Institutes For Journalism & Natural Resources

IJNR provides the highest level of professional experience for serious environmental journalists. The program's field immersion is unparalleled. Fellows receive intensive training in this specialization. They also have fun in the field learning about other cultures, environmental issues and their solutions, and getting to know each other on IJNR's well prepared field trips, such as rafting on rivers, crabbing, and participating in traditional Native American ceremonies.An

In the summer of 2002, I went on an IJNR-sponsored trip to the California/Oregon border on a program to help environmental journalists get a better grasp of water issues in the area. It was a fantastic experience that lead to a multi-dimensional understanding of the forces at work in the area. We talked with farmers, native Americans, environmentalists, loggers and policy-makers. We met many passionate and committed people, who brought the region's issues to life. We covered a lot of ground. We learned a lot. And we had a blast. I came away extremely impressed with IJNR. This is a quality organization.

It was in the summer of 2000 that I went to Maine as a Fellow to learn to be a better natural resources reporter. The exposure to how to ask probing questions and to come up with a more complete understanding of complicated topics was extremely valuable. Like most reporters at small newspapers, I have to move quickly from one complex topic to another and get it right. And be able to pull readers into stories and topics and hold their attention. The travels tested my stamina, too. Unfortunately, Frank had to leave part-way through the trip to keep an eye on his house in Montana, threatened with wildfires. Otherwise I might have learned more about setting up a story. But it was a wonderful experience!

Beyond the stimulating total emersion within a journalistic milieu that IJNR offers its selected Fellows on each of its highly organized Institutes, the most remarkable aspect of the experience they provide is the complete financial support that's included with each invitation to participate in one of their unique journeys of discovery.

From the moment of arrival until the final departure, Fellows' expenses for each Institute are all covered by IJNR and its generous supporters. I hadn't experienced funding support like that since I served in the Navy, and IJNR doesn't even require you to wear a uniform or stand mid-watches. And the food is so much better than Navy chow, there's no comparison.

But the best food IJNR brings to the table is food for thought, both in the outstanding speakers and other resources they present to the Fellows day after day, and the careful selection of the Fellows themselves for each journey whose members are chosen with the intent of creating a symbiotic whole that will continue to evolve from their shared experience long after their particular Institute is complete.

Like the old wisdom about college--that education is what remains after all you learned has been forgotten--the IJNR experience only gains with time, investing intellectual capital in its alumni that continues to grow like compounding interest, and which will benefit the collective Fellowship on each journey for the rest of their careers, even lives.

I received some of the best training I've ever had in journalism through IJNR. Frank and Maggie bring together informed and thoughtful experts in all realms of things environmental. They also manage to facilitate productive discussions among the journalist-participants.

It’s no exaggeration to say that participating in an IJNR journalism fellowship was one of the most stimulating and enjoyable experiences I've had as a reporter and writer. With twenty years in the industry I’ve attended dozens of conferences and participated in many fellowships, but the IJNR expedition is truly unique.


In a time when traditional journalism seems to be a in a free fall, the IJNR field trip experience feels like a life raft. The chance to meet the experts and practitioners in their own element, to see science unfolding in an outdoor laboratory of nature, is exciting, and to experience the comradery of fellow journalists and mentoring of elders is invigorating as well.

It is a privilege to know first-had the lasting impact IJNR has on its participants, both as professionals and as people. When I first encountered IJNR, I had never had the opportunity to spend time with another reporter who wanted to specialize in environmental journalism. My nine-day journey with a busload of fellows supported and encouraged my commitment like nothing else could. Once the bus ride is over, IJNR fellows continue to challenge each other. I’m continually blown away by the outstanding contributions IJNR fellows are making to honest reporting that dodges preconceived notions and avoids easy conclusions. I am grateful for the investment IJNR makes in people.

The great thing about IJNR is learning about emerging environmental issues on the ground. You're hearing from the experts, while you're also in the field. It's like going to a cool seminar, but you're not in a sterile classroom or conference center. You're actually outdoors and learning.
I remember one night in southern Georgia helping with a controlled burn while on an IJNR fellowship. I'd often spoken with experts about how fire can help forests, but seeing how controlled burns are conducted was eye opening. It was interesting to learn the preparations that go into it, then how the burns are managed. We later discussed what the burning would do for the landscape. It gave me much greater insight and perspective on an issue I only knew in the abstract before.
Another great experience was simpler. Our group was taken to a mixed forest in South Carolina. In the forest, we heard birds, squirrels and other sounds of wildlife that lived in the woods. We then were taken to a pine plantation. The thing I remember most is how eerily quiet it was in the pine plantation, since it lacked a diversity of tree species. No birds or animals making sounds. The only real sound was the spring wind blowing in the pines.

I am a supporter and general admirer of IJNR. While I am in a different field, I value very much the expertise that IJNR provides for journalists who cover natural resource issues. I care a lot about these issues and feel confident that IJNR and their fine group is providing a much-needed service. I have kept up with their projects and am happy to support them. They get my vote! Joyce L. Hocker, Ph. D.

IJNR took me to the intersections of science, public policy and natural splendor during my 10-day fellowship. I canoed on Tule Lake with the head of the Klamath Nation, saw bears and bald eagles, traversed the Klamath River, learned about healthy forests and the need to control fuel loading, saw the efficiency of wetlands and how this natural filtering process helps the City of Arcata with waste water treament on Humboldt Bay. These hands-on, boot-on-the-ground experiences are essential for those who report on natural resource issues and intrepret resource policy for the public. IJNR is the answer for deadline-drive journalists who struggle to get out of the office and into the field. What I experienced was more than fun, it was essential.

As a journalist, my fellowship with IJNR helped me see how much is possible in environmental reporting, and challenged me to meet the inherent promise in every story I tell. Our 10-day trip was intense. We covered hundreds of miles and talked about climate change, water use, hatcheries v. wild fish, logging practices, grazing standards, the reintroduction of wolves and more. We got to meet interesting people on all sides of every issue. I can't imagine how an organization could touch more hot topics and go more into depth. As the pressure builds -- on the natural environment and within the journalism industry -- the importance of IJNR will only rise.

