— by Susan Eirich, Ph.D. — “Real change will only happen when we fall in love with the Earth.” Thich Nhat Hanh There is a meeting this summer in Italy called “Our Sacred Earth…Responding to Ecological Crisis.” It asks, “How can we rise to the challenges of global environmental and ecological crisis?” The conference is intended as a conversation where people, already well informed, participate actively, engaging as widely as possible in dialogue and debate. A major focus will be “exploring how we can each make a difference and take urgent action to be the change in our daily lives, continuously echoing and reflecting on the question, ‘What am I going to do...
To Our Earthfire Family – With Joy and Possibility
We are ending the year here at Earthfire Institute in Driggs, Idaho with a great sense of joy and possibility. Some might even say “naïve” joy and “foolish” sense of possibility. But we don’t think so. We believe in fact that we are on to something... and you are, too. These feelings have been percolating among us as we have been sitting around our virtual meeting table, working together on each week’s activities, and discussing our goals and plans for 2018. Not all of us are in Driggs—Nikki, our digital media manager, is in Helena, Montana; Chelsea, our community coordinator, is in Pocatello, Idaho; and Richard, our advisor, is in Oakland, California. But thanks to the...
Where the Wild Things Were
A gathering to celebrate, protect and explore our sacred connections to wildlife. If you're in the area, join Susan and other wildlife experts in Bozeman, Montana, for an evening of art and insight into our connection and responsibility to wildlife. Hosted by The Emerson Grill and Wilder Goods Saturday, September 23rd 2017 in Bozeman, Montana Art Reception ~ 5 - 7:30 p.m. At Wilder Goods in the Emerson Cultural Center Open to the public A collaborative art show featuring artists with a passionate vision of our relationship to wildlife, as well as presentations from wildlife experts on advocating effectively with our representatives, bridging...
Tuning in to Life’s Inner Wisdoms: Reflections from our Third Conservation Conversation
— by Chelsea Carson — Having gathered now for our third online Conversation, the response to our developing deeply-rooted community has been inspiring. Expanding on our first two discussions on “How Connecting with an Animal Can Help Us Heal the Earth,” we joined together on July 26th for a heart based discussion on the nature of consciousness and how it relates to animal intelligence and our connection to nature. Susan talked about how we may begin to integrate non-human living beings unique intelligences and wisdoms into our journey forward. Having just returned from the Institute for Noetic Sciences conference she weaved topics and experiences from the weekend into our...
On August 21, 2017, all of us living in the United States will experience the first total solar eclipse visible throughout the country since 1979! The path of the eclipse will cut right through Teton Valley, Idaho, where Earthfire Institute is located, and as a result this area is expected to be one of the best places to view the eclipse in the entire US. Because this is such a special celestial event, and one we won’t see again until 2045, we want to offer our closest friends the opportunity to experience it with us and the wild animal residents of Earthfire Institute. We will host an intimate, private viewing with a small number of our friends in our beautiful Wildlife Garden, and we...
-- By Susan Eirich, PhD -- After 19 years of trying, Earthfire Institute has finally received a formal rehabilitation license from the State of Idaho Department of Fish and Game. We have been working with them informally over the years on a case by case basis when they needed help with specific animals, but this is different. We can now take calls from the public and they are coming in several times a week. The need is so great! And so many of the issues are human caused that we owe it to the animals to do what we can. At this time of year it is mostly orphaned babies. To date we have welcomed coyotes and beavers but soon there will be black bear babies and others. I am afraid that I am...
