us many of his favorite rock art and dwelling sites along the way. He told us stories of his childhood, growing up in the canyon, and about old Navajo constellations as we stood between the moon bathed rock walls. Poised in his position as local and docent, Ernest provided a thoughtful, informative and spiritual finale to an exciting journey in Navajo lands.
Levon Henry, Executive Director, DNA- People's Legal Services, Window Rock, AZ
Zachary Keelan, Attorney and Branch Director, DNA- People's Legal Services, Fort Defiance, AZ
In Window Rock, the Westies met with Levon Henry and Zachary Keelan of DNA People’s Legal Services, a publicly-funded legal aid organization for the Native American communities in the Four Corners area. Mr. Henry, the Executive Director, provided an overview of their operations as well as a historical look at DNA’s work. With Mr. Keelan, the director of the Fort Defiance office, we discussed the details of one of DNA’s major cases: the use of reclaimed sewage water to make snow on the San Francisco Peaks, an area sacred to many Native American tribes. Mr. Keelan explained DNA’s argument and the story of the lawsuit, which after being appealed multiple times, is waiting to be heard by the Supreme Court. By dealing with far reaching constitutional issues, as well as the troubles of day-to-day life, Mr. Henry and Mr. Keelan presented a view of modern Native American law. Gracious hosts to the Westies and generous advocates for the community, Mr. Henry and Mr. Keelan left us inspired and better informed about the Southwest and its history.
Stanley Pollack, Assitant Attorney General, Water Rights Unit, Navajo Nation Department of Justice, Window Rock, AZ
Bidtah Becker, Attorney, Water Rights Unit, Department of Justice, Navajo Nation, Window Rock, AZ
Stanley Pollack and Bidtah Becker are attorneys for the Navajo Nation Department of Justice, water rights division. Stanley and Bidtah met with Semester in the West in Window Rock, Arizona, seat of the Navajo Tribal Council. They talked with us about water rights issues facing the Navajo Nation, such as how the tribe plans to get water for irrigation projects and domestic use, since many rural Navajos must haul water to their homes. Stanley also led Semester in the West on a tour of the Navajo Tribal Council chambers.
Megan Murdock Krischke, Whitman '99, Fort Lewis College, Farmington, NM
Megan Krischke, a recent graduate from Whitman College with a degree in Environmental Economics, helped to set up our meetings with a number of groups on the Navajo Nation objecting to development of coal fired power plants. She is currently working at Fort Lewis College in Durango CO.
Dailan Long, Community Organizer, Dine CARE, Farmington, NM
Dailan Long is the community organizer of Diné Care. Diné Care is a grassroots organization that is working to prevent the building of the Desert Rock power plant on the Navajo reservation. In addition to this work, Diné Care is heavily invested in the researching of and future implementing of renewable energy. Diné Care seeks to educate others about renewable energy and the downfalls of coal-fired power through community outreach programs and personal, face-to-face discussions.
Arnold Clifford, Botanist and Geologist, Beclabito, NM
Arnold Clifford is a Navajo geobotanist on the Navajo Reservation in the Four Corners region. During our stay near Shiprock, New Mexico, Arnold led us in harvesting dead junipers from his land. We chopped a trailerfull of trees that will fuel a four-day spiritual ceremony this fall for the Dooda Desert Rock resistance on the site of the proposed coal plant. We were impressed by Arnold's phenomenally extensive knowledge of the hundreds of endemic plant species in these desert hills, or "sky islands." As a geobotonist, Arnold relates plants to the geologic substrate on which they grow. An unimposing but brilliant man, Arnold has discovered many species and named them after his relatives.
Elouise Brown, President, Dooda Desert Rock, near Shiprock, NM
On the Navajo Nation Reservation we stayed on the protest site of Dooda Desert Rock—an organization resisting the construction of a third coal power plant within a 15 mile area on the reservation. Elouise Brown is the president of Dooda Desert Rock and has been written about in the New York Times for her incredible effort and determination to protect the Navajo land and the health of the people. We spent two nights with Eloise, her son and her sister Victoria Alba, assisting in the collection, cutting and stacking of firewood for a November Navajo religious event on the site.
