December 9, 2004
MISSOULA, Montana—The Institutes for Journalism & Natural Resources (IJNR) today announced plans to conduct three learning expeditions for reporters, editors and news producers during 2005. A total of 42 journalists will be awarded fellowships to participate in these programs.
The journalism expeditions will take place in the Pacific Northwest, the Greater Yellowstone area and the Great Lakes region.
IJNR also announced a challenge grant from the Bullitt Foundation that will be used to establish a special fund for fellowship awards.
IJNR, an independent educational nonprofit group, has offered 28 learning programs in North America since 1995. These perspective-rich, hands-on, outdoor journeys typically last eight to ten days. They are designed to encourage professional development and to promote deeper understanding of complicated, newsworthy issues in context.
Over the past decade, IJNR has hosted programs from Alaska to northern Mexico, and from Maine and Georgia to California. More than 400 mid-career journalists have benefited from IJNR learning and mentoring experiences. IJNR Fellows represent a wide range of newsrooms -- from such large outlets as CNN, NPR, Newsweek and the Los Angeles Times to specialty magazines, small daily and weekly newspapers and community radio stations.
"Next year we will explore parts of Wyoming
and British Columbia for the first time," said Frank
Edward Allen, president and executive director. "We’ll
also return to the Great Lakes Basin, where we have operated
successfully for the past three years."
Allen is a former bureau chief and environment editor of The
Wall Street Journal and a former dean of the University of
Montana School of Journalism.
"Journalists who cover the environment do their best work when they are given time to get out of the office and meet face-to-face with scientists, environmentalists, industry leaders and community residents," said Paul Rogers, environment writer at the San Jose Mercury News and chairman of IJNR’s board of trustees.
"For 10 years now," Rogers added, "IJNR has inspired, informed and re-charged the batteries of reporters and editors at a time when, because of corporate cuts and demands for ever-higher profit margins, the craft of environmental journalism needs support more than ever."
IJNR receives funding from a broad spectrum of more than 20 organizations (including foundations, conservation groups, natural-resource businesses and industry groups) as well as more than 80 individuals. For 2005, IJNR’s budget is $710,000.
Here are brief descriptions of these programs:
IJNR’s Wind River Institute (June 2-11, 2005) will take journalists through rugged sections of western Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park. This program will emphasize issues of energy development and conservation, ranching practices, rural-community stability and endangered species.
IJNR’s Great Waters Institute (September 8-16, 2005) will traverse parts of northern Wisconsin, Upper Michigan and Isle Royale National Park. Themes will include the challenges facing Great Lakes fisheries, farms and forests, the consequences of airborne contaminants and invasive aquatic species, and the potential threats of large-scale water diversions from the Great Lakes.
IJNR’s Salmon Country Institute (October 5-15, 2005) will explore portions of coastal Oregon, Washington’s Olympic Peninsula and British Columbia, including Vancouver Island and the Fraser River. This program will emphasize the history and biology of wild salmon, the science and politics of endangered-species protection, and a broad range of interrelated issues: Global effects of fish farming and excessive fishing, the role of hatcheries in wild-fish recovery, and Native perspectives on salmon.
In other news, IJNR recently received a check for $10,000 from the Bullitt Foundation in Seattle, accompanied by a pledge of an additional $5,000 if IJNR raises a matching amount from such “non-foundation” sources as journalists, news organizations, IJNR speakers and other friends.
"To meet this challenge, we’ve come up with the idea of starting a Fellows' Fellowship Fund," said Allen. “We often have qualified candidates for the Institutes who need a little extra financial help in order to attend. For example, a single parent would turn down the chance to attend because of being unable to afford the extra costs of childcare while being away on the expedition.”
All contributions to the IJNR Fellows' Fellowship Fund are tax-deductible. Many news organizations will match such donations made by their employees.