MISSOULA — We would like to take some time to acknowledge one of our KPAX reporters who just returned from a prestigious week-long environmental tour called "The Crown of the Continent Institute".
Caroline Weiss came back with a notebook filled with story ideas and is poised to take our coverage of environmental issues even further.
She recently participated in an intensive week-long program with the Crown of the Continent Institute, joining reporters and photographers from across the United States and Canada to enhance her environmental reporting expertise.
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Weiss, who has been with KPAX for more than a year and holds a master's degree in Environmental and Natural Resource Journalism, often covers stories that take her directly into the field. Her approach to journalism is guided by advice from her graduate school advisor.
"My advisor in grad school would say that every story is an environmental story because it's the way we all interact with the world," Weiss said.
The immersive program took participants from the Flathead Lake Bio Station to Going-to-the-Sun Road, focusing on how to report on environmental topics and connect with people experiencing these issues firsthand.
The curriculum covered a wide range of environmental subjects, including wildlife crossings, stream health, prescribed burns, ranching and drought, along with indigenous land practices.
"Montana is such a rich place for that because it's at the intersection of so many different environmental things," Weiss said.
During the program, the team swam in Flathead Lake, witnessed battling bull elk and collected bugs for microscopic examination, all while maintaining focus on ecosystem connections.
Weiss returned from the experience with a notebook full of story ideas for future coverage.
"When I take notes really fast and there's something I find super interesting, I put a bunch of exclamation points and I have a notebook just full of messy handwriting and exclamation points," Weiss said.
She believes this deeper exploration of her area of expertise will enhance her environmental reporting work.
"It was interesting to see the place that I live through kind of a different lens, and I think there's something about like when people explain something to new people who maybe aren't familiar with it around you, you think about everything in a completely different way," Weiss said.
One of the story ideas Caroline wrote down in her notebook will be featured this Sunday on our Montana Ag Network report, where she explores the impacts of drought along the Blackfoot River.
