BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Merlin CCC - ECPv6.15.15//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://merlinccc.org
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Merlin CCC
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/Denver
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0700
TZOFFSETTO:-0600
TZNAME:MDT
DTSTART:20240310T090000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0600
TZOFFSETTO:-0700
TZNAME:MST
DTSTART:20241103T080000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0700
TZOFFSETTO:-0600
TZNAME:MDT
DTSTART:20250309T090000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0600
TZOFFSETTO:-0700
TZNAME:MST
DTSTART:20251102T080000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0700
TZOFFSETTO:-0600
TZNAME:MDT
DTSTART:20260308T090000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0600
TZOFFSETTO:-0700
TZNAME:MST
DTSTART:20261101T080000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20251001T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20251001T200000
DTSTAMP:20260506T113708
CREATED:20250618T063014Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250825T015455Z
UID:10000204-1759339800-1759348800@merlinccc.org
SUMMARY:Philosophy Symposium: On Growth Policy\, Wildlife & the Environment
DESCRIPTION:What We’ll Explore\nIn this mini-symposium facilitated by community philosopher Marisa Diaz-Waian we’ll talk with guest panelists and authors Christopher Preston & Robert Frodeman about growth policy and development\, wildlife\, and the environment. The symposium is in collaboration with the Lewis & Clark Library (as part of their NEA Big Reads grant programming)\, and will be structured in a way that allows ample time for community Q & A\, as well as an opportunity to mingle with the authors/scholars after the community conversation. \nWhen\nWednesday\, October 1st from 5:30pm-8pm \n5:30pm-7:15pm – Community Conversation and 7:15pm-8pm – Book signing & author mingle \nWhere\nLewis & Clark Library (in the Large Community Room) \nRSVP\nWhile an RSVP is not required\, it’s very helpful for us in terms of logistical planning (e.g.\, how many chairs to set out\, if important information about the program or venue needs to be communicated\, etc.).  With this in mind\, we’re including an RSVP link here if you are so inclined.  \nYes\, I want to come! \nCost\nFREE (Donations appreciated) \nOther\n*Books will be available for purchase from the authors.  Book signing & author mingle after the community conversation.  \n​ \n\n\n\n\nMake a Donation HereInvest in community by investing in philosophyOur philosophy activities are FREE to the community. While donations are never expected\, they are always appreciated and help to keep programs like these going. Donations help to cover activity leader honorariums\, implementation\, and resource archiving\, and more!  If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution you can do so by clicking here.  For those facing more challenging financial circumstances\, we ask that you please try to “pay it forward” with acts of kindness for your neighbors and community. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGuest Scholars\nChrsitopher Preston is a an award-winning author\, environmental philosopher\, public speaker\, and clean energy enthusiast based in Missoula\, Montana. A Professor of Philosophy at the University of Montana\, his areas of specialty include environmental philosophy\, climate ethics\, the ethics of emerging technologies\, rewilding\, and feminist philosophy. A native of England – who has studied and worked in Colorado\, Alaska\, Oregon\, Washington DC\, and South Carolina – his life in the US is oriented in many ways around the power of wild landscapes. In addition to being a professor\, Christopher has worked as a commercial fisherman\, a tool librarian\, and a backcountry Park Service Ranger. Christopher has published extensively on climate engineering\, synthetic biology\, and the new epoch of the Anthropocene\, and finds significance in both the new\, and the traditional\, wild. Christopher’s writings have appeared in The Atlantic\, Smithsonian\, Discover\, Orion\, Slate\, the Wall Street Journal\, The Conversation\, Salon\, The BBC\, Yale E360 and other outlets. His books and journal articles explore technology\, wildlife\, climate change\, justice\, and numerous other topics that bear on how we live. His most recent book\, Tenacious Beasts\, won the 2024 High Plains Book Award for non-fiction and was included in The New Yorker’s ‘Best Books of 2023.’ It probes the mystery of wildlife back from the brink and asks what they have to teach.  \n\nRobert Frodeman writes on environmental philosophy and public policy\, the philosophy of science and technology\, and the future of the university. A graduate of St Louis University (history and philosophy\, 1981)\, holder of a PhD in Philosophy (Penn State\, 1988) and a MS in Geology (climate science\, CU-Boulder\, 1996)\, Frodeman is the author or editor of 15 books and more than 150 articles\, and has been awarded more than 5 million dollars in grants. Founding Director of the Center for the Study of Interdisciplinarity at the University of North Texas (2008)\, he has also held academic positions at the University of Colorado and the Colorado School of Mines\, and ran the Socrates Untenured series at the journal Issues in Science and Technology from 2017 – 2021. In the fall of 2023 Frodeman was a Fulbright Fellow at the Institute of Advanced Studies at the University of Turku\, Finland\, where he conducted research on the future of the university. His most recent publications include his co-edited books A Watershed Moment: The American West in the Age of Limits (2024) and Field Philosophy: Different Places\, Different Cultures (forthcoming 2024).​ \n\n\n\n\nCommunity Sponsors & PartnersThank you to our community sponsors & partners Doubletree by Hilton Downtown Helena and the Lewis & Clark Library.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNational Endowment for the Arts This symposium is in collaboraton with the Lewis & Clark Library by way of a Big Read grant award they receieved from the National Endowment for the Arts. The NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities\, visit www.arts.gov
URL:https://merlinccc.org/calendar-event/philosophy-symposium-growth-policy-wildlife-environment/
LOCATION:Lewis & Clark Library (Large Community Room)\, 120 S. Last Chance Gulch\, Helena\, Montana\, 59601\, United States
CATEGORIES:Philosophy Symposiums
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://merlinccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/October-Philosophy-Symposium-2025_Resized-scaled.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Marisa Diaz-Waian":MAILTO:marisa@merlinccc.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250921T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250921T130000
DTSTAMP:20260506T113708
CREATED:20250904T223342Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250917T053837Z
UID:10000209-1758448800-1758459600@merlinccc.org
SUMMARY:Hayride Philosophy Walk: On Story & Meaning (*NO MORE SEATS LEFT*)
DESCRIPTION:What We’ll Explore\n\n“Interpretation is revelation based on information.” (Freeman Tilden)\n\nInterpretation is oft defined as a kind of educational activity that places hands-on experience and thinking and meaning-making as primary (over the acquisition\, say\, of just a set of facts).  It is also a tradition that has deep roots in the cultural and philosophical movements of the Enlightenment and Romanticism and has been influenced by such figures as Plato\, John Locke\, Lean Jacques Rousseau\, John Dewey\, Freeman Tilden\, and more.  \nJoin long-time interpretive professionals Ken Soderberg & Darby Bramble for a hayride philosophy walk on Merlin Nature Preserve & Little Falcon Farm where we’ll examine how we perceive and come to know and understand the world by way of interpretation. Using interpretive principles and sensory exploration\, we’ll connect with the landscape and one another while we identify and explore meaning and connection with the world around us. \n\n\n\n\n\nWhen\nSunday\, September 21st from 10am-1pm\n(Please arrive 15 minutes prior to our walk start time to give yourself time to get situated in our hayride wagon comfortably.) \nRSVP\nGiven hayride & nature preserve logistics\, RSVP’s are required.  Space is limited.  \n~ There are no more seats left. Please e-mail marisa@merlinccc.org if you would like to add your name to our waiting list & we will contact you if there is a cancellation. ~ \n\nCost\nFREE (Donations Very Much Appreciated)\nOther\nWear weather appropriate attire & comfortable shoes\, and bring a snack/water.  We’re sorry\, but no dogs for this walk (due to nature preserve and hayride wagon logistics). The walking portion of our meandering will be on a flat and relatively well-maintained dirt road approximately 1.5 miles in length.  \nWhere\nMerlin Nature Preserve/Little Falcon Farm (our group will meet/park at the old Silver City Saloon location and ride the hayride wagon from there onto the preserve.) \nDirections/Parking/Meeting Spot: Our group will meet at the old Silver City Saloon located at 6042 Lincoln Road West. Our hayride trailer will be parked in the lot (you won’t miss it!). Please note that the Silver City Saloon sign is gone and a part of the facade has been removed.  