At EPI’s Missoula office, we love seeing pictures and hearing stories of your travels with us. So when a colleague shared a photo of a mural made by students after their time with EPI, I had to learn more. I ended up connecting with Samantha La, a recent graduate of Natomas Charter School in Sacramento, CA, who traveled to Yellowstone and México with EPI and helped spearhead the mural project once the group returned home. Here I tell you about what we talked!

Erick is an energetic and curious young man who loves to be on the go. Through his experiences, he discovered that what he loves most about being a communicator is building bridges. In a webinar, he shared useful tips on how we can communicate more effectively to promote environmental conservation. Here’s a brief recap of the webinar.

At a large festival with more than 1,600 attendees, a unique encounter took place between two people who shared a common passion: social engineering. Amid the crowd, this unique encounter occurred when Enrique Guemez—who was an EPI student nearly 20 years ago—evaluated the project of Cristhian Robles, who had joined EPI just a few months earlier. After the festival, Enrique contacted Cristhian to see if he would be interested in volunteering with his social engineering organi

Ryan Binga has a pretty interesting job. One day he might be in a Missoula classroom teaching students what to do if they encounter a bear. The next day he could be creating videos for Wildlife Wednesdays on Instagram, and the day after that he might be leading a bird count. How did he get there at such a young age? Through MFWP AmeriCorps, a program that not only makes a significant impact on conservation but also provides career opportunities for its members.

What are the odds? Two childhood friends once traveled to Mexico together on an EPI trip, and years later, fate brought them back together, this time as coworkers. In this interview, they share what that journey meant to them, how their paths crossed again, and what it's really like to work alongside someone who's been part of your story since the beginning.

Healthy rivers don’t happen by accident. In this webinar recap, Rad Watkins explains how forested watersheds and thriving riparian zones prevent flooding, reduce erosion, filter pollutants, and protect water quality. Learn why native vegetation along riverbanks is essential—and how simple human actions can either restore or degrade an entire river system.

Shelbi, a Piikuni leader in the Service Corps, is helping strengthen connections with local tribes and engage Native youth in conservation. After the pandemic, she and other Piikuni members brought cultural knowledge and land-based traditions into the program, inspiring a future where Indigenous-led conservation grows across Montana.

From biking across the globe to leading wildlife surveys in his hometown, Ganesh Nayak, assistant professor at Manipal Institute of Technology (India) and EPI alumnus, is turning adventure into environmental action. Discover how he’s inspiring students to explore, protect, and connect with nature.