The future of our world depends on the choices people make. Education is a key factor in what those choices are. The Boone and Crockett Conservation Education Program strives to offer perspectives that will foster shared use of natural resources, conservation, sustainable development, and stewardship of the land to build a common ground for sustaining healthy ecosystems.
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MISSION OF THE CONSERVATION EDUCATION PROGRAM:
OBJECTIVES OF THE CONSERVATION EDUCATION PROGRAM:
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Kurt Cunningham,
of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, shares the history
of beaver trapping in the West with students in the shelter
of the trees along Dupuyer Creek on the TRM Ranch. Students
also learned about a variety of other fur-bearing animals
in Montana.
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The Conservation Education Program began in 1994 as a research project titled: Conservation Education Curricula for Montana Schools. The project, conducted by Lisa Flowers for the completion of her Master of Science for Teachers of Biological Sciences at The University of Montana, was funded by the Boone and Crockett Club with Dr. Hal Salwasser as the principal investigator. The project focused on developing multi-day teaching units for public schools along the Rocky Mountain Front and used the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch as an outdoor classroom. The original project was successful in developing a foundation for the Boone and Crockett Club's Education Program at the TRM Ranch.
 Download
a PDF of the Club's Education Brochure or contact JoAnne
to receive one by mail.Hi Res PDF | Low Res PDF |
Today, the education program is constructed around a theme of appropriate, and shared, use of natural resources. It specifically integrates agriculture and wildlife conservation and has an actual model - a working cattle ranch - to base or illustrate the disseminated information. Our efforts differ from others in that we are teaching about the components of the landscape in such a way that people are kept in the picture. The information participants take away will help them better understand the interconnections between the various strands that make up the landscape tapestry. We hope, and believe, that people who take part in our education program come with questions and leave with answers, new questions, and information that helps them discover new ways that can help sustain the land upon which we all depend.
In 2001, the Boone and Crockett Club completed construction of the Elmer E. Rasmuson Wildlife Conservation Center, an education and research facility that serves as a hub for the Boone and Crockett Club’s Wildlife Conservation programs. Elementary and secondary school students and teachers, university students and faculty, natural resource managers, local community groups, and others use this facility in the pursuit of the Boone and Crockett Club’s conservation research, education and demonstration mission. This mission seeks to increase humanities’ awareness and understanding of wildlife and the ecosystems we share and our influences on the natural and cultural resources of these ecosystems. The goal of the program is to apply the results of wildlife related research and demonstration techniques that strive to increase wildlife and land use compatibility.
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High school students
dissect a fish in the classroom/lab at the Elmer Rasmuson
Wildlife Conservation Center at the TRM Ranch.
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We have developed working relationships with organizations such as Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, U.S. Forest Service (Region 1), Project WILD, Agriculture in Montana Schools, Browning Public Schools, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Montana Natural History Center, Glacier Institute, Montana Association of Conservation Districts, and Project WET Montana. We have also been instrumental in organizing and building the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem Education Consortium which has a membership of over 15 federal, state, and non-governmental organizations. The consortium is committed to education around the Ecosystem which extends from Waterton Provincial Park in Alberta, Canada, south to the Missoula Valley, east to the Rocky Mountain Front region, and west to the Flathead Valley.
The education program is conducted in various classrooms, but the very best classroom is the TRM Ranch and the Elmer E. Rasmuson Wildlife Conservation Center. The Ranch has an inherent magic that provides a setting for the evolution and discussion of ideas and realism behind multiple-use, sustainable-use, and shared-use issues. The magic comes alive when individuals visit the ranch to participate in an educational function conducted by the program managers. The magic results from the dynamic combination of many influences - the individuals, the activities, and the physical location of the ranch.
The personal discovery of our surroundings leads each of us to life-long learning and helps to build self-confidence. The more we know about the environment we live in we build a better idea of who we are and where we fit into the grand scheme of things.
For further information on the programs, scheduling, or resource materials, please send a detailed e-mail to:
JoAnne Cobb , Facilities Coordinator, at cobb@boone-crockett.org
Lisa Flowers, Education Program Director, at flowers@boone-crockett.org
To request periodic updates regarding programs at the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch and other conservation education opportunities along the Rocky Mountain Front, please e-mail JoAnne at cobb@boone-crockett.org.