Joe Pachak, Archaelogist, Artist and Bluff resident, Bluff, Utah
Joe Pachak is an artist who lives in Bluff, UT. He has multiple sculptures at the edge of the cedars museum that we visited in Blanding, UT. He taught us about common images and themes in petrogliphs and pictographs of Southern Utah. We went on an all day hike with Mr. Pachak on Comb Ridge where we discovered numerous pot sherds from various eras and pottery styles. At the end of the hike, we visited three cave dwelling sites with pictographs.
Gene Foushee, Geologist, Naturalist and Bluff resident, Bluff, Utah
Gene joined Semester in the West in Bluff Utah during our writing workshop with Ann Weiler Walka. After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he fell in love with the desert and promptly moved to Bluff. In addition to his prominent geological career, he has restored and enlivened many buildings in the Bluff area. In fact his distinctive style leads citizens to define his buildings as “Foushee-d”. His tour of Comb Ridge’s nooks and crannies was informative, but most inspiring was Gene’s continual awe at the place he has now lived in for decades.
Jim Whelan, Forest Fisheries Biologist and Cooperative Aquatic Biologist, US Forest Service/Utah Dept. Wildlife Resources, Fishlake NF, Utah
Westies met with Jim Whelan, Fishlake National Forest Fisheries Biologist during our ecology field session in Southern Utah. Jim is concerned about the health of riparian systems in the Fishlake and hopes to flush the system of whirling disease. With him, we participated in a fish kill that will help him test the local populations for this disease and determine the possibility and viability of reintroducing native trout into the Fishlake stream system.
Aaron David, Ecology Field Assistant, Whitman '08 Alum, Fishlake NF, UT
Aaron, affectionately known as “Dirty!” assisted the Westies with their ecology work with Mary O’Brien in southern Utah. Aaron’s expertise in identifying willows and clarifying methodology helped the Westies on riparian vegetation and aspen surveys.
Mike Braaten, Government Affairs and Energy Coordinator, CIty of Rifle, Rifle, CO
Mike Braaten works for the local Government and Energy Affaris office in Rifle, Colorado as a lobbyist and coordinator. He explained the causes and effects of the boom and bust economy in Rifle as a result of oil and gas drilling in the area and his concerns that his town will become a sacrificial zone for the nation’s energy consumption. Mike is worried that Rifle is experiencing detrimental social, economic and environmental impacts from the drilling and hopes they will be able to diversify their economy particularly by pursuing the development of renewables.
Mark Harvey, Filmmaker, Basalt, CO
Mark Harvey is the creator of the film, “A Land Out of Time,” a movie that looks at energy extraction on the Roan Plateau. Since the issuing of the film, Mr. Harvey has been traveling extensively, seeking to educate the public about the contentious issues surrounding the mining of natural gas. He believes that literacy regarding energy and economics is vital. In conjunction with this idea, Mr. Harvey maintains that, “we need wild lands as places to retreat and heal.”
Randy Udall, Director, Community Office for Resource Efficiency, Carbondale, CO
Randy is the founder of Peak Oil, and is the leading renewable energy expert in Colorado and the West. He travels around the country attending conferences and giving presentations on the subject. Randy gave us a presentation on peak oil and the global energy economy at Roaring Fork High School on September 25, 2008. Following his presentation, we had the opportunity to chat with Randy and ask him questions regarding his realistic opinion on climate change and the future of energy policy in America.
Jim Raras, COO, INPOWER, Carbondale, CO
Jim Raras of InPower Systems met with Semester in the West students at his company’s office in Carbondale, Colorado. InPower, an energy consulting firm, helps clients reduce energy usage and also facilitates the installation of photovoltaic cells and solar hot water. Raras led Westies on a tour of his own home, and showed us the photovoltaic system and energy-monitoring device he had installed. Raras also led Westies on a tour of a client’s home and solar system near Carbondale, and detailed the tax credits available to help subsidize the installation of solar systems.