However\, the basic sturcture still remains and is recognizable. To get there from Helena\, take either the 15\, N. Montana Ave. or Green Meadow Drive to Lincoln Rd.  Turn left onto Lincoln Road & head west (toward Marysville/Canyon Creek).  Drive roughly 6.5 miles.  The Silver City Saloon parking lot will be on your right hand side.  Click here for google maps directions. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHayride Philosophy Walk Leaders\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDarby Bramble has invested a lifetime into educating the public and interpreting natural and cultural resources across the West. As an interpretive park ranger at Hovenweep National Monument\, and Saguaro and Grand Canyon National Parks\, she led tours of archeological sites and historic structures for visitors from around the world. In Lolo\, Montana she worked as Program Coordinator for Travelers’ Rest Preservation and Heritage Association\, where she built a flourishing education program\, oversaw the volunteer program\, supported the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial and collaborated with local tribes in cultural programming and the “Winter Storytelling Series.” \n\n\n\nCurrently\, Darby works as the Museum Education Officer at the Montana Historical Society\, where she oversees tours and fieldtrip at the Montana Capitol\, Original Governor’s Mansion and starting December 2\, the History Museum at the Montana Heritage Center. When she’s not working at the Historical Society\, she can be found in her garden growing food to share with the community\, butchering local meat\, discussing Montana history with her husband who works for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes\, exploring state parks and public lands in Montana\, or cheering for her three teenage children on soccer pitches and cross-country courses across the state. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMakoshika\, Chief Plenty Coups\, Lewis and Clark Caverns\, Bannack —  these are only some of the beautiful places that Ken Soderberg has been fortunate enough to help provide a voice for through his work with Montana State Parks. \n\n\n\nA combined love of the outdoors (and the frightening thought of starvation if he pursued an acting career) led him to a degree in park management.  \n\n\n\nThankfully his brief theater training was put to use throughout his 35 year career in parks. Each park has a story to tell. Whether the script came alive through the words of a park ranger he helped train or an exhibit he helped to create\, giving voice to these special places remains one of his most cherished career memories. \n\n\n\nTo come full circle you can find Ken at the Grandstreet Theater these days either on stage or behind the scenes building the magical sets that help bring the story to life. \n\n\n\n\nMake a Donation Here\nOur philosophy activities are FREE to the community.  While donations are never expected\, they are always appreciated and help to keep programs like these going. Donations help to cover activity leader honorariums\, implementation\, and resource archiving\, and more!  If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution you can do so by clicking here.  For those facing more challenging financial circumstances\, we ask that you please try to “pay it forward” with acts of kindness for your neighbors and community.  \n\n\n\n\nCommunity Sponsor & PartnerThank you to our community sponsor & partner Doubletree by Hilton Downtown Helena.
URL:https://merlinccc.org/calendar-event/philosophy-walk-hayride-story-meaning/
LOCATION:Merlin Nature Preserve\, 6042 Lincoln Road West\, Helena\, Montana\, 59602\, United States
CATEGORIES:Philosophy Symposiums,Philosophy Walks
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://merlinccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Philosophy-Hayride-Walk_Story-and-Meaning.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Marisa Diaz-Waian":MAILTO:marisa@merlinccc.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250726T093000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250726T123000
DTSTAMP:20260506T113708
CREATED:20250304T002617Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250705T035922Z
UID:10000198-1753522200-1753533000@merlinccc.org
SUMMARY:Philosophy Walk: On Civil Disobedience
