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An Historical Overview of Institutional Theory & Programming

Running Creek Field Station – from the personal perspective of WII board member Frank Miller.

First Institute Staff, Summer 1972 (L to R: Angelo Pacifici, Rick Parker, Malcolm Ware, Dave Deppen)

About
- Vision
- Our Story
- Our Team
- News
Research
- Nexus of Land and Water
- Drought Interfaces
Education
Impact
Donate

Wright-Ingraham Institute

We are excited to announce the beta release of Dro

We are excited to announce the beta release of Drought Interfaces.

The Colorado River—one of the most regulated and contested water sources in the world—demands new approaches to navigate uncertainty. Drawing on the Wright-Ingraham Institute’s practice of developing tools and approaches for understanding complex systems, Drought Interfaces offers a unique lens on the past, present, and possible futures of this vital resource.

Drought Interfaces enables policymakers, researchers, and the public to develop an intuitive understanding of the impacts of prolonged drought on water systems, legal frameworks, and regional economies.

The tool’s key features include:
👀Visualizing the effects of a 20-year drought on water rights and allocations;
🔭Exploring potential future scenarios under changing climate conditions;
💡Understanding the legal and infrastructural complexities of the Colorado River Basin.

Please note that this Drought Interfaces beta tool is designed to work in a desktop browser, and does not currently support mobile devices.

Launch the tool by clicking the link in our bio. ⚡️

We’re bringing the Wright-Ingraham Institute Fie

We’re bringing the Wright-Ingraham Institute Field Stations community back together! Join us for an evening of reconnection and conversation.

Thursday, March 20
5:30–7:30 PM
!!! Adress change !!!
𝟴𝟴 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘁, 𝗔𝗽𝘁 𝟴𝗖
𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗬𝗼𝗿𝗸, 𝗡𝗬 𝟭𝟬𝟬𝟭𝟮

This gathering is a chance to reunite with fellow faculty, alumni, and big thinkers who have been part of the WII Field Stations programs over the years. Let’s continue building this engaged, thoughtful network while sharing ideas and exciting updates about WII’s future!

Our Executive Director, Tal C. Beery, will be there to introduce upcoming projects - plus, there will be refreshments to enjoy as we catch up!

Send us a DM to RSVP. We look forward to seeing you there!

The new year is just around the corner, and with i

The new year is just around the corner, and with it comes the opportunity to build a more adaptive and connected world.

With only $2,000 left to reach our $30,000 year-end fundraising goal, we are making one final appeal for your support. Every dollar you give directly funds programs and tools that help communities adapt in uncertain times:

✨ Research and education in Southern Colorado exploring critical connections between land health and water resources.

✨ Our online Drought Interfaces tool, providing decision-makers with a vital resource to navigate water scarcity in the American Southwest.

✨ Events and collaborations that bring together diverse voices to uncover new pathways for sustainable futures.

Your generosity fuels this work. As we reflect on more than 50 years of pioneering environmental education and research, we’re reminded of the incredible community that makes this possible. Thank you for being part of that legacy. Together, we can shape a future that honors our planet and supports thriving communities.

💫 Donation link in bio 💫

Image: Interdisciplinary Problems Solvers reflecting on the Nexus of Land and Water symposium this October in Cortez, Colorado. From Left: Restoration Ecologist Linnea Spears-Lebrun, Environmental Engineer Lauren Czaplicki, and Storyteller, Poet, and Community Organizer Sunny Dooley.

Our world is changing rapidly. Despite stronger-th

Our world is changing rapidly. Despite stronger-than-ever storms, drought now grips 48 of 50 U.S. states, a terrible reminder of the magnitude of this moment for our planet and communities.

The Wright-Ingraham Institute’s mission has never been more important, or urgent.

We are developing unique methods to spark the innovative thinking, collaboration, and leadership needed to adapt and thrive in an uncertain future. We are asking for your help to raise $30,000 by year’s end to continue and build on our essential work. Thanks to our generous backers, we are already 2/3 of the way there.

A gift now will help us reach our goal and will directly support:

✨ Groundbreaking interdisciplinary research that bridges natural and cultural systems to inform policies and solutions.
✨Training adaptive leaders equipped with the tools to navigate complexity and uncertainty.
✨Building collaborative networks that bridge scientists, policymakers, and communities to drive real, lasting change.