Jim Stark, Winter Sports Coordinator for the White River National Forest, USFS, Aspen, CO
Jim Stark of the White River Forest Service is working to install a group of three wind turbines at the top of one of Aspen’s Mountains. The energy generated from these turbines, he told us, would generate most of the energy needed by the chair lifts and snow-makers on the mountain during the winter and provide clean energy for the city and surrounding area during warmer months. The turbines will be placed in close proximity to this infrastructure so that its power-transmitting potential can be utilized, negating the need to construct new infrastructure —saving money and lessening visual impacts of the project.
Jim has two main obstacles to this project. The first is the aversion some individuals have to the visual impact of turbines. Jim has worked to overcome this by showing the low-density model of the project and discussing its overall environmental benefits. The second, and more problematic Jim claims is the forest service itself. The Forest Service, historically separated from renewable energy development, is an agency embedded with a culture skeptical of the change renewable energy production will bring. That said, Jim has already made substantial progress in challenging and changing this culture with this project.
Steve Bossart, Asset Manager, City of Aspen, Aspen, CO
We met Steve Bossart in the Burlingame community — a newly constructed “green” affordable housing community within Aspen that offered multiple examples of current green construction methods. Steve is a project manager for the city of Aspen, currently working on developing green affordable housing communities, like Burlingame, for the city. (Each “affordable” unit costs between 300,000 and 400,000 dollars, clearly articulating the extreme wealth located within Aspen). Every unit is built under guidelines provided by the department of energy project “building America,” a project designed to encourage and promote green construction.
John Hines, Engineer, Aspen Utilities, Aspen, CO
Kim Peterson, Global Warming Manager, City of Aspen, Aspen, CO
John Hines, an engineer for Aspen City Utilities, and Kim Peterson, Aspen’s sustainability coordinator, gave the Westies a tour and previews of Aspen’s various green projects. Hines and Perterson illustrated Aspen’s green projects such as micro-hydropower, geothermal, and solar panels. The goal of much of these projects is to make Aspen’s utilities self-powering to lower the city’s carbon footprint. Aspen’s plan is to use its affluence to test and implement alternative energy solutions and then to recommend the most cost effective ones to other towns.
John McBride, Sopris Foundation, Aspen, CO
John McBride, owner of the Lost Marbles ranch near Aspen, Colorado, hosted the Westies while they studied alternative energy and community development in the area. John and his daughter Kate McBride founded the Sopris Foundation 1993, which is committed preserving open spaces and facilitating development of livable communities in and around the Aspen area. The foundations latest projects include an estate tax reform, and produced the documentary “Nobody’s Home” which explores the effects of second-home development on communities.
Piper Foster, '02 Whitman Alum, Executive Director, Sopris Foundation, Aspen, CO
As the Executive Director of the Sopris Foundation, Piper works to encourage a strong environmental ethic. The mission of the Foundation is that every town in the West should be a flagship, helping small towns have wise land use, local involvement, renewable energy, and affordable housing. As a Whitman alum and previous student of Phil’s, Piper was our guide around Aspen. Through her connections and with her support, we visited a variety of people to discuss local adaptations to climate change and renewable energy.
Sarah Gilman and staff of High Country News, '02 Whitman Alum, Assistant Editor, High Country News, Paonia, CO
The Westies visited former ’02 Westie Sarah Gilman, now Assistant Editor at the High Country News headquarters in Paonia, Colorado. High Country News is a non-profit magazine newspaper that reports on “the West’s natural resources, public lands, and changing communities,” offering a comprehensive view on the issues facing the West—the eleven states between the Pacific Coast and the Great Plains. Gilman and the rest of the High Country News staff discussed the processes of journalism, including how to keep the stories of the West “fresh,” a journalistic challenge when reporting issues that span long periods of time. With its recent updates (including the same size dimensions as the original Rolling Stones magazine), the Westies left with new editions hot off the press and Christmas wishes for subscriptions.
