Ryan Ghelfi

May 30, 2024

The third weekend in May is a very special time for SBFC. This was the case in spades this year. We had our annual Missoula board meeting, where 17 of our 19 board members attended in-person, with 2 more tuned-in remotely for full attendance. It’s stunning to me that we were able to bring our whole team together in this way from all across this wild region.

Our board of directors has grown a great deal in the last two years. Eleven of the 19 current members have come into the fold since 2022, and the energy is palpable. Their fresh perspectives, paired with the institutional wisdom and ideas of the tenured board members, make a strong team. The skills, experience, and passion in this group are incredible. We have members from Boise to Missoula and all points in between. People are engaged and eager to help chart the course for the years ahead.

At the same time as the board meeting, our Wilderness Ranger Fellows had just finished up their first week of training with our program directors and crew leads. This group has traveled from across the country to learn, live, and work in the Wilderness this summer, and we could not be happier to see them growing and adapting at a rapid rate.

All told, when you consider our whole team, we are 57 strong. It’s astounding and humbling for me to think about all of the people who put so much of themselves into SBFC, our mission, and the Wildest Place in the Lower 48.

This week our seasonal crews are out on their first training hitch together as leaders and Fellows. They are working to maintain and improve trails branching off of the Main and Middle Fork Salmon Rivers, deep in the heart of the Frank Church-River of No Return.

These are the people and this is the work that will maintain Wilderness values, character, and access for the decades to come. Our season in the Frank and the Selway is upon us. Together, we are up for the challenge.