DESCRIPTION:What We’ll Explore\n\n“If the injustice is part of the necessary friction of the machine of government\, let it go\, let it go: perchance it will wear smooth\,—certainly the machine will wear out. If the injustice has a spring\, or a pulley\, or a rope\, or a crank\, exclusively for itself\, then perhaps you may consider whether the remedy will not be worse than the evil; but if it is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another\, then\, I say\, break the law. Let your life be a counter friction to stop the machine.” (Henry David Thoreau) \n\nIn Thoreau’s essay Civil Disobedience\, Thoreau takes the position that unjust laws exist.  But does that mean we should be content to obey them? What are the alternatives?  Amend them and obey until we have succeeded?  Transgress them at once? \nIn this walk led by community philosopher Mitch Conway we’ll  explore how we might respond to the world in cases of injustice asking: When do the unjust actions of a government make one “the agent of injustice to another”? When is civil disobedience the necessary\, just course of action?  And when is one justified in hoping\, “perchance it will wear smooth”?  \nWhen\nSaturday\, July 26th from 9:30am-12:30pm\n(Please arrive 10 minutes prior to our walk start time to give yourself time to get ready to stroll.) \nRSVP\n\n\nLet us know you’re coming. RSVP here!\n\n\nCost\nFREE (Donations Appreciated)\n \nOther\nWear weather appropriate attire & comfortable shoes.  Dogs are allowed on this trail but need to be on leashes.  We recommend that you also bring or wear bug repellent. \nWhere\nMissouri River Beaver Creek Trail (Hauser Dam Trail) \nDirections/Parking/Meeting Spot: From Helena\, head toward Lake Helena via the I-15 & East Lincoln Road or Highway 287 & Lake Helena Drive. Once at Lake Helena\, head north on Hauser Dam Road. Just before the dam crossing\, there will be a small lot off to the left side (parking is free). If there are no spots available in the lot\, cars will frequently parallel park along the road closer to the dam crossing (where there is also a restroom and some signage). Our group will meet in the lot. From there\, we’ll walk across the dam as a group and begin our walk. The trail follows the Missouri River until Beaver Creek Recreation Area (where some restrooms are located). It’s well-maintained but can get rocky and a little uneven in various locations so make sure to wear good shoes. \n\n\n\n\n\nWalk Leader\nMitchell Conway is a Community Philosopher at Merlin CCC\, a branch facilitator/educator at Cottonwood ALC\, and serves on the Academic Advisory Board & Questions? Journal for The Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization. \nA student of philosophy\, a theater maker\, and a teacher who cares ardently about empowering young learners\, his work has often been an interweaving of education\, story\, and inquiry. At the BIRD Theatre in Tottori\, Japan\, among other productions\, he collaborated with Korean group TUIDA to create The Poetry Class about the colonial period and Pacific war; he also directed students at Kei Ai High School in Romeo & Juliet. Using applied theater\, he performed with Village Playback Theatre creating improvisations from audience members’ personal stories\, and for a three-month residency he taught embodied methods of community dialogue through the Colombo Americano in Medellin\, Colombia. He has also taught theater to elementary school students at 82nd St. Academics and middle school students at Summer Institute for the Gifted. \nFor a year\, Mitch taught at the English Immersion Program in Umphium Mai refugee camp on the Thailand-Myanmar border using a curriculum based in literature and critical thinking. With the New York Foundling at Queens College\, he supervised the academic component of The Dorm Project\, a program supporting youth in foster care through college. Mitch has a Bachelor’s degree in Theater from Skidmore College and a Master’s degree in Philosophy & Education from Teachers College\, Columbia University. Mitch has recently presented at the North Eastern Philosophy of Education Society (NEPES) and Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization (PLATO) conferences. He also relishes walking in the forest.  \nMake a Donation Here\nOur philosophy activities are FREE to the community.  While donations are never expected\, they are always appreciated and help to keep programs like these going. Donations help to cover activity leader honorariums\, implementation\, and resource archiving\, and more!  If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution you can do so by clicking here.  For those facing more challenging financial circumstances\, we ask that you please try to “pay it forward” with acts of kindness for your neighbors and community.  \n\n\n\n\nCommunity Sponsor & PartnerThank you to our community sponsor & partner Doubletree by Hilton Downtown Helena.
