Crown of the Continent Institute
October 5-10, 2025
Western Montana
Sunday, October 5
4:15 p.m. - Fellows gather in the lobby of the Residence Inn, downtown Missoula
4:30 p.m. - Opening Session: The 30,000-foot View of Conservation in Western Montana
Tracy Stone-Manning
President, The Wilderness Society; Former Director, Bureau of Land Management
6 p.m. - Dinner
Overnight at Residence Inn
Monday, October 6
6 - 7 a.m. - Breakfast at hotel
7:30 - 10 a.m. - Why Did the Wildlife Cross the Road? Road Ecology and Habitat Connectivity
Ryan Chapin
Montana field manager, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership
Kylie Paul
Road ecologist, Center for Large Landscape Conservation
Pat Sweeney
Nine Mile Wildlife Workgroup, retired wildlife biologist, U.S. Forest Service
Ian Varley
Planner, Missoula County
10 a.m. - Bus heads north to the Flathead Reservation
10:30 a.m. - Over, Under, Around and Through: Wildlife Crossings on the Landscape
Shane Talley
State wildlife biologist, Montana Department of Transportation
Tess McEnroe
Manager of media relations. Yellowstone to Yukon Initiative
Marcel Huijser
Research ecologist, Western Transportation Institute
Laurel Angell
Director of government relations & policy, Yellowstone to Yukon Initiative
Daniel Anderson
Senior wildlife passage outreach specialist, Yellowstone to Yukon Initiative
1 - 1:30 p.m. - Lunch on the bus while en route to Se̓liš Ksanka Ql̓ispe̓ Dam overlook
1:30 - 3 p.m. - Troubled Waters: Lake Levels, Climate Change, and Managing Demands
Brian Lipscomb
CEO, Energy Keepers
3:30 - 5:30 p.m. - Tending to the Land: An Afternoon with Members of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe’s Natural Resources Team
*Additional speakers TBA
Whisper Camel-Means
Wildlife biologist, Confederate Salish and Kootenai Tribes
Tom McDonald
Vice Chairman; Fish and Wildlife Division Manager, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes
Bob McDonald
Communications director, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes
5:30 p.m. - Bus departs for Flathead Lake Biological Station
6:30 p.m. - Dinner at FLBS
Overnight at FLBS
Tuesday, October 7
7 - 8:30 a.m. - Breakfast at FLBS
9 a.m. - Something In the Water: Transboundary Mining and Downstream Impacts
Tom Bansak
Associate director, Flathead Lake Biological Station, University of Montana
Erin Sexton
Senior scientist, Flathead Lake Biological Station, University of Montana
Danie Frevola
Research associate, Flathead Lake Biological Station, University of Montana
Lunch at the station
1 p.m. - Uninvited Guests: Invasive Species and Their Impacts on Native Food Webs
Joe Giersch
Aquatic entomologist, Flathead Lake Biological Station, University of Montana
3 p.m. - Telling Environment Stories Better - Western Montana Edition
6 p.m. - Dinner
Overnight at FLBS
Wednesday, October 8
7 a.m. - Breakfast at station
7:30 a.m. - Bus departs for Columbia Falls
8:30 a.m. - “The Best Idea We Ever Had”: The Keystone Role of National Parks in Wild Ecosystems
Sarah Lundstrom
Glacier program manager, National Parks Conservation Association
Sheena Pate
Executive director, Flathead Rivers Alliance
Kate Kendall
Research ecologist, U.S. Geological Survey (retired)
Jeff Mow
Former Superintendent, Glacier National Park
Tim Manley
Grizzly bear management specialist, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (retired)