IJNR helped train me to do my job.
It is run by people who are respected in the field.
The 10 days I spent on this fellowship provided a wealth of information that informed my reporting for years to come.
IJNR staff continued to encourage me long after the fellowship ended.
At a time when newsrooms have fewer resources, nonprofits that assist them are crucial.
I've expressed my gratitude by donating to the organization and hope others will join me.

The Institutes for Journalism and Natural Resources is the best organization I have been associated with during my nearly 40 years in the field of journalism. Through intensive field trips, the IJNR staff creates for its fellows an experience that provides immediate professional development. Moreover, the staff manages to create a collegial atmosphere among recipients of fellowships so that the learning continues for years afterward. The seeds sown by IJNR continue to bear fruit in ways IJNR staff members do not even know about. It is a great organization.

I've enjoyed IJNR's expeditions since they started in the mid-'90s. I began as a teenager tasked with hauling coolers full of beverages from site to site. I wound up as person who cares deeply about the environment and who wants to see America's newsrooms far better-equipped to the myriad natural-resource stories that have a huge impact on the quality of life for communities across the country. IJNR provides an outstanding service to an industry that desperately needs their thoughtful approach to professional development.

IJNR organized a tour of environmental points of interest around Lake Erie in May, 2009 for a group of journalists, both English and French speaking from the U.S. and Canada. I was one of them. The experience was superb in every way. It was well organized, informative and provided a great opportunity to meet and disccus issues with other journalists and colleagues. The access to sites such as the large dairy operation in Michigan, fishery in Lake Erie, and power facilities near Niagara Falls was extraordinary. There were background briefings with leaders in a wide variety of environmental issues and there was particular care taken to provide many sides of each story. The tour was thought provoking and inspiring and did a great deal to promote more thoughtful environmental journalism. IJNR is an organization that should be strongly supported.

I went on a 2007 IJNR expedition in Montana and found it incredibly helpful as a reporter newly arrived to the region. Frank and his team were able to stir up so many story ideas that almost four years later I'm still putting them to use. All in all a great organization providing a valuable service to reporters and the public.

There are few opportunities for journalists to get crucial hands-on experience in science and environmental topics. This is an amazing experience and an important pillar in the support of a well-educated press.

There is a tremendous dearth of good science and environmental reporting in the U.S. today. Mainstream media only seem to respond when there is a huge disaster, like the BP oil well blowout.
IJNR is able to get reporters from cash strapped news organizations into the field... to see and hear and smell and ponder important nature, wildlife, and environmental stories. Having an idea of what ecosystems are like in "normal" times helps reporters understand and explain the situation when nature is in the midst of a crisis.

IJNR is a fantastic organization, vitally needed at a time when media outlets are scaling back on staff as well as professional development opportunities for reporters and editors. Covering environmental issues well demands knowledge of the subject covered, a critical eye, and an appreciation for the complexity of viewpoints and perspectives. IJNR expedition fellowships take journalists into the field and into the heart of many of the most important environmental issues of the day. I was a fellow in November 2009 in the American Southwest, specifically New Mexico, to study how this region is emblematic of the nation's reliance on 20th century sources of energy, such as highly polluting coal, and at the same time at the cutting edge of developing alternative sources of energy, including wind and solar. We toured wind farms by air, talked with coal executives, and saw how Native American communities are adopting 21st century solar energy technology to improve their economic standing -- among many other activities. The staff of IJNR was wonderful -- organized, supportive and incredibly inspiring. I met some terrific journalists, and two years later I still keep in touch with many of them.

I have had two fellowships with this organization. They take you into the field and recharge your journalism batteries, sending you back to your news organization with a fresh eye and renewed vigor.

my fellowship with IJNR provided a mid-career boost to my reportage on the environment. the fellowship took place in Wisconsin, where I was able to learn hands-on in the field from experts. the fellowship also allowed me to interact with other journalists from around the country and share ideas and approaches to reporting. this is an organization well worth supporting because it gives reporters and editors a rare chance to spend time away from the newsroom, learning more in depth about the topics on which they report, in turn benefitting readers.

There is no other program like IJNR, bringing together journalists from around the country and the world to learn about natural resource issues -- in the field -- in key regions around the US.

This is an organization which is fighting to keep alive an endangered species - environmental journalism. Their good work and their efforts to expand the resources available to environmental journalists are helping to bring a higher awareness of critical issues involving natural resources.

IJNR has an extremely important mission, using the craft of journalism to educate the general public and policymakers about the most pressing environmental issues of our time. The old economic model for daily journalism is broken. While the industry is struggling to find its feet during in this historic time of transition, IJNR is working hard to make sure the biggest, most important, and most complex environmental news stories don't fall between the cracks. It has helped hundreds of journalists during the last 15 years, but there are thousands more who need IJNR's help, mentoring and support.

The BP oil spill in the Gulf has shown the need for training that helps reporters explain highly technical environmental issues to the public.
But these are not one-time events - hydraulic fracturing, climate change, industrial over-fishing, subsidies for alternative energy and transportation- in a world that is fast approaching the limits of resources that have long been considered limitless, every decision we make have implications for sustainability and trade-offs that challenge our ideas of economic freedom and social justice.
IJNR, in my opinion, has the most effective and accessible methods for teaching reporters not only what they need to know to understand these complex issues but how to engage both sides to tell a story that is fair and accurate.

To comprehend the ecological wonderland that is the Great Lakes, you must get to know Lake Erie -- the shallowest and warmest of them all, yet home to the most abundant fishery. The Institutes for Journalism and Natural Resources' Great Waters Institute in May 2009 provided a crash course on the challenges confronting this fascinating inland sea. I was among a group of journalists fortunate enough to take part in the expedition.

Beginning with a cruise on the St. Clair River, ground zero in the debate over low water levels on the upper lakes, we embarked on a nine-day circle tour of the Lake Erie basin. Among the stops: Ohio State University's Stone Laboratory on Gibraltar Island; the Cleveland waterfront; Niagara Falls; the Ontario fishing villages of Port Stanley and Wheatley; and Pelee Island. We observed scientists taking water samples for quality analysis and laborers filleting perch and walleye. We heard experts debate how best to stop the flood of invasive species into the Great Lakes and the future of wind power in the region. Among the highlights was a boat trip to an uninhabited island for a look at damage wrought by a surging population of double-crested cormorants. Evenings provided time for food and fellowship with like-minded journalists who became fast friends.

