Field Notes: News from our 2023/24 Grant Recipients

Image: Drylands Agroecology Research (DAR) Staff Working in the Field

Dear Friends and Supporters,

As we move through 2024, we are excited to share a few midterm updates on the progress made by the recipients of our 2023/24 Grants Program:

  • Drylands Agroecology Research
  • Grand Staircase Escalante Partners
  • Wisdom Carriers Documentary (FlagShakes)
  • Practice Foundation
  • Leros Humanism Seminars at Columbia University
  • Kindness Farm

These organizations are making significant strides in their vital work at the intersection of ecology, culture, complex systems, and conservation. We celebrate their dedication and the tangible differences they make in their communities and in the world at large.

Your support has been instrumental in enabling this progress. Thank you for standing with us and these extraordinary organizations. We are excited to see what the coming months will bring as these projects continue to unfold. We will continue to spotlight these incredible organizations throughout the year on our social media channels and in upcoming newsletters.

With gratitude,

Tal C. Beery
Executive Director
Wright-Ingraham Institute


Drylands Agroecology Research (DAR)
Receiving this year’s Elizabeth Wright-Ingraham Grant, Drylands Agroecology Research (DAR) continues to make remarkable progress in their mission to regenerate degraded landscapes, working at the intersection of human systems and ecological restoration with a focus on education and research. DAR has been actively training apprentices to engage in soil health, water management, biodiversity monitoring, and overall ecosystem regeneration, recently finishing an ambitious insect diversity monitoring project. DAR’s Agroecology Incubator Apprentices is enriched through engagement with silvopastoral management and rain water harvesting techniques (like contour terracing), allowing DAR to promote diverse agroforestry ecosystems and to share its research and support climate resiliency across the bioregion.

As Agroecology Incubator apprentice Casey El Koury reports:

“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.”


Grand Staircase Escalante Partners (GSEP)
Grand Staircase Escalante Partners (GSEP), recipient of the 2023/4 Richard T. Parker Grant, has been at the forefront of crucial conservation efforts in the Escalante River Watershed for the past 20 years. With Wright-Ingraham’s supportive funding, GSEP has expanded its restoration activities, engaging local community members in sustainable land and water use practices, and beginning new work on a series of initiatives with other regional partners. Their collaborative approach with the Escalante River Watershed Partnership has led to significant milestones, including monitoring the removal of invasive species and the reintroduction of native plants, which are already showing positive effects on the local ecosystem.


Wisdom Carriers Documentary by Sunny Dooley
Sunny Dooley’s 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.


Practice Foundation
Practice Foundation, a nonprofit regranting organization committed to opening access and expanding approaches to the design of the living environment, 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.


Leros Humanism Seminars (Columbia University)
The 2024 Leros Humanism Seminars were hosted in June of this year on the island of Leros, in Greece. Bringing together a diverse network of global humanists, scholars, activists, and artists to explore local struggles against environmental and social challenges, this year’s seminars delved into the historical legacies of catastrophe on the island, and their impact, as well as pressing issues surrounding the global migration crisis.


Kindness Farm
Kindness Farm has been making great strides in expanding its educational programs. The farm has successfully increased the number of workshops and community events, providing more opportunities for immigrant, refugee, and queer communities in Southeast Portland to engage with environmental and conservation education. The hands-on experience of growing food has been particularly empowering for participants, helping to build stronger connections to the land and to each other.


– Congratulations Again to the 2023/4 Awardees –

Elizabeth Wright-Ingraham Grant Winner ($10K)
Drylands Agroecology Research (DAR)

Richard T. Parker Grant Winner ($10K)
Grand Staircase Escalante Partners (GSEP)

Sustaining Grant Winners ($5K)
Wisdom Carriers Documentary (FlagShakes)
Practice Foundation
Leros Humanism Seminars (Columbia University)
Kindness Farm

Announcing the Field Stations 2024 Interdisciplinary Problem Solvers

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.

Field Stations 2024: Nexus of Land and Water will address the problem of dust deposition on snow in the Southwest. Dust-on-Snow is a natural phenomenon that occurs when dust particles land on snow, darkening its surface and causing it to melt faster. The issue has become a major concern as the 24-year-long southwestern North American megadrought has created a feedback loop, increasing dust emissions and exacerbating the impacts of drought and water scarcity for downstream communities.

Problem solvers will develop applied research projects that address dust mobilization and align with the needs and values of the affected communities. Their proposals and findings will be presented at a symposium in Colorado in the fall.

While this project is centered around a specific geographic area, the issue of dust-on-snow is of global relevance. WII has partnered with the Mountain Studies Institute and their longstanding collaborators from the 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. These organizations have separately and collectively engaged in addressing the issue of dust-on-snow in the region for many years. Nexus of Land and Water builds on these groups’ ongoing collaborations and broadens the conversation through WII’s signature interdisciplinary and systems-focused approaches. At the Wright-Ingraham Institute, we are pioneering models of integrated research and learning that can best address complex dilemmas at the interfaces between natural and cultural systems.

