Meet our Educators: Ann Walka

Ann Walka

Poet and author

Bluff, Utah

10/05/2021

            Sheltered from the rain in a sandstone alcove, Ann Walka sits with Westies on the first day of a week-long writing workshop on Comb Ridge, Utah. With an unwaveringly gentle demeanor and warm smile, she instructs students to draw a blind contour of their hand, and then write a list of all the sounds they can hear: exercises to calm the mind. She then sends everyone off to wander, find a spot alone, and use the senses to write boundlessly about the rich desert landscape.

Ann is no stranger to place-based writing. Splitting her time between Bluff, UT and Flagstaff, AZ, Ann writes poetry and stories about the landscape and history of the American West. Using her intimate understanding of the intersection of ecology, geological processes, and human history of places like the Utah desert, Ann inspired Westies to work toward writing a “deep map of place,” a concept inspired by desert writer Ellen Meloy. She encouraged students to draw from their direct experiences, nurture curiosity, notice particularities, use the imagination abundantly, and share work aloud every day. With Ann’s guidance, students wrote weather reports, list poems, origin stories, imaginative pieces about human life in the desert, and personal essays rooted in place. Ann’s welcoming attitude, inventive assignments, and deeply creative spirit allowed Westies to slow down and think deeply about the landscapes around and within them.

By Erika Goodman

Editor’s note: the photo above is from SITW 2018 as we did not take a portrait of Ann on SITW 2021

Meet our Guests: Jason Paulsen and Daniel Senner

Jason Paulsen and Daniel Senner

Executive Director and Community Conservation Coordinator, The Methow Conservancy

Methow Valley, WA

09/01/21

A lover of the magical landscapes and vibrant community of Washington’s Methow Valley, Jason Paulsen thinks he has “the best job in the American West.” As Executive Director of the Methow Conservancy, Jason oversees the organization’s conservation efforts and works to inspire the community of the Methow Valley to care for the land. An important focus of Jason’s work is securing affordable housing in a region that plays host to many second homes. Jason explains that affordable housing supports the longevity of the community, and it also gives folks the baseline comfort and security that provides an opportunity to put time and energy into conservation work.

Jason’s colleague Daniel Senner is the Community Conservation Coordinator at the Conservancy, focusing primarily on community engagement: hosting volunteer projects, crafting education programs, and creating experiences that celebrate the valley’s ecology and foster a strong stewardship ethic.

At the core of the Conservancy’s work are the 100+ conservation easements the organization manages to protect land in the valley. As a result, both Jason and Daniel work closely with private landowners to reach conservation goals. Jason and Daniel agree that, while sometimes challenging, this collaboration yields effective and fair approaches that both meet the needs of landowners and prioritize the health of the land.

By Erika Goodman

Meet our Guests: Todd Nash

Todd Nash

Wallowa County Commissioner

Wallowa County, OR

8/22/2021 

­­ Todd Nash, rancher and County Commissioner of Wallowa County, met with Semester in the West for a backyard barbecue with his mom and family. As locally-raised steaks sizzled on the grill, he discussed what it means to be a rancher in rural Oregon as well as the responsibilities and challenges of his position in local government. Pointing from his chair to the landscape surrounding him, Todd spoke about the ecological trends he has witnessed during his four years as Commissioner and a lifetime in the county: more frequent and destructive wildfires in the county’s vast forests, stream flows getting smaller and warmer, and intensifying conflict regarding wolf management in a ranching community. The most effective response to these environmental concerns is far from agreed upon.

Todd discussed political divisiveness, and he spoke to the difficulty of pleasing all parties involved in these issues: ranchers, hunters, environmentalists, and citizens at large. While it’s difficult to balance all opinions, Todd believes there is ultimately a way to satisfy everyone: it just takes empathy and creative solutions. He recognizes a barrier between political parties in the U.S. and wishes for folks to put in the time to get to know one another. Todd demonstrated a strong sense of pride, both in the people and land he represents. Before digging into a steak topped with fresh tomatoes from his mother’s garden, Todd concluded: “I get to represent the best people in the world, the best county in the world.”

By: Erika Goodman