IN THIS ISSUE:

Upcoming Events
Executive Director Retiring
Wedding Cans: A Unique Way to Donate
Board Member Recieves Award
Guide to Grasses

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Eastern Office - Programs & Information
Box 41 - Rocky Mountain College
Alden Hall, Room 101A
1511 Poly Drive
Billings, MT 59102-1739
PHONE: (406) 238-7479

Carolyn Sevier: Email
(406) 696-8622

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Moonlight Hike

Aug 24, 7:15

A moonlit summer evening on the prairie. Begin with a short interpretive walk to learn about the prairie ecosystem, then watch the sunset and full moon rise over the open prairie at Cove Canyon Grasslands, a 3,000-acre preserve just outside of Billings. Finish the evening with hot chocolate around the campfire and an uninterrupted view of the night sky. Meet at Rocky Mountain College for carpool, reservations required. All ages welcome, dress for weather.

$10/person or $25/family.

In Honor and Memory

A donation has been given to Rim Country in memory of Pearl and Bernard Schmid

Greetings!

Spring on the prairie is a time for growth--every plant soaking up as much water and sunshine as it can hold and every animal pushing to build nests, dig holes, and nurse its young through the short, lush season. Summer, which is now upon us in shades of hot weather and volatile thunderstorms, is the time for curing. Prairie dog pups grow into adults, cottonwood leaves fill out, sumac berries ripen, and for a while we all just let the days cycle through. The work of spring settles into acceptance.

Rim Country has also settled into a regular summer schedule of guided hikes and programs, letting the fruits of Spring preparation come forward as they will, and learning from each as they do about what to continue and what to change in the future. This transition, between setting and ripening, between planning and happening, is an important one in any effort. At some point you just have to let go, in trust, and accept. And learn for when the cycle begins again. As I watch the grasses cure in the summer sunshine, I only hope I can be as wise.

Seven Years of Leadership

Carol McEvoy, co-founder and current Executive Director of Rim Country, has announced her retirement for this coming fall.
 
With her husband Larry, Carol started Rim Country in 2003 as a way of healing individuals, and a culture, that is disconnected from its place--the seasons, cycles, stories, and other species that make up the whole of our community. Her varied background in biochemistry, family therapy, and creation spirituality, as well as a deep concern and empathy for those around her all, have been essential elements in helping to develop and guide the vision of Rim Country. As executive director, she has taken on the tasks of running an organization--from development to programming to strategic planning--with great enthusiasm.
 
Carol's work with Rim Country will continue with her membership on the board of directors. She is also looking forward to spending more time caring for future generations by "being a grandma" for her ten grandchildren.
 
On behalf of the staff, supporters, and friends of Rim Country, I offer deep and sincere thanks to Carol for all that she has done, and continues to do, for the Earth.

A Unique Way to Donate

"Wedding Cans" project benefits Rim Country

We've been following this story for the last few months, and we are happy to share this press release about the project.

In related news, we recently heard from a supporter who decided to hold a yard sale in order to donate all proceeds to Rim Country. These spontaneous, creative contributions are great for boosting both operations and morale. If you have a story about fun ways to help out, let us know!

PRESS RELEASE

Five tons of aluminum, one wedding, and an innovative way to support the community. Rim Country Land Institute in Billings, Montana has been chosen as a beneficiary of extra funds generated by the Wedding Cans Campaign (www.weddingcans.com).

"Andrea and Peter are a great couple," said Carolyn Sevier, Rim Country program director. "We're excited to be included in their unique project."

Starting late last year, Peter Geyer and Andrea Parrish of Spokane began collecting aluminum cans to recycle and earn money for a July wedding. After launching a website and social media campaign that attracted national and international press coverage, in just 187 days they reached 400,000-can goal. They were even featured on the CBS Early Show and attracted corporate support from two national recycling companies. And donations are still pouring in.

But instead of adding more centerpieces or flower arrangements, they decided to give sixty percent of the money raised back to the community. They selected two non-profit organizations to contribute to, Rim Country Land Institute and Doctors Without Borders.

"We wanted to share the excitement," said Andrea of the Rim Country choice, "and since we started this project with the environment in mind, picking an organization that connects people with the environment was a great way to do that."

Rim Country Land Institute provides guided hikes and education programs on 3,000 acres of conservation property near Billings, Montana.

"People rarely act to protect the natural world unless they feel connected to it personally," said Sevier. "Our programs provide people with the opportunity to do just that."

Board Member Recieves Nursing Award

Clarann recognized for work

Rim Country Board Member Clarann Weinert was recently selected as an inaugural inductee into the Sigma Theta Tau International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame.  The purpose of the Honor Society of Nursing of Fame is to recognize nurse researchers who are STTI members who have achieved long term, broad national and/or international recognition for their work and whose research has impacted the profession and the people it serves.  The criteria include:  a) demonstrated long-term impact of the nurse researcher and his/her funded program of research on patient/family outcomes, community wellness and/or health care policy nationally and/or internationally, b) influence of the nurse researcher as a mentor and role model for students, faculty and practicing nurses, and c) recognition as a scholar and leader in research nationally and/or internationally.  The induction will take place on July 16, 2010 in Orlando.
 