Jack Perrin, Director, High Desert Center for Sustainability, Paonia, CO
Dev Carey, Director, High Desert Center for Sustainability, Paonia, CO
Jack Perrin and Dev Carey have a long history of involvement in education. After starting successful experiential learning programs for both high school and college students, they recently formed a college called the High DesertCenter for Sustainabilityilty to provide students with an even more in-depth learning experience. They work to live with as little impact and as self-sufficiently as possible, and pass this knowledge on to others. Among many other projects, they are currently building a straw bale house as part of their campus. We were enlisted to help for a few hours, and we mixed sand, clay, and straw with water to form “cob”. Thanks to Jack and Dev's infectious enthusiasm everyone had a great time getting their hands dirty laying the cob on the house's walls.
Michelle Nijhuis, Independent Journalist, Paonia, CO
Michelle Nijhuis graciously met with the Westies in a grassy field on her property outside of Paonia, CO. Her due date for her first child is a week after she meets with us, but this award-winning journalist gave us two days of discussion about journalism, climate chance, writing pet peeves and writing career tips. As a free-lance environmental science writer, Michelle has been a long-standing contributed to High Country New and won the 2006 Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Journalism based on three climate change articles that appeared in that magazine. Michelle impressed us all with really walking the talk as opposed to just writing about the talk of sustainability and climate change. We got to tour her straw bale home and her husband ran a sustainability school in the background of our outdoor classroom. She invited us to explore the hard task of writing an article about something as big as climate change on a smaller level for a popular audience, and led our discussion of those writings.
Tamara Naumann, Botanist, Dinosaur National Monument, Dinosaur, CO
The Westies joined Dinosaur National Monument botanist Tamara Naumann on a two-day, one-night rafting trip to kill invasive tamarisks on the Green River. Aside from swimming in muddy, “green” water, the Westies clipped and sawed tamarisk branches; dug 4-6 ft. down for tamarisk roots, and yanked the existence of tamarisk from the campsite. Tamara told us that when she first moved to Dinosaur, a place “in the middle of nowhere,” instead of moving after four or five years, which is typical of a Forest Service employee, Tamara and her husband Pete decided to stay for good. Tamara has since been involved in many successful programs, including a program call “Weed Warriors,” which she heads to remove invasive species in the area, and has grown extensively in number of volunteers and funding. Tamara reminded us of how much change and influence one person can have with a little work hard, willpower, and persistence.
Agee Smith, Rancher and Owner, Cottonwood Ranch, Elko County, NV
Agee Smith is a 3rd generation rancher in NE Nevada. His Cottonwood Ranch is a model for Holistic Management, a system of collaborative decision making that he has been key in instrumenting on heavily grazed private and public lands. He began working with the system in the mid 90’, since then he has also cultivated a strong guest ranch business. He was generous enough to lead us on a two day tour of his and a neighboring ranch with the Shoe Sole holistic management group, and also let us camp in one of his pastures.
The Shoesole Group, Collaborative Ranching Project, Elko County, NV
The students were honored to be invited on the summer ranch tour of the Shoesole Group, a non-profit initiative that uses a collaborative management process. The group consists of: Leta Collord (NNSG); Donna Jewell (BLM); Amy Salveter (USFW); Kari Muebner (NDOW); Jaime Jasmine (NRCS); Derrick Holdstock (BLM); Bryan Tuell (BLM); Connie Lee (NDOW); Kent McAdoo (UNCE); Larry Hyslip (NNSG); Jeff Moore (BLM); Martha Griswald (Boise Ranch); Richard Orr (Sustainable Grazing Coalition); Maggie Orr (SGC); Patrick Coffin (BLM); Agee Smith (Cottonwood Ranch); Kody Menghini (Cottonwood Ranch); Nathan Boies (Boies Ranch); and Sam Boies (Boies Ranch). They call their practice “Holistic Management” and try to minimize the impact grazing has on the land. Through asking tons of questions, the Shoesole Group gave us a complete look at the evolving world of progressive ranching, as well as a successful example of collaborative management.
