Mountain Studies Institute

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Mountain Studies Institute

SCIENCE PEOPLE CAN USE!

09/05/2026

The 2002 Missionary Ridge Fire forever changed the landscapes of Southwest Colorado, serving as a powerful lesson in wildfire behavior and forest recovery. Here, Alex Handloff discusses the missionary ridge fire, and what it can teach us about forest resiliency.

Understanding past fires helps us better prepare for the future. To see how our forests are continuing to adapt and recover today, visit the Forest and Fire Learning Network page on our website.

09/03/2026

From high alpine peaks to vibrant valleys, it’s been an unforgettable summer across Colorado!
Our staff and crews have logged countless miles, taking on field research, community science, and hands-on conservation work in some of the most stunning locations in our backyard. Swipe through to see our team in action doing what they do best!

A huge shoutout to our incredible staff and partners who made this field season such a success. We couldn’t do this vital work without you!

What’s your favorite spot in Southwest Colorado? Let us know in the comments!👇

08/31/2026

Are you a student in grades 6-12 who is interested in learning about our local environment? Join our 2026-2027 Rising River Stewards cohort!

Once a month, after school, we come together to learn a new environmental topic, complete a stewardship project, and work on a research project of interest to present at our San Juan Resilience Youth Summit in February!

Interested students can fill out the registration form on our website at mountainstudies.org/risingriverstewards or visit our events page!

08/29/2026

Mountain Studies Institute is excited to announce and host the first ever San Juan Youth Poetry Contest! Open to students in grades 6-12, the San Juan Youth Poetry Contest aims to give students a space and voice to share their experiences in the outdoors and around the San Juan Mountains through the art of poetry.
Students can submit poems in one of two categories:
Middle School
High School

Each category will recognize 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners, for a total of six winners. Poems will be reviewed by a volunteer panel of local writers, environmentalists, and community poets, including the Durango Youth Poet Laureate.
Winners will receive:
Recognition in local public spaces and media
Prizes from local businesses and community partners
An opportunity to share their work with an authentic audience

All students who submit a poem will be invited to present their work at MSI’s annual San Juan Resilience Youth Summit in February of 2027, giving students the opportunity to present their poem to an authentic audience of peers and community members.
This contest brings together poetry, environmental education, and place-based learning, giving young people an opportunity to express themselves creatively while building a deeper connection to the landscapes around them. Environmental education often falls into the category of science but this program will showcase how the importance of other educational subjects can be integrated into place-based learning.

Submission Deadline: Friday, October 2, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.
Submit your poem: www.mountainstudies.org/sjypc

Interested in volunteering on the review committee? Submit a form of interest here: forms.gle/QijJcrgN38dFFj8W8

This project is made possible through funding from the Durango Lodgers Tax: Arts & Culture Awards.
If you are a teacher, parent, student, or passionate about youth poetry, please pass along this opportunity to anyone you think might be interested!

08/28/2026

In this clip from our Forest & Fire Learning Series, we explore how natural cycles like beetle activity interact with wildfire and what it means for long-term forest health.

In healthy forest ecosystems, bark beetles play a natural and essential role; helping break down older or weakened trees to make room for new growth. However, when forests are stressed by drought or impacted by wildfire, bark beetles impact forests in unforseen ways:

- Post-Fire Vulnerability: Burn-damaged trees become prime targets for beetles, accelerating tree mortality across recovering landscapes.

- Increased Fuel Loads: Trees killed by beetle outbreaks dry out, creating standing dead wood that can fuel future, more intense wildfires.

08/27/2026

We are incredibly honored to announce that the Mountain Studies Institute has been named the 2026 Advancing Environmental Literacy Award recipient by the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education!

Since 2002, our goal has been to develop "science that people can use" to tackle the unique challenges facing the San Juan Mountains and Four Corners region. From leading the annual San Juan Resilience Youth Summit and monitoring watersheds through Colorado River Watch, to leading students through place based environmental curriculum, this work is only possible thanks to our amazing community.

Thank you to our students, volunteers, educators, and partners for working alongside us to steward our shared lands and waters. Here’s to continuing to grow environmental literacy together!

To read the full aticle, visit www.caee.org/programs/act/be-recognized/mountain-studies-institute

08/26/2026

The Animas Watershed Partnership is working to understand recreation along the Animas River and to engage stakeholders in existing and new projects and programs. Please complete this ~5 minute survey to help them understand your use and engagement with the Animas River. No personally identifying information is being collected in this survey.

Scan the QR code or visit www.animaswatershedpartnership.org to fill out their survey.

08/25/2026

Did you know a secret savior is living right in the soil?

Colin Tucker, MSI's Forest Program Director, was recently featured in an SFGate article exploring groundbreaking research on biocrusts across the Southwest!

"Working as a climate change scientist right now, any optimism I have is a survival mechanism, but that’s not to say it’s unfounded optimism," Colin shared in the piece. "People I work with are doing amazing work every day, and we’ve been able to use our successes to create something new."

Read the full article, "As the American West dries out, a secret savior emerges from the soil," at the link below!

🔗 www.sfgate.com/national-parks/article/arches-canyonlands-biocrusts-22384504.php

📸 Photo credit: SFGate and Amanda Heidt

08/23/2026

Did you know that many factors driving forest fires, like extreme weather, lightning strikes, and historical fuel build up are largely out of our direct control?

In this short clip from our Forest & Fire Learning Series, Alex Handloff dives into what goes into protecting our landscapes. While we can’t control the weather, proactive forest management plays a massive role in prevention and forest resilience:

• Prescribed Burns: Controlled fires clear out excess underbrush and dead wood, preventing massive, unchecked blazes.
• Forest Thinning: Selective tree removal opens up canopy space and reduces fuel density.
• Defensible Space: Creating fire-adapted buffer zones around homes and communities.

Understanding fire ecology helps us build resilient forests and safer communities.

Watch the full video by visiting our Forest and Fire Learning Series Webpage!

08/16/2026

Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep, the highly valued and iconic state animal of Colorado, are at risk of developing respiratory disease, which can be contracted from domestic sheep. Effective separation of domestic sheep and goats from wild sheep is the only currently available management solution for preventing or minimizing disease transmission.

The purpose of the Colorado Bighorn Sheep Monitoring Program (CBSMP) is to train and equip ‘community scientists’ to collect data that can help the U.S. Forest Service and Colorado Parks and Wildlife record observations of bighorn and domestic sheep in Colorado with an emphasis on the southwest corner of the state, especially the San Juan Mountains.

Our 2025 annual report highlights the program efforts and volunteer observations on the San Juan National Forest, Rio Grande National Forest, and the Grand Mesa Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests. With help from volunteers, MSI has collected over 4,370 sightings across the state with 365 focused in the San Juans since the program was started in 2018. This year we are highlighting eight significant sightings from the southwest region of the state. Visit our webpage www.mountainstudies.org/bighorn and read the annual report now!

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1315 Snowden Street
Silverton, CO
81433

Website

http://www.mountainstudies.org/

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