At a time when many news outlets are reducing travel budgets and cutting back on the environmental coverage, the importance of IJNR cannot be overstated. The Lake Erie institute enabled me to step away from the crush of daily deadlines and learn the issues in more relaxed and authentic settings than the newsroom. It introduced me to scientists and policymakers who remain valuable news sources, provided a wealth of background knowledge and inspired a lengthy list of story ideas. For all this, my company paid only the cost of getting me to and from Detroit, the anchor city.

I'd strongly urge any journalist with an interest in the environment to seek out an IJNR institute. As an Associated Press correspondent based in Michigan, I have been honored to take part in five IJNR Great Waters expeditions. Each has enriched me professionally as well as personally.

I attended IJNR's 2009 Energy Country Institute with an outstanding group of journalists. For many, this was valuable time away from their busy newsrooms, a rare opportunity to explore environmental issues in greater depth without the pressure of deadlines. I, on the other hand, was looking to return to environmental journalism after some years away from it, and further develop my knowledge and skills. IJNR provided the inspiration, the story ideas, the mentoring and the practical tools to help me take significant steps toward that professional goal. I have since published stories about renewable energy development on tribal lands that were a direct result of the contacts I made and conversations I had while participating in the IJNR institute. The program was comprehensive and extremely well-organized, designed with the understanding that it is a challenge to get these important, complex stories told in a news environment that increasingly favors speed and quantity over quality. Here, an exceptional group of journalists had the space to think about their professional values and start developing some important stories. For the IJNR staff, this is a labor of love, and their support of the participants extends well beyond the nine-day program. They always make themselves available for questions, and the participants become sources of help to each other after the program. IJNR is a much-needed resource to ensure the continuation of thoughtful, investigative environmental journalism.

IJNR is inspirational and amazing and effective. This fantastic organization has singlehandedly improved natural resource journalism in the United States. The leadership team is incredibly effective at identifying key trends and bringing journalists / scientists / policy makers / natural resource managers on site, to contemplate, discuss, dissect the matters at hand in the places at stake.

As a journalist, IJNR was one of the most rewarding professional experiences I've had. The time we spent on and around the waters between the U-S and Canada --learning about issues ranging from algae blooms to invasive species to fishery concerns to cormorant overgrowth to snakes and their challenges-- was invaluable.

Each day required one to be fully engaged...listening, seeing, learning, experiencing important natural challenges in situ. The learning curve was steep...and made me long for more.

Every angle, opinion, side-of-the-coin was fairly presented and exhaustively thorough.... exactly what a journalist is supposed to do with his or her story research and presentation. I learned a new environmental language (words like "thermocline") and it has served me well in the past couple of years since I participated in the IJNR program.

The experience and goodwill and intelligence of the leaders and the IJNR group as a whole as staggering.

This is a program well worth every cent it takes to keep it healthy.
Go IJNR!!

Like other journalism fellowships, IJNR puts journalists and experts together to help the former better understand environmental issues and their repercussions. Unlike other programs, IJNR puts journalists on the sites where these stories are unfolding. Sometimes that's on a wind farm. Sometimes it's a Superfund site. Sometimes it's out in the woods late at night listening to a man howl at wolves. Or sitting down to a meal of fresh fish, flanked by two people who each see the other as a threat to his own existence: an American sportfisherman on one side, a Canadian commercial fisherman one the other and the air thick with resentment. Whatever the case, IJNR doesn't just tell, it shows. And that depth of experience allows journalists to understand the scientific, cultural and economic impacts of each issue they explore. It is unparalleled in my experience.

An airborne view of a solar field, an inside look at a controversial coal-fired power plant, a discussion of tribal energy initiatives on site at a pueblo ... an energy program with the Institutes for Journalism & Natural Resources gave me and my fellow journalists an invaluable look at the real-world consequences of policy decision. It was a one-week cram course that included dozens of experts, providing extensive background and contacts for future stories. I wrote a piece for our Sunday Viewponts section based directly on the IJNR program, including an on-the-ground looi at how a rancher is profiting from solar. More than a year later, I'm still drawing on the the perspective of the program (and even the photos I took) for editorials about Arizona's efforts to expand the use of alternative ener;gy and build its solar energy sector.

I am a reporter who had the good fortune to participate in two IJNR expeditions. The organization and its leaders, Frank and Maggie Allen, are experts both at presenting the nuances of environmental and rural community issues and at challenging journalists to do justice to those nuances with excellent storytelling. Thanks to my fellowships with IJNR, I am connected with helpful sources on a range of issues and I am part of a network of experienced, accomplished journalists.

I have been fortunate to join IJNR for three "institutes" in Montana and New Mexico. All three experiences were tremendously inspiring and educational. The intense seminars fill your brain with facts, context and story ideas that I found useful long after I returned to the daily grind, which for me is in public radio in the Pacific Northwest.

A wonderful program that I would recommend to anyone. The commitment to the environment and to helping journalists understand the complex issues related to the environment are outstanding. A truly good program that has provided immeasurable benefit to me in my professional life.

The Institute for Journalism and Natural Resources helps journalists gain a fuller understanding of environmental issues through trips which immerse them in all sides of a issue and hands-on experience with research, as well as opportunities for mentoring.
As a participant in the Great Lakes Waters 2010 trip around Lake Ontario, I learned the depth of some of the greatest threats to the Great Lakes ecosystem. The leaders of the trip presented us both, or more frequently, all, sides of the issues.

I participated in a week long training with IJNR and it was truly a wonderful experience. The institute allowed me to learn about and understand complex environmental issues away from my deadlines in the newsroom. Environmental issues often have a broad range of causes and impacts, many of which are rarely clear at the surface. The IJNR training truly improved our news coverage of energy, which was the focus of my institute.

IJNR is an outstanding organization for journalists who are just starting out, or those who have worked in the field for years. IJNR provides an extended step-back opportunity for journalists who cover the environment to learn more about what they do, from fellow journalists and experts.

This was an incredibly valuable experience for me as a young journalist, because it allowed me to learn about issues concerning the Great Lakes and surrounding areas alongside more experienced journalists. I have kept in contact with some of the other journalists, and I walked away from the experience with a better understanding of the Great Lakes and plenty of story ideas.