From Clarann:
"This award is especially meaningful as it comes as a capstone to a career -long program of research, recognition of the advances in rural nursing research at MontanaStateUniversity, and to the fact that a sustained funded program of nursing research is possible in a less research-intense institution.  Of course, for me personally I am humbled and so very honored to be recognized by an award from Sigma Theta Tau International, an organization for which I have a deep respect and dedication and one that I have been privileged to serve for many years."

Congratulations, Clarann!

What's Happening on the Land?

A Guide to Grasses

See our Land Blog for regular updates and photos of our prairie home (click on link or access from Rim Country home page). In the meantime, here's a longer-than-usual article about these important prairie plants. Enjoy!
 
Now that the weather is mostly warm and dry, the native grasses are really showing off. With more than three-quarters of their biomass underground and growth mainly near the base (not the top), grasses are uniquely suited for the prairie habitat. They can withstand quite a bit of surface disturbance, from grazing to drought to fire, and build extensive underground networks of roots that prevent erosion and ensure long-term survival. Grasses are really what define the plains, as much as trees define a forest.
 
Learning grasses can be kind of intimidating. They don't have the same bright flowers as some herbaceous plants do, their structure and anatomy is on a smaller scale than trees and bushes, and many of them (especially their leaves) can look the same. Also, the names for their different parts are different than other plants. Grasses are always a part of our guided hikes, but here's a quick guide if you can't make it or want a preview.
 
A bit of terminology:
Bunchgrass--grows in a bunch like a bouquet
Sod-forming grass--grows in a mat like a lawn
Perennial--new growth comes up from the same roots every year, so look for old leaves near the base. Usually has deep roots, hard to pull up.
Annual--grows from seeds each year (most native grasses are perennial).
 
Find yourself a whole piece of grass (not from your lawn, unless you haven't mowed all summer) and follow along:
 
-Seeds* and flowers are part of the inflourescense at the top of the stem, also called a seedhead. There are two main shapes of inflourescence--spikes (seeds all stick out from the same stem, like wheat) and panicles (branch out like a tree with seeds at the end of each branch).

-Seed structures (especially on spikes) may have hairs that stick out from the top, called awns. Awns can be short or long, straight or curly.

-Stems are really a series of tubes that each emerge into a separate leaf. The central axis that the series forms is the culm.

-Each leaf has a sheath, which overlaps with other sheaths to make the stem, and a blade, the part that is usually wider and falls away from the central stem. Each leaf starts out at a place called a node (the 'joints' on the stem).

-The shape of the leaf where the sheath becomes the blade is important for identification. Where the sheath wraps around, it can be fused into a complete tube or the two sides can overlap.

-Where the blade emerges (the collar) is a structure called the ligule. Pull down the blade to see the ligule better, it looks like a ring on the inside of the blade and can be fringed-looking or completely fused. The base of the blade might have little arms that stick out and wrap all the way around the stem, called auricles.

-The blade tapers toward the tip and can be flat, v-shaped, or roll inward into a cylinder.

*What I'm calling a seed is really the entire seed structure, which is also kind of complicated. Don't worry about it for now.
 
Finally, here are five native grasses that are dominant at Cove Canyon:
 
Bluebunch wheatgrass
The state grass of Montana! Perennial bunchgrass, 1-3 feet tall. Spike inflourescence, seeds don't overlap with each other. ½" awns stick out in all directions. Leaves are mostly at the base of the plant and can roll inward. In the winter, look for seedheads that look crimped.
 
Needle-and-thread
Perennial bunchgrass, 1-3 feet tall. Seed has long, 4-5" awn that is twisted like a screw for about 2" and then bends into a curly tail. Ligule is prominent and frayed-looking. Leaves are rough on the upper surface. Sometimes the awns get stuck together to form a tangled mass.
 
Green needlegrass
Perennial bunchgrass, 2-3 feet tall (I've seen it up to 4'). Seeds have 1" awns that are twisted like a screw and bend twice from tip to tail. Ripe seeds (the actual seeds inside the seed structure) are dark brown and shiny. Leaves roll inward toward the tip.
 
Indian ricegrass
Perennial bunchgrass, 1-3 feet tall. Panicle inflourescense. Branches in inflourescense are bent and angular and each has just one seed. Leaves spread out instead of staying straight up.  The whole plant looks like a spreading, delicate bouquet.
               
Blue grama
Perennial sod-forming grass from 4-18" tall. Spike inflouresence bends over from the stem, all seeds grow on one side to look like a comb. When grass cures, the seedhead curls. Hairy grama is similar but has hairy-looking seedheads and hairy leaf blades.