The Boies Family - Steve, Robin, Nathan and Sam, Ranchers, Elko County, NV
Jon Marvel, Executive Director, Western Watersheds Project
Kelley Weston, President of the Board of Directors, Western Watersheds Projects
Jon Marvel is executive director of Western Watersheds Project, a group dedicated to eliminating ranching on public lands of the American West through litigation. Kelley Weston is the President of the Board of WWP. We had the privilege of spending two days in the field outside Jackpot, NV with Jon and Kelley seeing and learning the adverse affects of cattle grazing on the preservation and health of the land. Jon’s strong beliefs, rhetoric, and tactics triggered much thoughtful discussion and debate both within the group and individually. His time with us has been a foundation for our grappling with ranching on public lands throughout the semester.
Tom Stephenson, Biologist, California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife
When asked for a glimpse of Bighorn Sheep, California Department of Fish and Game Wildlife Biologist Tom Stevenson retorts, “How high do you want to go?” Stevenson works to restore Bighorns in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, regularly monitoring on foot at elevations of 10,000 plus feet as well as via satellite tracking. Thanks to what conservationists call “charismatic megafauna,” the program is relatively well funded – bids for a single hunting tag can run up to $400,000. Stevenson shared an evening and day hike with Semester in the West students in the Golden Trout wilderness discussing Bighorn management and habitat.
Mike Prather, Owens Valley Committee
Mike Prather, Outreach Coordinator for the Owens Valley Committee, met Semester in the West 2008 at the Owens Valley Interagency Visitors Center and spoke with us regarding water issues in the Owens Valley, including the historic “water grab” by Los Angeles. Mr. Prather became involved with various wildlife conservation groups in the region and eventually worked to form The Owens Valley Committee. Since then Mr. Prather has been described as “the pit-bull on the Los Angeles Water and Power’s pants leg.” Mr. Prather showed us the restored river corridor, the dust mitigation that the Los Angeles Department Water and Power is engaged in on Owens Lakebed, and also fielded numerous questions on how citizens groups can effectively make a difference when working against large forces. The Owens Valley Committee was also successful in re-watering 60 miles of the lower Owens River, in an effort to improve wildlife habitat. Mr. Prather gave an impressive view of how a group of citizens can influence powers such as the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power through concerted activism.
Bill Rowley, Professor of Environmental History, University of Nevada, Reno
Bill Rowley is a professor of Environmental History at University of Nevada Reno. In addition to being a premier scholar of Nevada Congressman and Senator Francis Newland, he is currently writing a two part history of the Bureau of Reclamation. He gave both the Semester in the West students along with a portion of environmental studies students from University of Nevada Reno a short history of the Derby Dam on the Truckee River, the first project of the bureau of reclamation that brought water to irrigate the alfalfa fields of arid Nevada in 1902. His knowledge of the regions social and natural history provided students with context to understand the complex issues surrounding water rights today.
Scott Mensing, Professor of Geography, University of Nevada, Reno
The Westies met with Dr. Scott Mensing at Pyramid Lake to study the unique tufa formations around the lake. Dr. Mensing is a geographer at University of Nevada, Reno, and an expert on the surrounding environment and it’s history. He has been an integral part of the group of scientists who are trying to map out the geologic history of the lake. Using pollen deposits from varying layers of tufa which ring the lake, Dr. Mensing has been able to determine the historic lake levels dating back to the last ice age. With Dr. Mensing as our guide, we toured a number of notable tufa sites and discussed how the calcium carbonate was formed, what caused discrepancies in structure, and what the lake looked like even two hundred years ago. Dr. Mensing’s expertise was invaluable in bringing the history of the lake to life, and understanding the geologic and climatic history effecting terminal lakes in the Great Basin.
Ben Aleck, PLPT Museum Collections Manager
Ralph Burns
Westies and University of Reno students met with Ben Aleck and Ralph Burns at the Pyramid Lake Pauise Tribe Museum to talk about native history of the Pyramid Lake area. With deep, calm voices and quiet demeanors, they talk about tribal sovereignty, fishing, and tell us a Coyote story in the Paiute language. Native people have been in the great basin for at least 9000 years, and were well established when the first white explorers came to the area in 1844. Ben and Ralph also discuss the tribe’s water negotiations with the recent Truckee River Operating Agreement and emphasize how native people had their culture changed dramatically in one generation with the influx of white settlers.
