The Wilderness Institute
The mission of the The Wilderness Institute is to further the understanding of wilderness and wild lands stewardship through education, research and service.
Housed within the University of Montana's W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, the Wilderness Institute provides students, agencies, and the general public with information, educational programs and resources, and technical tools to understand public lands conservation, land stewardship, protected areas management, and the social and ecological values of wilderness.
Second Nature: An Art-Science Exploration of Our Posthuman Landscapes
Join visiting artist Anne Yoncha for the second annual Elers Koch Lecture on Monday, October 23 at 7:00 p.m. at the Zootown Arts Community Center. She will discuss her work on “data materialization” of places forever altered through extraction and other human activity.
Can We Make Wilderness More Welcoming?
Understanding different interpretations of wilderness can help broaden traditional narratives to respectfully include diverse experiences and perspectives. Lisa Ronald, our former Wildlands Communications Director, convened a national committee of individuals from systemically excluded groups to conduct an assessment of barriers to inclusion.
The Scientific Value of Fire in Wilderness
WI graduate students Mark Kreider and Melissa Jaffe recently published a wilderness fire science review paper in Fire Ecology. The work demonstrates the value of wilderness as a space for scientists and managers to understand fire. It identifies major scientific contributions facilitated by fire in wilderness and outlines priorities for future research.
Sounds of Our Lives Podcast : In Wildness
The story of the Round River Experiment and Wilderness and Civilization program at the University of Montana. Narrated by Victor Yvellez. Click below to listen.
Podcast Transcript Link