The most rewarding learning experience of my journalistic career. I came away with a deeper understanding of environmental issues in the Great Lakes region and a wealth of expert sources. I'm a better environmental journalist today thanks to the IJNR,

In my time as an environmental journalists I attended two IJNR institutes, one in the Klamath country of southern Oregon and northern California and another in New Mexico that focused on energy issues.
To understand the admiration journalists have for the IJNR experience, consider that my editors never hesitated to let me take a week or more of paid time to attend an IJNR institute. They knew I'd come back not only with story ideas ready to publish, but a deeper understanding of the subject matter in my coverage area that would inform my reporting into the future.
In a media environment of perpetual deadlines and truncated story telling, IJNR provides a valuable resource by getting journalists out of the newsroom and into the field with experts from all sides. These contacts, carefully cultivated by Frank and Maggie, demonstrate their trust in IJNR by speaking frankly in a way they likely never thought they would to a horde of inquisitive reporters bearing notebooks, cameras and audio recorders.
This experience benefits not only the reporters involved but the public they ultimately serve.
For these reasons, I encourage anyone who believes in the importance of an informed public to support IJNR.

Terrific organization. As a public radio journalist I was lucky enough to have three opportunities to attend IJNR institutes, focusing on various environmental crises in the western U.S. I learned things that have informed my journalism ever since, and met colleagues I have kept as friends who share my interests. After my first institute I was inspired to produce a series of features on river issues on the West Coast, connecting the problem of endangered salmon to hydropower and other engineering of rivers. Now I am writing a book soon to be published, having taken my interest in rivers to South Asia. The organization provides training of unusual depth, allowing the reporters to interact with a range of experts across the spectrum of interest groups. We spend several days with these experts, not just an hour or two of talk followed by Q&A. Reporters can build a network of sources and colleagues through these institutes, as well as gain story ideas and much fascinating and useful knowledge.

I've had the privilege of attending three separate "institutes": in-depth, on-the-ground, immersion "courses," if you will, in environmental issues, and each one has been invaluable to furthering my knowledge and understanding of the challenges facing the west, including wildfire, wildlife management, mining and logging. These days, few reporters have the luxury of the time or the budget to get out and see what they're reporting on. Instead, they're working the phones, which leaves them vulnerable to spin from both the right and the left. By taking journalists out of the newsroom and into the world they cover, IJNR is not only improving the quality of journalism, it's encouraging intelligent discourse, which leads to better public policy. And we can definitely use more of that.

FRANK AND MAGGIE ALLEN HAVE BEEN FRIENDS OF MINE SINCE THE SUMMER OF 1989 WHEN FRANK WROTE A PIECE FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ABOUT OUR NON-PROFIT MEDICAL CLINIC CALLED "THE CLINIC FOR SPECIAL CHILDREN." FRANKS SKILL AS A WRITER CHANGED MANY LIVES FOR THE BETTER.

FRANK AND MAGGIE ALLEN REMAIN, AFTER 20 YEARS OF DIFFICULT WORK TO SURVIVE AS AN INDEPENDENT INSTITUTE FOR SERIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM, PASSIONATE ABOUT TEACHING AND PASSIONATE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THOUGHTFUL INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM - AS THIS PERTAINS TO ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND TO THE FULL FIELD OF JOURNALISM.

THEIR COMBINED SKILLS AS WRITERS AND EDUCATORS MAKE THEIR "INSTITUTES" RARE AND IMPORTANT EXPERIENCES FOR SERIOUS WRITERS OF ALL BACKGROUNDS AND INTERESTS.

D. HOLMES MORTON MD, DIRECTOR, CO-FOUNDER, THE CLINIC FOR SPECIAL CHILDREN.
EMAIL TO THE ALLEN'S

Dear Frank and Maggie,

Thought you would enjoy the attached comment from Geeta Anand from the WALL STREET JOURNAL, who is doing a 20 year follow-up piece.

Also, a recent article by Mary MORTON (DAUGHTER) in GeoTimes, and her story about climbing Mt. Cotopaxi called "Suffer Fest."


Best,


Holmes

It's amazing how many people here remember Frank Allen's story. I was
just talking to Laurie Hays, who is investigative editor at the paper,
and telling her about the story about your clinic and the hospital
bills. She asked if I'd read Frnak Allen's piece. Turns out she was in
the Philadelphia bureau when it was written. She says it was her idea
and she couldn't get to it so she asked Frank if he would drive out and
check it out--and it became one of the most important and memorable
pieces we (the WSJ) ever did. I was pretty amazed the story stayed with her for 19
years!

As a journalist covering the Great Lakes and energy and environment issues nationwide for a number of publications including the Washington Post and New York TImes, IJNR has been a truly invaluable resource for me. In fact it is no exaggeration to say it has shaped the course of my career thanks to a 2005 expedition around the Great Lakes which was my first indepth introduction to many environmental and energy issues; and subsequent expeditions including the Energy Country Institute which gave me concrete story ideas and deep background knowledge on environment and energy issues. IJNR is notable for among other things helping journalists tell stories that I feel contribute to a more sustainable and healthy planet while also being fully objective and exploring all the intricacies and complexities of these stories, giving full credit to the industry and other viewpoints which are sometimes demonized by the environmental movement. The staff and leadership of IJNR have such an obvious passion for journalism, the environment and the individual journalists with whom they work, it truly is an honor and a pleasure to be involved with the organization. I would recommend IJNR expeditions and events to any journalist, especially young journalists looking for direction and background knowledge and a wonderful network of peers.

IJNR offers unparalleled opportunities for journalists to become informed about complex natural resource topics in the field by inviting experts on field trips. This approach is successful because it gives fellows context they wouldn't have a from a classroom setting or via phone interivews in their own newsrooms.

I attended an IJNR institute focusing on the Pacific Northwest about 11 years ago. Our group of journalists had the opportunity to meet, listen to, question and learn from an impressive array of experts on several of the key natural resources/environmental issues specific to the region. The program, organized by Frank and his staff, really delivers on its goal to educate journalists in these issues so that they can provide insightful coverage with the depth, context and background that these complex issues merit.