This year, our Dust-on-Snow initiative in Southern Colorado brought together researchers and local stakeholders to address how land health affects critical water resources in the American Southwest. Nick Webb, a Research Physical Scientist at the Jornada Experimental Range, called the event “fantastic and invaluable.” Another participant anonymously shared:

“The program challenged me to think more critically about connections and how we can build them amidst policy, economic, and ecological constraints.”

We cannot do this alone. Your contribution—whether $20, $200, or $2,000—makes it possible to expand our reach and deepen our impact.

Follow the link in our bio to give today.

Image: Field Stations participants Morgan Vought and Homaira Siddiqui collecting data for their restoration proposals at Banded Peak, Colorado.

We are asking for your support on this Giving Tues

We are asking for your support on this Giving Tuesday in the form of a one time or recurring donation to underwrite Wright-Ingraham Institute's programs in the year ahead.

Any amount helps – from $10 to $1000 – in our efforts to fundraise, as we are aiming to raise $30K by the year's end. This week, we are excited to be able to offer a 100% matching opportunity, so any amount given, up to $1000, will have 2x the effect.

Tax-deductible donations from individuals like you enable us to develop our programs, grow our resources, and broaden our impact.

We thank you for considering making WII a part of your end-of-year giving! Donation link in bio!

Have you ever had an ‘aha’ moment, when an exc

Have you ever had an ‘aha’ moment, when an exciting new idea emerged from a set of complex problems? The Wright-Ingraham Institute is developing unique ways of sparking more of those moments—critical for navigating the pressing environmental, social, and technological issues of our time. Bringing together varied perspectives, we uncover valuable insights that help communities adapt and thrive in a complex, interconnected world. This work builds on the important legacy of our founder, Elizabeth Wright Ingraham, who understood the value of thoughtful, interdisciplinary approaches long before they became mainstream.

Today, we continue this mission with initiatives like our 2024 Field Station program, Nexus of Land and Water in Southern Colorado, and our Drought Interfaces online tool—a cutting-edge resource helping communities navigate the impacts of drought in the American Southwest. Your support advances efforts like these, and furthers the Institute’s work to create new and much-needed opportunities for leaders in interdisciplinary research.

In the words of a recent collaborator: “Field Stations was a life-changing experience for me—one which will inform my professional and personal trajectory for years to come. I am so thankful for the lessons I learned!” This transformational impact on future leaders is only possible because of donors like you.

Our aim is to raise $30,000 by the end of the year. As we approach the year’s end, we invite you to make a gift that ensures WII can continue to lead and inspire in 2024 and beyond. Your support helps the Institute continue its work to address complex ecological challenges, and sustains our legacy of innovation and impact.

Support our work by making a one-time or recurring donation through the link in our bio. #givingtuesday

Image: Our San Luis Valley team prepares their presentation for the Nexus of Land and Water Symposium this October in Cortez, Colorado at the Center for Earth Theology. From left: Angie Mestas, Patrick O’Neill, Madeline Wilson, Seth Denizen. (Credit: Heidi Steltzer)

Instagram post 17899265877089711

Instagram post 17899265877089711

Join us for a one-day symposium on the critical du

Join us for a one-day symposium on the critical dust-on-snow issue in the San Juan Mountains. This event is free and hosted by the Wright-Ingraham Institute in partnership with the Mountain Studies Institute.

Nexus of Land and Water takes place in Southern Colorado and highlights the findings of an interdisciplinary team of researchers focused on addressing land health and water resource challenges in the Southwest. Experts from diverse fields will present innovative strategies to tackle these pressing concerns.

Tickets are free and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Presentations will be followed by a reception. Link in bio

We’re excited to share an update on Nexus of Lan

We’re excited to share an update on Nexus of Land and Water: Southwest Initiative on Land Health and Water Resources. This interdisciplinary research project, running from June to November 2024, brings together 21 researchers, artists, professionals, and community leaders – split into three research teams – to address the pressing issue of dust-on-snow in the San Juan Mountains.

As dust accelerates snowmelt, it can create serious challenges for water availability, agriculture, and community health. WII’s integrated research methods create spaces where innovative solutions can emerge and new partnerships can thrive to address these kinds of complex concerns.

