Setting
Rankin Hall
EVST's home, Jeanette Rankin Hall, is at the center of UM's campus. The building served as the library from 1908 to 1923, then as Law School until 1961, then as the Psych building until 1983, when it was renamed Jeanette Rankin Hall.
EVST shares the building with the Social Work program. JRH is on the National Register of Historic Places, and is the University's only example of neoclassical architecture. We're proud of the building, and even prouder of its namesake.
Jeanette Rankin Hall is named for Jeannette Rankin, the UM grad (1902) who became the first woman elected to Congress. Rankin is shown here, speaking from the balcony of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Standing behind her is suffragette Carrie Chapman Catt. Rankin was greeting a crowd of admirers en route to her swearing in on April 2, 1917. After the ceremony, President Woodrow Wilson asked the new Congress to declare war on Germany. Rankin cast one of the few votes against that declaration and lost her seat at the next election. Ironically, she returned to Congress later, just in time to cast the only vote against the declaration of the Second World War.
For more on the UM campus, visit the UM website.
Montana's Environment
Montana is an excellent site for the motivation and training of effective advocates for the environment -- not simply because of the geography, but also because of our dedicated and knowledgeable conservation community.
The Area
Few universities offer a setting with such spectacular beauty and recreational resources. Missoula, with 70,000 people in the region, is surrounded by mountains and located at the confluence of three major rivers: Clark Fork of the Columbia, the Blackfoot and the Bitterroot.
Both Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks are within easy driving distance; and the Rattlesnake Wilderness Area can be reached easily by bicycle or city bus. Two ski areas are located within a few miles of campus.
Missoula Independent (weekly alternative paper)
Rivers and Lakes
UM was recently named one of the top 10 universities in the nation for canoeing, kayaking and rafting by Paddler Magazine (Sept./ Oct. '98 issue). Outdoor Program Manager Dudley Improta and his staff maintain a fleet of canoes, rafts and various inflatables, and Campus Recreation offers paddling classes, trips and rentals.
Environmental advocacy in Western Montana and the Northern Rockies
There's a lively community of nonprofit groups in Missoula and the region. Many of them were created by and/or staffed by EVST graduates. Working with these groups provides outstanding opportunities for students to make a difference. Often such internships and service projects lead to thesis and professional paper projects and sometimes long term employment. A comprehensive database of these community groups is maintained by EVST. The database also includes some government agencies with roles in conservation or public health protection who work with EVST students and alums. This site may take a little while to load, so be patient. A shorter list of groups is available at the Wild Rockies Slate. In addition, Montana's natural resource trade association groups can be accessed through this web site as well.
Many of these nonprofit groups actively recruit interns through UM's Center For Work-Based Learning. Others contact EVST faculty and staff directly. Below is a key list of groups seeking to recruit EVST students to work with them on current projects. (Note to unlisted groups - if you wish to be listed here, send a one sentence description of your group and one sentence description of each project to evst@mso.umt.edu).
Clark Fork Coalition.
Based in Missoula, the Clark Fork Coalition works to protect and restore water quality throughout the Clark Fork River basin -- a 22,000 square mile area in western Montana and northern Idaho.
Montana Environmental Information Center (MEIC) is a member-supported statewide advocacy and research organization based in Helena. MEIC lobbies the state legislature, monitors state government, and educates the public.
Montana Wilderness Association has been working to protect Montana's Roadless heritage since 1958. Since that time, MWA has led the fight to protect Montana's wild lands, National Forest, and BLM areas.
Northwest Connections.
A local organization founded by recent EVST alums. Provides opportunities for students to get involved in community action.
Women's Voices for the Earth is a grassroots environmental justice organization based in Missoula.