URL:https://merlinccc.org/calendar-event/philosophy-walk-on-civil-disobedience/
LOCATION:Missouri River Beaver Creek Trail (Hauser Dam Trail)\, Helena\, MT\, 59602\, United States
CATEGORIES:Philosophy Symposiums,Philosophy Walks
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://merlinccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Philosophy-Walk_On-Civil-Discourse_2025.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Marisa Diaz-Waian":MAILTO:marisa@merlinccc.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250616T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250616T200000
DTSTAMP:20260506T113708
CREATED:20250210T200556Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250609T205212Z
UID:10000195-1750095000-1750104000@merlinccc.org
SUMMARY:Philosophy Symposium: On Policy\, Philosophy & the Environment
DESCRIPTION:What We’ll Explore\nIn this mini-symposium facilitated by community philosopher Marisa Diaz-Waian we’ll talk with guest panelists and authors involved with the book A Watershed Moment: The American West in the Age of Limits about policy\, philosophy\, and the environment. Topics explored will range from environmental justice and conservation policy (Evelyn Brister) to market solutions for conservation on private lands (Travis Brammer). The symposium will be structured in a way that allows ample time for community Q & A.   \nMore Context for Our Discussion\n\nAll guests panelists are authors featured in A Watershed Moment \, which features a collection of essays reflecting on the American West that reveal tensions between a culture of economic growth and personal freedom and the ecological\, economic\, and social constraints set by community values and the land itself. As Westerners and their communities come up against these limits\, the volume editors highlight issues of sustainability endemic to the region and to the nation as a whole. \nThe volume presents practical approaches to land use\, land management\, and community planning that are motivated by philosophical views on justice\, quality of life\, and sustainability in the American West. The contributors are policymakers\, government employees\, land and water managers\, urban planners\, biologists\, tribal members\, writers\, and academics from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives. The result is a compelling vision of place-based\, policy-oriented sustainability across the West. \n\n \nWhen\nMonday\, June 16th from 6pm-8pm  (Plus book signing from 5:30pm-6pm*) \nWhere\nLewis & Clark Library (in the Large Community Room) \nRSVP\nRSVP here! (While you are welcome to attend without RSVP’ing\, your RSVP helps us get an idea of how many people to anticipate so we can prepare accordingly) \nCost\nFREE (Donations appreciated) \nOther\n*Books will be available for purchase from the authors.  Book signing from 5:30pm-6pm. See also our companion Philosophy Walk on Sunday\, June 15th event w/ guest scholar Evelyn Brister. \nGuest Scholars\nEvelyn Brister is a Professor of Philosophy at Rochester Institute of Technology and a faculty affiliate in Public Policy and Environmental Science. Her research examines ethical and political issues in land management and conservation science. She is the editor\, with Robert Frodeman\, of A Guide to Field Philosophy (Routledge\, 2020)\, a collection of essays examining collaborations between philosophers and policymakers\, and she has written over two dozen articles in philosophy and environmental science. She spends as much time as she can in and around Yellowstone.   In her new book\, A Watershed Moment: The American West in the Age of Limits\, she and other authors  present practical approaches to addressing ecological\, economic\, and cultural issues that are motivated by philosophical views on justice\, quality of life\, and sustainability. \n\nTravis Brammer is the Director of Conservation at The Property and Environmental Research Center (PERC)\, overseeing its Conservation Innovation Lab and all field projects. Raised as a seventh-generation family cattle rancher in Colorado with professional expertise in western conservation issues\, Travis is passionate about the intersection of conservation and agriculture. He began his career at the Wyoming Stock Growers Land Trust rising to become the group’s Interim Conservation Director. He later graduated with honors from the University of Wyoming College of Law and most recently served as a Conservation Fellow at the Ruckelshaus Institute and MacMillan Private Lands Stewardship Program. Travis’ thesis was on the creation of a western rangeland conservation fund to help the next generation of farmers and ranchers access land and engage in conservation. As Director\, Travis will establish partnerships around the country\, creating and implementing innovative market solutions to some of the nation’s most significant natural resource challenges. \nMake a Donation Here\nOur philosophy activities are FREE to the community.  While donations are never expected\, they are always appreciated and help to keep programs like these going. Donations help to cover activity leader honorariums\, implementation\, and resource archiving\, and more!  If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution you can do so by clicking here.  For those facing more challenging financial circumstances\, we ask that you please try to “pay it forward” with acts of kindness for your neighbors and community.  \n\n\n\n\nCommunity Sponsors & PartnersThank you to our community sponsors & partners Doubletree by Hilton Downtown Helena and the Lewis & Clark Library.
URL:https://merlinccc.org/calendar-event/philosophy-symposium-on-policy-philosophy-environment/
LOCATION:Lewis & Clark Library (Large Community Room)\, 120 S. Last Chance Gulch\, Helena\, Montana\, 59601\, United States
CATEGORIES:Philosophy Symposiums
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://merlinccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Philosophy-Symposium-Policy-Philosophy-The-Environment-copy.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Marisa Diaz-Waian":MAILTO:marisa@merlinccc.org
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR