We are so honored to receive an award from The Fanwood Foundation and to be recognized as playing an important part in the world of conservation, stewardship, education, and environmental leadership. Thank you so much, Sara & Tagge, for your belief in our organization and our efforts. And thank you to Bob & Hopie for your friendship, mentorship, and continued inspiration (you are loved and missed).
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How we relate to nature is complicated and ever-evolving. Our group — led by co-philosophers-on-trail Christopher Preston & Patrick Kelly — enjoyed a morning & afternoon walk up the steep slopes of the 1906/Prairie trail to the summit of Mt. Helena, and explored a number of topics related to environment, ethics, the public trust doctrine, and stewardship. Access resources & photos here!
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Please join us for our philosophy walk on Saturday, June 29th from 9am-12pm where we’ll be exploring environmental ethics, technology, and conservation & land ethics. Special guest speakers/philosophers-on-trail — Christopher Preston (Professor of Philosophy, University of Montana Missoula) & Patrick Kelly (Philosopher & Conservationist, University of Montana Missoula). Some of the…
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Part 3 of our 3-Part Fall Philosophy Walk Series on the environment, ethics & stewardship took place on Sunday, March 24th at Ten Mile Creek Park. Despite the weather being overcast (a change from the sunny day prior) and the trails a bit slushy from the recent melt, our adventure was beautiful and fun. We also heard numerous bird calls from above — geese, gulls, northern flickers — and some fun dog calls (from our furry four-legged’s who joined us on the walk). Sponsored in part by grants from The Philosophy Learning & Teaching Organization & Humanities Montana, our group shared dialogue about philosophical and other perspectives related to current and future environmental & conservation challenges, and featured special guest speakers Thomas Baumeister, Mark Smillie, and Tyrrell Hibbard.
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Congratulations to 2019 Merlin Community Scholar Fellow, Thomas Baumeister, for making the paper with his research and writing project on the democracy of wolf conservation. Prompted by bills currently being proposed in Montana that will decide the fate of wolves for years to come and the democratic process of conservation, Thomas asks us to consider the role of adaptive management and pragmatism (over blind ideology) and engaged citizenry(so that the ends do not justify the means) in wolf conservation. The article went live on the Merlin website on Friday, February 8th, was submitted for consideration as an op-ed to the Helena Independent Record on the same day, and appeared as a featured “guest view” article on-line and in print on Wednesday, February 13th.
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Congratulations to 2019 Merlin Community Scholar Fellow, Thomas Baumeister, for making the paper with his research and writing project on elk. Prompted by a concern for the state of hunting and conservation and ethical questions regarding the measure of the hunt, fairness, and respect, Thomas offers valuable & important food for thought — for hunters and non-hunters alike. The article is a perfect example of how philosophy reaches beyond the classroom and why asking philosophical questions matter to our everyday lives (and the lives of others), practices, and policies. The piece went live on the Merlin website on Sunday. January 13th, was submitted for consideration as an op-ed to the Helena Independent Record on Monday, Jan. 14th, and appeared as a featured “guest view” article on-line and in print on Thursday, Jan. 17th.
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What a great way to spend a November morning & afternoon! On this month’s philosophy walk we roamed the trails of Mount Helena whilst talking about nature and the humanities with guest speakers Edward Glowienka & Henry Kramer. 