I was privileged to be on the Pacific Northwest 2007 Institute, where I gained tremendous insight into the complexity of environmental issues like fire suppression, and water conservation. The IJNR is an extremely lean, well run organization, and an excellent resource for journalists. Long may it lead Fellows into the wilderness to better understand our relationship with the natural world.

I learned alot and had fun on a week-long seminar with IJNR on environmental issues affecting the Great Lakes. As we traveled around the area, we saw first-hand the threats to the Great Lakes ecosystem and met and talked with people who were dealing directly with these issues. The highlight for me was our trip to Isle Royale in Lake Superior, one of the country's most remote national parks. There I got to hike with and interview Rolf Peterson, who for years studied the predator-prey relationship between the wolf and moose populations.

IJNR gave me important insights into environmental journalism shortly after I began covering the beat in the late 1990s. A week in Maine with IJNR staff and fellow journalists took me out of the office and into the woods to probe forestry issues and onto a lobsterman's boat to talk about marine fisheries. The experience gave me context useful in covering the beat back in North Carolina. IJNR packed the week with experts, put me in places I wouldn't otherwise have access to and took care of all logistical details. It was professionally a week well spent and personally a pleasure.

IJNR provides an unique and incredibly valuable opportunity for environmental journalists to travel on field trips exploring complex environmental and economic issues.

They plan superbly, giving journalists chances to see problems in situ, meet representatives on all sides of an issue, and attend field workshops from IJNR staff and others on the problem, options for presenting, techniques for engaging the general public.

Although the Society for Environmental Journalists offers helpful one-day field trips at their meetings, they obviously can't offer what IJNR does in their longer format.

As "green vs jobs" and even "green vs green" (e.g. wind turbines vs bats/birds) issues become more contentious and complex, a group like IJNR is crucial for educating journalists so that can inform public and politicians on pros and cons, providing information and analysis more nuanced the deluge of one-sided inputs from energy, development, transportation, agriculture, fishing, tourism and other lobbyists.

Although I was reasonably well informed on both politics and facts about energy resource extraction and environmental fallout, IJNR took me to Wyoming to see wind turbines, coal mines, oil fields -- and the battle over habitats and endangered species, include grouse and wolves, which I knew from Florida but hadn't seen in the West.

While it was a shock to see an area of WY I remembered as "virgin" covered with wells, I'm all too aware of how much petroleum and natural gas I use.

I was grateful for chance to see drilling up close and to learn about "mud" (drilling fluid), which has recently become important issue here in my own state of MD and elsewhere in Appalachians, as "fracking" for natural gas threatens water supplies but also pays farmers for mineral rights under their land.

Coal mining has long been an important source of revenue and energy in Appalachian region (my grandfather was modestly famous coal engineer, while his son, my father was adamant about preserving water quality), so I was grateful to be able to tour a giant open-pit coal mine. (The mountain-top mines in WV are not eager to give tours to journalists.)

I have seen wind turbines outside WY up close, but chiefly in the "green vs green" context, so it was very helpful to learn how farmers need and appreciate getting revenue from otherwise underused land.

Frank and Maggie Allen, and colleagues who have since moved on, were very helpful at drawing out our sources without dominating conversation. They also lead writing workshops and hosted additional presentations (around campfires and in lodge lounges) to let local natural resource and industry representatives provide more information.

The only complaints I can remember are trivial -- lodge first night stuck several of us in smoking vs non-smoking room. And at one farm practicing a unique form of wetland water conservation (in arid region!), I ended up sleeping on deck (fine -- my choice), but became unwilling second host to border collie fleas! (Both nothing compared to what I ran into in Africa.)

A wonderful, never-to-be-replicated experience! I urge you to help them keep it thriving.

I don't understand question below, so don't know how to answer. "Don't know" doesn't seem to be an option.

Taking part in an IJNR expedition was one of the most rewarding experiences of my journalism career. The IJNR staff was knowledgeable and able to tap into expertise that helped me understand some very important things about environmental challeges we face. With a great sense of fun combined with the desire to make journalists and hence the public better informed about the issues we all face, IJNR is making a valuable contribution to our world. I hope IJNR lives long and is able to help other journalists reach a greater understanding of the world we inherit and will pass on. I have recommended IJNR strongly to my colleagues and if given the opportunity would like to take another journey of discovery with them.

I have been a speaker for IJNR field seminars during many years in the past decade. It has been a rich and rewarding experience for the speakers and the participants from all forms of media background. The philosophy of IJNR is based on long experience with environmental journalism, and the selected fellows benefit greatly from their week in the field.

As the human population grows and places increasing pressure on crucial natural resources, we will inevitably become progressively more reliant upon science and technology to solve problems of resource availability -- ie. clean water, productive soils, quality food, uncontaminated air and energy. It is essential, then, that journalists have the tools to critically analyze and report on that convergent place where land use, science, politics, economics and sociology overlap. That is precisely what IJNR trains journalists to do. I have traveled with IJNR as a journalist-fellow, and can say from experience that the hands-on approach -- immersing reporters directly, for extended learning trips -- is tremendously effective. Any honest review and discussion of land-use policy must be grounded in a depth of understanding made possible only by the sort of rich context IJNR provides. It is an important and unique mission.

IJNR believes telling environmental stories is hard work. Sure, journalists can write, "the species is threatened and the future looks bleak." And while that's sometimes part of the story, we've read it before. And it's not the whole story. So IJNR trains journalists to dig deeper, write better, and try harder. A tremendously well run organization.

I've been a fellow on four expeditions, two full-length (Great Waters 2003 and Great Waters 2008) and two mini-excursions (Northern Wisconsin 2009 and Great Waters Reunion 2010) and would go out again in a heartbeat. These guys really have the formula for success down pat and are dedicated to the oft-overlooked specialty craft of environmental journalism. The sources and sights they select are top notch. It can be an exhaustive pace, but it's inspiring and invigorating. It's the kind of experience that'll stick with you and help you guide your career for years to come.

The folks at IJNR bring passion, integrity, intelligence and a sense of humour to their work. Going on one, or more, of their environmental journalism trips/discoveries is great fun, and deeply educational. They strive to see and tell stories from multiple perspectives, and to impart their love for telling stories. Good people. Important work. Highly recommended.