We are now reaching the midpoint of the project, and our research teams are refining their ideas and preparing for the upcoming symposium in Cortez, Colorado, on October 30. Once there, they’ll present their work, discuss key findings, and set the stage for pilot projects. We are thrilled about the progress and the potential impact of this initiative, and we can’t wait to see what they do.

We want to thank our partners at the Mountain Studies Institute, Center for Snow and Avalanche Studies, New Mexico State University, the United States Department of Agriculture, Soil Health Services, and the Center for Earth Theology. We are also grateful to our funders at the National Endowment for the Arts, Colorado Water Conservation Board, and the Southwestern Water Conservation District – we couldn’t be doing this work without you!

Images:

1/ Problemsolvers working in the field, Madeline Wilson
A key component of the San Luis Valley focus group’s strategy is developing a comprehensive “revegetation playbook,” which includes visual guides and resources for producers.

2/ Dust source, Nicholas Webb

2/ Areal photo: Earth Observatory NASA
Regional group looking at dust trends in the Four Corners Region.

We are excited to continue to share news and updat

We are excited to continue to share news and updates from our 2023 and 2024 grantees. This year, we were thrilled to award a Sustaining Grant to @practicefoundation Practice Foundation, a nonprofit regranting organization committed to opening access and expanding approaches to the design of the living environment. Practice Foundation awarded two new grants this year with the support of our Wright-Ingraham Institute Sustaining Grant. Awardees included The New Garden Society (TNGS), based in Boston, Massachusetts, which works behind prison walls with groups of incarcerated gardeners to promote agency and dignity through land-based practice; and Anormalidad Gardens, based in Austin, Texas – a community collaborative creating direct access to perennial agriculture and crop trees in their neighborhood and home in East Austin.

This week we are continuing to share news and upda

This week we are continuing to share news and updates from our 2023 and 2024 grantees.

Recipient of our Sustaining Grant, Sunny Dooley (Diné) and collaborators’ documentary project, Wisdom Carriers, continues to grow, enriched by the inclusion of new voices and stories. Filming began in earnest for new segments featuring Ruby Chimerica and Twila Cassadore, whose contributions highlight the deep connections between Indigenous knowledge and environmental stewardship. The documentary has already sparked meaningful discussions within the Four Corners region, and beyond, and we are excited to see how these new stories will further amplify the message of rebalancing our relationship with nature. Sunny Dooley herself has also joined our group of Interdisciplinary Problem Solvers working on the issue of Dust-on-Snow in the Southwest as part of the Institute’s 2024 Field Stations Program. We are delighted to support and have the support of Dooley and her community throughout this year.

#wisdomcarriers #sunnydooley #documentaries #wrightingrahaminstitute #environmentalgrants @flagshakes

This week we are excited to share news and updates

This week we are excited to share news and updates from our 2023 and 2024 grantees. This year, we were thrilled to award a Sustaining Grant to Leros Humanism Seminars at Columbia University.

The 2024 Leros Humanism Seminars will focus on the problem of local struggles against external interventions that derive from and contribute further to catastrophic environments. This will be conducted through two intertwined lines of inquiry: 1) the historical legacy of catastrophe and its continuous impact; 2) the as yet unmappable future of the migration/refugee problem.

The Leros Humanism Seminars are a series of yearly intellectual encounters on the island of Leros, Greece. The seminars explore the possibilities for humanism as an emancipatory project for our times, without affording ethical or moral primacy to either human or non-human beings. Key questions for the seminars include what is the responsibility that humans have towards each other and to the surrounding world, and how the exclusion of humans by humans is fundamentally anti-human.

Follow their work at https://leros-humanism-seminars.com and @leroshumanismseminars

#humanism #environmentalorg #grants #wrightingraham #lerosseminars

This week we are excited to share news and updates

This week we are excited to share news and updates from our 2023 and 2024 grantees. This year, our Richard T. Parker Grant was awarded to Grand Staircase Escalante Partners @grandstaircasepartners to support their ongoing work and development of the
Escalante River Watershed Partnership (ERWP).

ERWP is a collaborative group of federal and state agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private landowners dedicated to restoring and maintaining the natural ecological conditions of the Escalante River and its watershed in southern Utah by conducting science on the public lands in the watershed and promoting and implementing sustainable land and water use practices among private landowners.

