There's a vacant, unambiguously positive niche for environmental entrepreneurs. It's modeled upon the hundreds of "study abroad" programs run by colleges and universities. This program would give students hands-on experience working with nature while providing farmers and ranchers a larger supply of responsible, seasonal labor. Concurrently, the program will contribute to the public goal of protecting the open space and habitat, which farms and ranches provide.

We value agriculture for its viewsheds and wildlife habitat. However, as prices of agricultural products (wheat, wool, cattle) cascade downward, farmers and ranches cannot compete for quality labor. This lack of labor is one of the forces that drive multigenerational families off their land. Often the land is fragmented into smaller, isolated plots of land that disconnects wildlife corridors.

For example, in the Big Hole Valley, ranchers have long used a method of haying using "beaver slides." Beaver slides use little capitol, but high labor imputs. In fact, Don Snow, of Whitman College, describes the process as so labor intensive that "until very recently, nearly every high school student in the Big Hole was a graduate of the University of Haying." But the practice is threatened as workers become scarce and ranchers substitute capitol for labor.

I knew very little about agriculture before moving to Bozeman two months ago. I recently graduated from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, with a focus on in environmental studies. I moved here to be a research assistant for FREE and Gallatin Writers. But my boss, John Baden, is also a rancher.

He frequently talks of ranch work (e.g. moving irrigation pipe, building fence, haying), topics I knew nothing about. Although I took many environmental classes on land-use, sociology, and economics, we rarely studied how actual people (e.g. ranchers, farmers, and loggers) mesh with their environment.

A few weeks ago, I asked John if I could work on the ranch for a day. I couldn't have been more excited. Although I knew it would be hard, I was interested in seeing a new perspective. I bought work gloves and headed out to the ranch at 7:00 am. By the end of that day, I was exhausted and dirty, but had gained a new respect for ranching. And that was only after one day.

I'm convinced that sound environmental education needs more than abstract ideas and concepts. Giving students first hand knowledge of what it means to work with nature requires hands-on work in the field. This process is often neglected in environmental studies programs.

Let's explore the open environmental niche. The environmental entrepreneur could work with established national conservation groups, for example Defenders of Wildlife, American Farmland Trust, or the Nature Conservancy to develop a program modeled after "study abroad" programs. Many colleges and universities encourage students to study abroad for a semester or summer for academic credit. The purpose of these programs is to immerse students into a new environment and to understand and appreciate different cultures. There are field studies programs in Africa, Australia, Latin America, virtually all over the world.

The program I'm proposing would offer opportunities to "study abroad" by working on a farm or ranch for a summer. Students would be required to keep a journal of their experiences and at the end of the summer prepare a report related to the students' academic coursework, for example, environmental economics or wildlife ecology.

The program would not be for everyone. Students must be filtered. There would be an application process in order to insure that the students are equipped to handle the physical rigor of agriculture, are responsible adults, and are in good academic standing. In addition, the sponsoring organization would supply liability insurance to the ranchers.

Once accepted into the program, students undergo an orientation. It would introduce them to the culture and rudiments of agriculture work, for example, what a swather is and what a baler does. Students would be matched with a farmer or rancher for the summer and would receive room, board, and perhaps a modest stipend.

This program would address the crying need for labor, help keep family agriculture viable, and give environmental studies students the opportunity to experience working the land. "Studying abroad" in agriculture could give students new experiences that no classroom ever could: a respect for the people on the land while helping to save habitat and our wildlife corridors.