I gained invaluable experience as a fellow on an IJNR expedition, learning from the experts we visited as well as from the other journalists on the trip. It fills a need very few organizations address: the need for reporters and writers to learn how to hone their craft while delving deep into environmental issues with the scientists, politicians, activists, and developers whose decisions make policy. It was remarkably balanced and thorough, and at the end, I watched the resulting informed stories by fellows roll in from newspapers, radio, magazines and television. An absolutely essential nonprofit organization for anyone who cares about journalism in this country.

In 2007 I was accepted as a fellow to participate in the IJNR High Country Institute and the experience has changed my life and my career as a journalist. During the fellowship I learned how to identify the most important stakeholders in environment news stories, accurately represent the scope of their respective arguments, and produce reports that truly add to the collective public understanding of my audience on a given topic, rather than overwhelm or otherwise alienate listeners/readers.

I learned all this in the breathtakingly beautiful state of Montana, where I gained new perspective on the power of nature to enrich human life.

This organization is more relevant than ever, as is evidenced by the growing apathy in the public and the major media organizations towards our natural environment and the growing threats against it.

IJNR grants journalists a priceless gift: time away from deadlines and in the field to see, touch, experience, and question the environments they cover. The tour I went on--a trip around northern Wisconsin in the fall of 2009--was expertly planned and a rich source of story ideas. I've incorporated information I learned about on the trip into a number of articles I've written, and have ideas banked for many more.

My experience with IJNR was one of he highlights of my life and career. I learned so much and was exposed to so much pertinent information. This program is a MUST for journalists looking to expand their knowledge. Due to the IJNR tour, I have had hundreds of topics to report on. They are an amazing organization and I am very hopeful that they will be able to continue their great work.

We have worked with IJNR for approximately fifteen years. In that time frame we have advised IJNR and its management team successfully. It is rewarding to see a lcient listen to your advice and then to have the client act upon the advice in a positive manner.

We appreciate IJNR for its role in society and its ehtics and behavior in the marketplace.

This is a great organization. Journalists from newspapers and radio stations without the resources to provide training receive intensive and extensive education on environmental issues that pertain to the region the journalist serves.

Since learning about IJNR two years ago, I remain thoroughly impressed with the role this organization plays in keeping career journalists throughout North America informed about ongoing issues of concern regarding the health of our environment. Through its in-depth topic introductions and evaluations, it reminds us all of the need to continually pay attention to the value of natural resources. The hands-on, field-expert technique it uses is especially effective. I think this approach is so much for valuable than merely speaking with business or political spokespersons.

I am a reader not a writer. After auditing the Energy Country Institute I know whatever an IJNR fellow writes I can read with confidence. When I look for unbiased, accurate information I first for articles by IJNR Fellows.

IJNR is a rare and wonderful organization that brings issues of natural resources to light through the professional growth of journalists. In a time where our natural resources are becoming increasingly threatened by a growing population, IJNR stands as a beacon shining through with information to spread awareness. The wonderful thing about IJNR is they bring in journalists nationwide and give them the tools needed to effectively portray issues facing natural resources back in their local communities. IJNR is truly an organization who benefits the nation coast to coast.

INJR provides eye-opening experiences and improves the quality of environmental journalism. And it's run by great people! That's why I give what I can every year.

IJNR has top notch leadership that succeeds in providing diverse institutes where reporters from all over the country meet on site experts in different fields of study to increase understanding of complex environmental issues.

As we lose our paper news good mentoring and practical hands on teaching of Journalism is more important that ever. IJNR Rocks!

I've known the IJNR for a long time and am continually impressed by the courses and their commitment to advancing public understanding of natural resource issues through professional development through journalism. Nobody does it better than them.

I have participated in three different "expeditions" with IJNR, which gave me the opportunity to meet a variety of other journalists and other media producers who share the same passion of wanting to provide the public with accurate information about the critical issues that affect those they serve -- this has given me not only exceptional networking with "like-minded" others, but we all were able to meet a variety of community organizers, families, industry experts and policy makers in a single week -- for in-depth conversations and insights, like no other experience. IJNR is a valuable resources for all of us!

As a Fellow IJNR proved to me time and time again how transformative an experience an Institute can be. IJNR sets a high bar for thinking creatively, going the extra mile and listening deeply.

The articles written by the graduates of IJNR's institutes have been of a very high caliber and seemed to have been very well received. The concept of giving environmental writers both sides of story in order to write a fair and complete article or book seems to make a lot of sense

IJNR has made a name for itself by providing environment and natural resource journalists with on-the-ground learning experiences. This was extremely important even before newsrooms started to shrink and travel budgets were zeroed out. Now it is especially critical for reporters to know more about what they are writing, and IJNR has provided that through regional institutes around the country. I benefited from a workshop in Montana, especially sessions about fire policy and fire control, which are huge concerns in northern Minnesota. Even more helpful was the Great Lakes Institute, and its emphasis on invasive species, development pressures, and island ecology. IJNR programs have been helpful to hundreds of reporters, from those just starting on the beat to those like me who are veterans but still have a lot to learn. Tom Meersman

I have created and led experiential workshops for environmental reporters as the associate director of the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism at Michigan State University. Many of our participants have participated in IJNR expeditions. They universally have great things to say about that experience. They learn of issues in great depth and in a way that allows them to share that experience with readers and viewers who are unable to go on such trips.
I also know IJNR leaders and respect them for their knowledge and commitment.

I am a long-time friend of INJR and continue to be proud of the commitment the organization has to its mission. The team has sponsored trips to identify pockets of opportunity for natural resource conservation through professional journalism. These are complex topics that require thorough investigation and strong critique. I think INJR can further expand its footprint with more trips and broader geographic coverage.

I am a science journalist; I participated in an IJNR institute in 2003.

IJNR does invaluable work training and inspiring journalists to cover the most important story of our age: the environment, and what we are doing to it. The dedication and expertise of IJNR staff is remarkable. Participating as a fellow on an IJNR institute was one of the most significant and precious experiences of my career, and continues to inform my work.