Meet Our Interdisciplinary Problem Solvers

  • Bill Brinton, Supervisor of the Mosca-Hooper Conservation District, Alamosa County, CO.
  • Larry Brown, San Luis Valley Area Director & Agriculture Agent at CSU Extension.
  • Lauren Czaplicki, Founder of Science by Design LLC DBA Fungal Solutions, with a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering.
  • Seth Denizen, Human Geographer and Landscape Architect. Assistant Professor at Washington University in St. Louis.
  • Saroj Dhital, Atmospheric Science Researcher and Postdoctoral Associate at the Jornada Experimental Range, NMSU.
  • Sunny Dooley, Diné Hozhojii Hané (Diné Blessing Way Story) Storyteller, Poet, and Organizer of positive possibilities for true change. Creative Director/Producer of Wisdom Carriers.
  • Mike Duniway, Research Ecologist with the US Geological Survey in Moab, UT.
  • Beth Lamberson, professional in Non-profit, Grant Writing and Public Radio Management.
  • Angie Mestas, Teacher from 6 generations of Farmers and Ranchers with a background in Agricultural Biology and Art.
  • Travis Nauman, Research Soil Scientist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
  • Len Necefer, Founder of NativesOutdoors, with a Ph.D. in Engineering & Public Policy.
  • S. McKenzie Skiles, Snow Hydrologist, Associate Professor, and Director of the Snow Hydro Lab, at the University of Utah.
  • Leslie Sobel, Multi-Media Artist addressing water and climate change.
  • Linnea Spears-Lebrun, senior Restoration Ecologist and Project Manager.
  • Madeline Wilson, Agricultural Production Systems Specialist for CSU Extension.
  • Kristina Young, Research Ecologist (postdoctoral scholar) USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range, with a Ph.D. in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology.

Selected through a competitive open call for participants, this group of Interdisciplinary Problem Solvers will join the project’s Core Team who have been working with the Institute over the past two years to formulate and structure and define the project’s approach, methodologies, and goals.

Meet Our Core Team:

  • Jeff Derry, Director of the Center for Snow and Avalanche Studies in Silverton, Colorado, and Director of the Colorado Dust-on-Snow program (“CODOS”).
  • Kevin Lombard, Associate Professor and Superintendent at New Mexico State University Agricultural Science Center at Farmington.
  • Patrick O’Neill, Agronomist and Soil Scientist at Soil Health Services, San Luis Valley, Colorado.
  • Heidi Steltzer, Climate Scientist, Theologian, and Founder of the Center for Earth Theology in Cortez, Colorado.
  • Nicholas Webb, Research Physical Scientist at the Jornada Experimental Range Research Unit at USDA Las Cruces.

The project is directed by Jake Kurzweil, Hydrologist, Associate Director of the Water Program at Mountain Studies Institute, and Frida Foberg, Field Stations Program Manager, Wright-Ingraham Institute.

We look forward to the solutions and collaborations that will emerge from this year’s Field Stations program. Follow us on social media and reach out to find out more about our work.

Field Stations 2024 is supported by a Design Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, and supporting grants from Colorado Water Conservation Board and the Southwestern Water Conservation District.

Wright-Ingraham Institute Appoints Tal C. Beery as Executive Director

New York – 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.”

Prior to joining the WII, Tal served as Chief Development Officer and Interim Co-Executive Director at the Hurleyville Performing Arts Centre, managing a staff of twenty-two and significantly increasing the Centre’s budget over three years. As co-founder and managing director of Arts and Ecology Incorporated, Tal created experiential education programs for undergraduate students, and is a frequent public speaker on place-based adult learning. Additionally, Tal has served as a consultant to more than sixty New York City community groups and social service organizations, successfully delivering impact evaluations, strategic plans, and grant awards that exceeded twenty million dollars. Tal’s independent and collaborative works as an artist and curator have been exhibited in the Whitney Museum Biennial and the Brooklyn Museum, and he has lectured on art and social change at the Museum of Modern Art and numerous other venues.

“I’m deeply gratified by the opportunity to join this amazing team,” said Tal C. Beery. “The Wright-Ingraham Institute has been tackling – through interdisciplinary research and education – some of the most difficult questions facing us today, both locally and globally. This is truly an exciting time to contribute to the Institute’s future.”

For more information about the full team at the Wright-Ingraham Institute, please visit https://wright-ingraham.org/about/#our-team

About the Wright-Ingraham Institute

Today, more than ever, our understanding of interfaces between environmental and ecological systems in relation to human cultures requires integrated inquiry, diverse forms of knowledge, and new problem solving techniques. To begin meeting these challenges, the Wright-Ingraham Institute conducts and applies multifaceted research to diverse site-specific field study programs. Our goal is to model ways of understanding and interpreting complex systems that contribute to meaningful solutions in the service of society.