Scott Slovic, Professor of Literature and the Environment, University of Nevada, Reno
Scott Slovic spoke on the subject of environmental literature, explaining that any piece can be read through an eco-critical perspective. Environmental literature is flexible, it is philosophy, it is culture; anything can be connected to the environment. He spoke of how the relative absence of water, food and shelter in the harsh landscape brought the nature of life's essentials into sharp relief. Dr. Slovic also talked about travel to new locations, and that leaving a place makes you more aware of its details once you return. We discussed perceptions of the desert, which ranged from stark and foreboding to comforting.
Colin Robertson, Curator, Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, Nevada
Colin Robertson, curator of education at Nevada Museum of Art, guided Semester in the West and University of Reno students through an exhibit by the renowned environmental artist Chris Drury. Colin explained the historical and cultural context for the works including “Life in a field of death” created with soil from nuclear test site, and “569 shelter stones” made from rocks gathered near Pyramid Lake, NV. He described how the artist incorporated parts of the environment into his works to emphasize certain themes, such as nuclear testing and human impact on the landscape. The exhibit was particularly relevant in this respect because the students spent their time in the area studying Pyramid Lake and the effects of water diversion from the lake on wildlife and native tribes.
Jen Huntley-Smith, Professor of Environmental History and UNR Founder of Academy for the Environment, University of Reno, Nevada
Jen Huntley-Smith, an environmental historian and the Associate Director for the Academy for the Environment at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), initiated a joint fieldtrip September 5-7th between 15 environmental students from UNR and Semester in the West. The aim of the weekend was to learn and discuss water policy in the local region as part of the arid West. Jen helped organize various speakers regarding both the natural history of the local environment and the history of water issues in Reno. First Jen guided a tour along the historically significant Truckee River, emphasizing the cultural and historical development of Reno. The rest of the fieldtrip consisted of visiting the Nevada Museum of Art, touring the Lake Lahontan basins with a geographer, speaking with Paiute Native American tribal members, and seeing the Derby Dam.
Don Harker and Nancy Knoble, Ranch owners, Joseph, OR
Don and Nancy Harker own a 110-acre ranch a few miles outside Joseph, OR, where they were generous enough to let the Westies set up camp for 5 nights. They have owned the ranch since June 2008, where they raise crops of wheat, in addition to chickens, some spirited goats, and a full garden, from which they gave us some tasty vegetables. In addition to owning the ranch, Don is interim director of Wallowa Resources-Wallowa Mountain Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to sustainable land use and development in Wallowa County. Although the Harkers lead by example, they spoke with us about the responsibility and opportunity one has when owning a piece of land, and how that fits into a sustainable land ethic.
Kevin Melville, Rancher, Joseph, OR
The Westies met with Kevin Melville, a farmer from Enterprise, OR to learn about his no-till farming practices. No-till, also called direct seeding, is a type of plowing that minimizes the number of times heavy machinery is used on a crop, which reduces erosion and retains soil quality. Kevin Melville also emphasized the importance of crop rotation to the students and disease management. Along with his brother, Kurt Melville, and his father, Tim Melville, who has been using direct seeding for 18 years, Kevin advocates for more sustainable farming practices in the inland Northwest.
Janie Tippett, Rancher, Joseph, OR
A long-time resident of Northeastern Oregon, Janie Tippett is interested in restoring beaver to the Zumwalt prairie. A great-grandmother, hardworking rancher's wife and self-titled environmentalist, she "loves how things are" but also knows the changes she wants to make. Janie understands beaver damming as a powerful tool to mitigate the effects of climate change that she already notices on the landscape, including the stabilization of increasingly ephemeral streams. Janie has used her writing skills, honed in her local weekly column about life on the ranch, to spread the good word on beavers in a recent essay published in a compilation about the Zumwalt prairie. "I think the whole climate could be changed out here with the beaver," says Janie. She has faith in the next generation to affect positive change on the environmental front, and inspired us with a sense of optimism as we left Wallowa County.
