We recently caught up with Ryder Burliss, an alum from Restoration Ecology in 2019. Ryder is an avid surfer, mountain biker, backpacker and traveler. And in May of 2022 Ryder

As my watch alarm wakes me from my intermittent slumber, I slowly lift my head from my sleeping bag to confront the cold morning air. It is now early November,

As the first gentle hue of daylight blends with the few stars left over from a chilly night, our fearless leader of the day opens their eyes. They stumble blindly

Overlooking the valley that shows open wounds and old scars induced by 100 years of various mining operations, a wave of grief surges through me. Two black rectangular “portals” to

I have seen where stars come from. They rise, tiny specks of light born from an equally illuminated world. Festering underneath furled logs, laying in wait until their home is

“So what are you guys doing in town?” We get asked this question every day in the front country, in some form or another. “We’re a college course based out

The morning is cool but not cold. Spared from the wind, I easily boil a pot of water to wake my comrades with. Everyone is asleep under the vast desert

Rocks are lively, dynamic, and bearers of history. This was certainly never a thought that crossed my mind until I abandoned old perspectives and simply sat among them. With my

  Every step that I take my foot gets engulfed into inches of quicksand. You’d think that river hiking would be a breeze, and that might be if you could

As we paddled down the Upper River Breaks National Monument, I was constantly reminded of the Corps of Discovery’s observations recorded by Lewis and Clark regarding the presumably untouched wilderness.