I am an environmental reporter. I chase stories and meet deadlines. But as a reporter I known that deadlines bring their own perils- every reporter knows that sometimes we have to report on topics that we do not have a full grasp of ourselves. What IJNR does is give reporters like myself one week to reflect, digest and get an education without the pressure of a deadline. IJNR takes reporters into the field so that we may learn to do our jobs better. By exposing us to an array of experts and academics who speak to the environmental issues of the day we become better, more informed reporters. And IJNR has been at this long enough now that they have the "1-week" fellowship down to a science. It's a densely packed, non-stopped week of immersion into the deepest, most difficult to crack issues in the fields of environmental science.

I've been to two IJNR fellowships over the last 10 years- one in the southern Cascades and one in Puget Sound. Both fellowships gave me story ideas and insights that I was able to immediately apply to reporting when I returned back to the world of deadlines.

I have nothing but the highest regard or what IJNR contributes to environmental reporting across the county. They are a small outfit with a big impact.

An IJNR expedition should be required for any environment reporter, especially someone new to covering the issues. It's a fast way to meet people representing various sides of big issues facing a region, plus nothing beats hands-on experiences. I tromped around an old-growth forest, saw a fish hatchery in action, heard squawking birds blamed for killing salmon, ate dinner with people who are turning around their former logging town, and so much more. IJNR has been a huge boon for me as a reporter.

IJNR provides workshops journalists desperately need. I participated in their Lake Country workshop in 2008. For four days we drove around Northern Wisconsin and learned about the multitude of environmental issues impacting the region. It's the kind of context every journalist wants, but so few get. Nearly all of us wrote stories based on our time with IJNR. It's an invaluable resource for environmental reporters.

Journalists too often are stuck behind their desks. They report stories on the phone. Or maybe they get to their state capitol. Or city hall. IJNR gets reporters into the farmer's field, or forests, or oil patch, or onto a river or a lake -- often into rural areas where natural resources battles are fought. The expedition-style career development journeys introduce participants to all sides of issues such as water supply and quality, forest and wild land management, farming, commercial fishing, tourism and energy development. For a little more than a week at a time, these journalists get to go deep -- and hear stories of workers, of local residents, of developers, of farmers, of environmental advocates, of policy makers. These are really difficult times for journalists, and programs like IJNR offer can help journalists feel more engaged in the issues they cover, help them tell stories with greater authority, help them feel better about their chosen career path -- and help them do better work. The result is an better informed public.

At the peak of the energy boom in the West, IJNR organized a three-state, on-site tour of the oil and gas industry on public lands in the Four Corners region and the uranium legacy and coal industry in Navajo Nation (with a day-trip to one of the most polluting coal-fired power plants in the nation, a truly shocking experience). IJNR lined up an impressive array of meetings and presentations that kept institute fellows -- writers and videographers who specialize in environment reporting -- busy from early in the morning to late at night talking with experts of all stripes. It was a boot-camp style total immersion into the major energy and climate-disruption issues of our time.

The IJNR has pioneered hands on training for journalists whose work is focused on environmental issues. IJNR has advanced an unbiased, pragmatic, and balanced approach to environmental reporting which when deployed by their 'students' has resulted in a broadened base of support for constructive environmental action by better informed citizens.

I was on IJNR's 2005 Great Waters expedition to various sites on Lake Michigan and Superior. With other journalists, I learned about environmental issues in the area from well-informed experts. Thanks to a great lineup and guidance from Frank Edward Allen and Peter Annin of IJNR, I had a productive — and fun — time. I count it as one of the best experiences of my life, and certainly the high point of my journalism career.

IJNR allowed me to experience the environment, rather than simply write about it. The excellent program takes working journalists into the field to interview environmental experts on topics at the places most affected by decisions made and issues in the news. Brilliant concept. Excellent execution. All journalists who cover the environment should apply to be a fellow at one of the nonprofit's many annual week-long seminars.

They gave me access to resources and people it would have taken weeks for me to get on my own. My on going coverage of environmental issuses facing Lake Erie is still benifiting from they help a year later. IJNR is a great organization.

IJNR gave me a great knowledge base about environmental issues in the American West. It also provided me with great contacts -- among sources and other journalists -- that I will continue to rely on for decades to come.

"No organization does as much as IJNR to expose journalists to all sides of an issue. This group's research is top notch and their comprehension of the subtle factors that influence natural resource issues in the West is unparalleled. If you care about journalism or the West or natural resource issues anywhere, this organization can't be beat.

As a reporter covering the environment, it was a little intimidating to leave my lifelong home in Florida at mid-career to attempt to cover a whole new ecosystem, region and set of issues. Fortunately, I heard about IJNR's Pacific Northwest Institute, which equipped me as no other learning experience I could have hoped for, and did so within a few months of my arrival in the Northest.

I learned about salmon and dams and old-growth forests and spotted owls and on and on -- all from scientists, business people, activists and others who deal with those issues on a daily basis. I still call contacts I met on that trip a dozen years ago.

The backgrounding provided by IJNR armed me to do five in-depth environmental projects at the Seattle Post-Intelliencer, plus years of running coverage of the issues I first learned about through IJNR. I continue to follow these topics today at Seattle-based InvestigateWest. I am in the debt of IJNR, as are news consumers all over the Northwest and all over the nation.

IJNR provided the most amazing career training I could have asked for as a science/environment journalist. Their hands-on training technique and in the field learning style provided me with interviewing and reporting skills that I continue to use every day.

I attended the annual meeting of the Institues for Journalism and Natural Resources for the first time late last year. I was tremendously impressed by the quality of work this organization does. The young and not-so-young journalists who attended are committed to environmental issues and are wonderfully articulate. The scope of the organization, including its geographical reach, will influence some of the most important enviornmental issues of the day. We need more organizations like this!

As an environmental reporter, I was a fellow with IJNR during two tours: one in the Pacific Northwest and another through Montana and Yelowstone Naional Park. I can honestly say that my experiences with the IJNR tour were among the most interesting and educational of my professional lie. The professionals, academicians and others who led sessions during the tour provided a wealth of inormation to the participating journalits. In addition those on the tour learned from each other and shared working experiences.
In these days of fewer newspapers and greater reliance on Web information, organizations like IJNR are vital to the educated gathering of news.

This is a wonderful, unique nonprofit that gives journalists an opportunity to receive professional development and natural resources education off the job that is invaluable on the job. Well-organized and thoughtfully managed, IJNR is ever more important in today's multimedia industry and in our global climate where natural resources are more important to understand than ever. Highly recommended.

