Around the Office, Spring 2009

The sun is shining in the middle of February – not a common occurrence in Missoula, but a reminder that the Spring Equinox is just around the corner. It’s been a crazy winter as we and other activists adjust our strategies and consider new opportunities in light of the changing of the guard in Washington DC. There’s been a lot of change here in our office as well – read on for more details…

After nearly a decade running our restoration program, Marnie Criley has left Wildlands CPR to try to make one of our pet projects, Restore Montana, a full-blown organization. To learn more about Marnie’s work in the past, and what’s coming up in the future, check out our program updates on pages 6-7.

It was short and sweet and we’re sorry it had to end, but Franklin Seal is no longer our communications coordinator. He did a fantastic job upgrading many aspects of our electronic communications, especially our website and e-newsletter, The Dirt. He pressed us to think outside the box and to actively expand our work and media efforts. We’ll miss you Franklin, and we wish you the best of luck in your next 

endeavor!

In the last issue, we announced the departure of long-time board member Greg Fishbein, who bumped up against our 6-year term limit. We’re now delighted to introduce new board member Crystal Mario. After a distinguished career with such high-profile companies as Adobe Systems, Inc. and Xerox Imaging Systems, Crystal tired of spending her life in airports and hotel rooms. She started Rivanna Natural Designs in 2001 with a simple goal: to provide safe, meaningful, and rewarding employment for recently-arrived refugees and others who need a second start or an opportunity to learn new skills. Rivanna uses sustainably harvested or reclaimed wood and recycled glass to create the clocks, plaques, pens, and desk accessories for sale through the company’s online store. While Crystal isn’t directly engaged with restoration or transportation issues, she’s been engaged in environmental and other progressive issues for a long time, and she’s an extremely successful businesswoman. We are really looking forward to having her expertise and perspective as part of Wildlands CPR’s team!

We’d like to thank everyone who donated to our annual gifts campaign for 2008 – we raised just about $25,000. We’re delighted with the results of the campaign, especially considering that this was in the midst of a presidential election and a growing recession. If you haven’t donated yet but you’d like to, it’s never too late – we can always use your support. Thanks, too, to everyone who has renewed their membership during the past few months – again, support from individuals like you is critical to our success. 

We would also like to thank the Firedoll, Harder, Horizons and 444S Foundations and Patagonia for their generous grants to support our transportation and restoration programs. We appreciate it!