About the Shining Mountains Chapter
The Shining Mountains Chapter supports Wild Montana’s mission by providing community outreach and education that inspire people in Missoula, Mineral, Ravalli, Granite, and Sanders Counties to protect wild public lands and waters in the western section of the state, including the Great Burn, the Seeley-Swan Valley, the Bitterroots, and Sapphires.
Chapter members get together to table at local farmers markets and community events, gather for trail maintenance projects and highway cleanup, and show up at public meetings to ensure agencies and politicians know that Montanans want to keep Montana wild.
Contact Us
The Shining Mountains Chapter meets on the first Tuesday of the month at 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. For more information, email shining.mountains@wildmontana.org.
Chapter Board
President: Mike Young
Treasurer: Mary Langenderfer
Secretary: Suzanne Hendrich
Members: Lee Boman, Riley Egan, Daphne Herling, Amy Katz, Anna Oesterreich, Reg Spannaus, Annie Gillespie, Nicholas Maya, and Sarah Wood
Interim Board Member: Shannon Sullivan
▶ Interested in joining our board? Learn more here.
How We Help Keep Montana Wild
Stewarding the Baker Lakes area of the Bitterroot National Forest
The Baker Lakes basin lies just below the Bitterroot’s highest summit, Trapper Peak, and has become an increasingly popular access route. Our chapter dedicates several days each year to collecting data about use in this area and performing restoration work. Join us for one of this year’s Baker Lakes stewardship days through our Wilderness Walks site. This project is led by Mike Young and Tim Peterson. Learn more about this project and other stewardship work here.
Getting out on our local trails
Each year our chapter members offer a large variety of Wilderness Walks options throughout western Montana. Join us for a winter Adventure or a summer walk soon. Want to become a walk or adventure leader or co-leader? Email mprison@wildmontana.org.
Delivering local events
Between October and May, we deliver a public event at least once a month featuring a speaker or topic that’s relevant to Wild Montana’s work in western Montana. Come out and join us! Keep tabs on our events via our calendar or through our Facebook page. Also, consider joining our events committee to help to design and deliver our events. Email Anna Oesterreich, the events committee lead, at annaoester@gmail.com to get involved.
Sharing our maps and projects at the Missoula farmer’s market
You’ll find our chapter members tabling once a month at the Saturday Missoula Clark Fork market, distributing area hiking maps, talking about our work, and getting people connected to our mission as new members.
Produced the WildCast storytelling series
This short storytelling series featured local leaders sharing inspiring stories about their experiences protecting local lands and waters.
- Ep. 1 – The Great Bear
Listen to a story about the Great Bear Wilderness, told by a Smoke Elser, an outfitter, who helped create it.
- Ep. 2 – Defending Native Land from Exploitation
Germaine White, a retired Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribe educator, talks about the tribe’s experiences with oil and gas pressures and the importance of youth involvement in public lands issues.
- Ep. 3 – Shane Morigeau: Serving People and Place
Listen to the latest addition to Shining Mountains Chapter’s WildCast audio series, featuring an interview with Montana state Sen. Morigeau.