ERWP was formed in 2009 by a core group of partners to address the invasion of non-native Russian olive trees in streamside areas along the Escalante River. Once established, Russian olive grows in dense thickets that outcompete native trees like cottonwoods and willows, with additional detrimental impacts on water quantity and quality, as well as habitat for native fish and wildlife. Russian olive also exacerbates erosion, resulting in deep, incised channels that further fragment habitats and make water inaccessible to other plants on the floodplain, leading to ecological impoverishment. As of 2019, ERWP has successfully removed Russian olive from all public lands along the main stem of the Escalante River (over 5,000 acres), and the focus has turned to maintaining that work, as well as other aspects of watershed health (e.g., native fish, climate change monitoring & adaptation, upland vegetation restoration, springs inventory and protection) that must be addressed for conservation measures to be effective.

Caption: Image of Grand Staircase Escalante Partners staff taken this spring at the Toadstools, a popular hike in the southern portion of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

#grandstaircase #environmentalgrants #watershed #erwp #landconservation #wrightingrahaminstitute

This week we are excited to share news and updates

This week we are excited to share news and updates from our 2023 and 2024 grantees. This year, our Elizabeth Wright-Ingraham Grant was awarded to Drylands Agroecology Research. @dar.forlifeonearth

Drylands Agroecology Research (DAR) has been working at the intersection of human systems and ecological restoration with a focus on education and research. We have been actively training our apprentices to engage in soil health, water management, biodiversity monitoring, and overall ecosystem regeneration this sunny Summer season, and recently finished insect diversity monitoring. Witnessing how silvopastoral management and rain water harvesting techniques (like contour terracing) work to promote diverse agroforestry ecosystems is deeply rewarding not only for the apprentices, but to share this research and support climate resiliency across the bioregion.

From Casey El Koury, one of DAR’s apprentices:
The experience of research data collection with DAR has been an impactful one, as it invites a certain kind of interaction with land. The process requires us to slow down, open our minds, and hone in on observation. We witness interactions within different biological relationships, identify patterns, note the elements that trigger our senses. Those that tell of the climate, the soil, the water, the animals, the insects, the plants. The program with DAR has taught me to refine complex layers by sieving them through simple questions, intentionally and repeatedly, and connecting what is there. Learning this language has broadened my understanding of research data and its scientific ability to tell another story of land.

All photos courtesy @dar.forlifeonearth

We are pleased to introduce the interdisciplinary

We are pleased to introduce the interdisciplinary group of problem solvers participating in this year’s Field Stations research program. These professionals will contribute insights from environmental science, ecology, agriculture, conservation, engineering, policy, education, community engagement, design, and other fields to envision new solutions for a complex ecological concern.⁠
⁠
Over the next few months these problem solvers will develop applied research projects that address dust mobilization and align with the needs and values of the affected communities. We will share highlights from the progress here and the full proposals and findings will be presented at a symposium in Colorado in the fall. ⁠
⁠
Read more about the group of problem solvers and our core team, link in bio. ⁠
⁠
#dustonsnow #fieldstations #colorado #snow #climatechange #research #environmentalscience #conservation #education #wrightingraham #mountainstudiesinstitute⁠

The Wright-Ingraham Institute (WII) is delighted t

The Wright-Ingraham Institute (WII) is delighted to announce the appointment of Tal C. Beery as Executive Director. Tal brings over fifteen years of experience in the environmental, arts, and educational sectors, and a distinguished career in nonprofit leadership, development, and strategic planning. Tal will be instrumental in implementing WII’s strategic plan and raising funds to fulfill the Institute’s mission, which fosters integrated studies and multifaceted research to bear on our understanding of complex environmental, ecological, and cultural systems. ⁠
⁠
Tal is joining a talented staff that includes Dylan Gauthier and Frida Foberg. Having served as Managing Director over the past year, Dylan will move into a new role as Director of Research, supporting the Institute’s research wing, StudyTank, by guiding research priorities and goals. He will also continue to advise the Institute’s grantmaking initiatives. Frida will continue in her role as Program Manager of Field Studies, facilitating the Institute’s groundbreaking field study initiatives, including the 2024 program “Nexus of Land and Water: Southwest Initiative on Land Health and Water Resources.”⁠
⁠
“Tal’s extensive experience in fundraising, nonprofit operations, and his passion for interdisciplinary education make him the perfect leader for the WII in our next phase of growth,” said Catherine Ingraham, President of the Board of Directors. “I am confident that under his leadership and with the continued dedication of Dylan, Frida, and our Board, the Institute will make significant strides in expanding our impact and ensuring our longevity.”⁠
⁠
Read more about our staff through the link in our bio.⁠