Bob Jackson, Forester and co-owner, Jackson/Goebel Tree Farm, Enterprise, OR
The Westies joined Bob Jackson on a tour of the Jackson/Goebel 160-acre Tree Farm, a plot located on the north slope of the foothills of the Wallowa Mountains. Jackson and Goebel bought the tree farm in November of 1970. Prior to their management, the farm was so heavily grazed that it destroyed much of the area’s ecosystem and biodiversity. Since then Jackson and Goebel have based their forest management philosophy on the premise that a healthy forest is a complete forest. Today the forest houses Douglas fir, white fir, Ponderosa pine, and tamarack. Over thirty species of birds have been sited nesting on the property. Bob told us that when he graduated from Iowa State University in the 1940s, plant physiology was the hardest class he had to take. Today, it is what he lives by. Unlike larger timber companies, which harvest their trees every 7-14 years, Bob does not believe in clear cutting for the purpose of logging. Furthermore, Jackson/Goebel keep some standing dead trees as wildlife habitat.
In 1984 and 1991, Jackson and Goebel won the Oregon Tree Farmer of the Year award and in 1992 the Western Regional top award for their dedication and motivation in their practice of sustainable tree farming. Their forest is open to the public for hikes year round and cross-country skiing in the winter.
Nils Christofferson, Executive Director, Wallowa Resources, Enterprise, OR
Nils Christopherson is the nine-year executive director of the non-profit organization Wallowa Resources, a group which focuses on conservation through economically sustainable means. Nils spoke to us about community-based environmental advocacy, forest management, and river restoration projects based in Wallowa County, Oregon. He advocates the importance of building local communities with vested interests in the landscapes, agriculture, local government, and economic systems that sustain them. He brings to the communities he lives and works in a perspective of collaboration and grass-roots development while including hard economic realities in his approach.
Doug McDaniel, Rancher and Wallowa Resources Board Member, Enterprise, OR
Doug McDaniels, a ranch owner, logger, engineer, and co-founder of the non-profit Wallow Resources, gave us a tour of the river restoration project on his property outside Joseph, Oregon. Doug, an avid fisherman, was interested in restoring rainbow and cutthroat trout habitat in the section of the Wallowa River running through his property. Doug, speaking from his experience dealing with communities, government agencies, and non-profit organizations, advocated a three-part plan to sustainability in public and private projects: (1) All projects must be environmentally sound, (2) they must be socially acceptable, and (3) they must be economically feasible.
Suzanne Fouty, District Hydrologist for Baker/Unity District, Wallowa/Whitman National Forest, with her field assistant Kate Vaughan
Beaver restoration is a hot topic in Pacific Northwest forest management. According to Wallowa National Forest Hydrologist Suzanne Fouty, reintroducing beaver would mean increased water storage and a higher water table, as well as improved fish habitat. With the help of Suzanne and her field assistant Kate Vaughan, twenty-one Semester in the West students helped gather data on hydrology and vegetation of the North Fork of the Burnt River and of Trout Creek. During the three day study, students utilized GPS mapping as well as a computer program that linked GPS data with digital images to the data they were collecting. The final task was analyzing the data and writing reports that Suzanne Fouty will submit to the US Forest Service to attempt to bring beaver back into the ecosystem in this part of Oregon. Suzanne will all use the data to track the ecological effects of beaver habitat and the effects of beaver in a forest ecosystem.
Angela Sondenaa and Blair McClarin, Nez Perce Tribe Wildlife:
Angela and Blair work as biologists for the Nez Perce tribe on their Precious Lands Wildlife Habitat located in Northeastern Oregon. Through a mitigation project with the Bonneville Power Company, the tribe is working to restore wildlife habitat in an area which was the birthplace of Chief Joseph, and was owned by the Forest Service, BLM, and private owners until it was bought by the Nez Perce in the 1990’s. Angela and Blair gave us a glimpse into the physically and mentally difficult world of field ecology with an intense two days of scrambling down sleep slopes, sometimes in the rain, gathering data about bighorn sheep habitat. Both are experts on the natural history of the area, and answered all of our many questions with ease. For many in the group, these two days were the first time they had done any sort of field work. Thanks to Blair and Angela this introduction was insightful and rewarding.