Field Stations is an immersive integrative studies

Field Stations is an immersive integrative studies program that focuses on environmental change in ecologically critical places. We invite researchers, on-the-ground practitioners, professionals, scholars and graduate students from all relevant fields to apply to the 2024 Field Stations Program, titled Nexus of Land and Water: Southwest Initiative on Land Health and Water Resources, to be convened in partnership with the Mountain Studies Institute and in collaboration with the Center for Snow and Avalanche Studies, New Mexico State University, the United States Department of Agriculture, Soil Health Services, and the Haven.

The application is now open for participants to join the project as interdisciplinary problem solvers, addressing issues related to land use, water rights, agriculture, and engaging with the geography surrounding the San Juan Mountains.

Link in bio! Apply by June 1st.

#sanjuanmountains #agriculturepractices #rangelandecology #rangelandmanagement #soilscience #policymaking #education #art #architecture #landscapearchitecture #storytelling #cartography #hydrology #snowscience #tek #climatology #communityleadership #atmosphericmodeling #gis #research #grantproposals #interdisciplinary #dustonsnow #stipend #landandwater #landhealth #waterresources #problemsolver

Support Wright-Ingraham Institute: An Antidote to

Support Wright-Ingraham Institute: An Antidote to Cyber Monday Blues

A central part of Wright-Ingraham's mission as a 501(c)(3) organization is to offer a unique array of place-based programs and field experiences - an antidote to the digital malaise many of us feel in relation to our screens and mediated broadcasts. In 2023, WII brought twenty students and faculty together to participate in our Iceland Field Station program and continued a study of drought and water rights in the southwest through our research program. We also contributed $45K from our small grants program to non-profits working on the conservation of land, agricultural studies, and diversity in multiple contexts. We will be continuing studies of the complex interfaces between land and water in the Southwest and completing a visualization of the Colorado River Basin, the most litigated river in the United States, this coming year.

In this time of giving, we are asking you to help us raise $30,000 to support our work. Please consider making us a part of your end-of-year plans. Every gift, no matter the size, will help! Click the link in our bio to find out how you can support - or visit https://wright-ingraham.org/donate/

Thank you and Happy Holidays from everyone at the Wright-Ingraham Institute.

Photo: Frida Foberg, Iceland Field Stations participants at Kiðagil Guesthouse, 2023.

Applications Are Now Open: Wright-Ingraham Institu

Applications Are Now Open: Wright-Ingraham Institute's 2023 Grants Program. This year we will be primarily focused on organizations and projects originating in the US Southwest. Please review the grant specifications on our website and reach out if you have questions. Applications are due by Friday, October 13, 2023 at 5 PM EST.

Iceland Field Stations 2023 spent the majority of

Iceland Field Stations 2023 spent the majority of the time around Lake Mývatn, with the base camp in the historically rich Bárdardalur valley. Speakers from @svartarkot spoke on local and national contexts and field trips were made to nearby waters, settlements, historic collections, homesteads and new initiatives and volcanic fields, weaving the intricate stories from early settlements to current times.

#environmentalhumanities
#environmentalgrants⁠
#environmentalist⁠
#environmentalscience⁠
#climatechange⁠
#sustainability⁠
#sustainable⁠
#gogreen⁠
#environmentaljustice⁠
#environmnetaleducation⁠
#climatecrisis⁠
#ecodesign⁠
#environmentalprotection⁠
#conservation⁠
#landuse⁠
#iceland

We are a small non-profit registered as a 501c3 in Colorado with our head office located in New York. We undertake field work in both the American West, and elsewhere.

Contact Us

Wright-Ingraham Institute

123 7th Avenue #256

Brooklyn, NY 11215

admin@wright-ingraham.org

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