IJNR does something essential for environmental journalists: it gets them out in the field. These days, most reporting is done from a desk and over the phone. I've covered oil spills, mountaintop removal mining and GMO crops without ever leaving the office. Given how tangible and visceral many environmental issues are, it's essential that we see, smell, taste and experience these issues firsthand. IJNR expeditions are also a great way to meet other journalists who are passionate about their work.

IJNR gives reporters the greatest of gifts: a time of reflection. We live in an era that urges us to move faster than our own shadow. An IJNR institute grants us the opportunity to listen to experts and discuss ideas. It allows us to improve our coverage of complex ecological issues in a very concrete way. (Should I add it's also a lot of fun?) The two seminars I have taken this far, in 2005 and 2010, have changed the way I see my work as a Canadian freelance journalist. My heartfelt thanks to Frank Allen and his team for helping us get better at what we do. Their level of commitment and intellectual integrity is amazing.

Institutes for Journalism & Natural Resources provide unique and invaluable opportunities for journalists to learn firsthand about environment protection, resource protection and economic issues related to development. The subjects are extrememly complex and it is through the different Institutes that journalists can experience, learn and report for the betterment of us all. Each Institute is in a specific region and environment, but the lessons are broad and deep...resource conservation, water, energy, land use, growth, development, fisheries, forests, farming, outdoor recreation, climate destabilization, ecological sustainability, etc. Institutes this year include Great Waters, Lake Ontario Basin; Puget Sound Institute, Western Washington State; Energy Country Institute, New Mexico & Colorado. The Institutes also has an established network and mentoring of journists and is Directed by two brilliant, organized, extremely knowledgeable and wonderful people, Frank and Maggie Allen. Five stars - more if allowed!

IJNR has the unique vision of providing paid training for environmental journalists in the field, at a time when newsrooms are finding it harder and harder to invest in quality professional development. I'm truly grateful. The institutes have been a big boost for me and my entire newsroom.

IJNR was invaluable to my development as a journalist. I was exposed to a very broad array of opinions and knowledge on energy issues. I was on the ground for an entire week in Wyoming, where the issue is playing out in many important ways. Being there gave me a perspective I would not have gained anywhere else, most importantly in my understanding of how the issue effects local people.

Even nine years later, I love to tell stories about my week along the South Carolina/Georgia coast with IJNR's Lowcountry Institute. The trip exposed me and other reporters to issues we had only passing knowledge of, from the loss of coastal wetlands to the growing industrialization of agriculture. Frank and the rest of the IJNR, including the greatly missed Andrew Weegar, were very capable guides to a variety of otherwise daunting subjects. I owe them a debt of gratitude (and a donation or two).

I'm a donor to IJNR because i believe in the importance of it's mission and the highest professional standards they applied in achieving those ends. The IJNR conference last year in Missoula was so well attended and demonstrated the continuing interest and growing need for service-teaching organizations that directly advance the need for a clear understanding of our complex social-economic interactions with the natural world. Hats Off to IJNR!

Reporting on the environment is difficult because of the complexity and competing priorities. IJNR through its educational programs helps reporters understand all sides of the debate and then bring those points to the reader/listener in a digestible fashion.

I am a board member now, but my experience with IJNR started when I went on one of its immersion learning expeditions as fellow back in the late '90s. I saw, first-hand, clear cuts, sustainable forestry, lobster fishing, paper producing, and other aspects of environmental journalism that I'd had to write about previously but had to do so from a distance. I made valuable contacts with experts, got some good story ideas, and experienced rejuvenating camaraderie with fellow journalists. IJNR is providing an invaluable service as it works to improve the quality and quantity of environmental journalism.

IJNR holds week-long seminars (institutes) training jounalists to probe deeply into important regional and national conservation, natural resource, and environmental issues. The fellows at these seminars incur no cost other than transportation to the location. Many attendees over the years have won major awards for jounalistic work they have produced after attending an institute session.

IJNR is a fantastic organization. I attended the Chesapeake Institute many years ago and saw first hand how IJNR helps journalists improve their reporting and story-telling skills, and how IJNR is building an international network of professional colleagues who are helping improve journalism in newsrooms everywhere.

Maggie and Frank Allen, executive directors of INJR, do an extraordinary job of introducing journalists to the importance of credible reporting about our country's natural resources. Consistently, they lead groups of interested professionals to physically investigate the critical resources in the U.S., initiating them to the historical and immediate relevance of these natural commodities to our present and future survival, and to the personal part that each of us must play in the grand scheme of preservation. Their work will ensure that our country will continue to advocate responsibility for preserving our valuable, and irreplaceable, natural resources.

Our earth's story depends upon how we manage our environment. IJNR enlightens, teaches and promotes responsible and proactive journalism which educates us all and trains us to be better citizens of our world. They are unique in the incredible Institutes and in their approach and vision.

As I researched IJNR before making the decision to donate, I considered the value and quality of its mission and work. The words "vision", "integrity", and "enlightenment" quickly came to mind. I believe nothing informs as well as a hands-on experience, and I have been impressed by the testimonies of those whose experiences during IJNR explorations have literally changed their lives and their ability to communicate their recently acquired knowledge. In an age of some deliberate misinformation it is imperative that the public know the truth about threats to our environment as well as actions which they can personally undertake to lesson the peril.

I believe in a free and an informed press to help us make the best decisions in our democracy. IJNR's work is absolutely unique and vitally important in helping us meet that goal. For journalists who report on natural resource issues in the West, IJNR provides in-depth understanding of the players and nuances of Western resource issues. Most of our nation, plus our members of Congress, live on or near the two coasts and know relatively little about the West. But clean water, clean air, vast forests, recreation, and mining are our national heritage and are of concern to us all. It is frustrating to those of us here who are concerned about these issues that a large number of our decisions are often made elsewhere by those who are not necessarily well-informed. We at least want an informed press reporting on those issues; IJNR does a remarkable, creative job. I know that journalists keep in touch for years after they have attended IJNR programs....that speaks well of them. I am greateful for them!

I was fortunate to have attended a couple of extraordinary IJNR institutes. There is simply nothing that beats in the field, face to face learning...especially for journaists. Making this number of solid contacts with sources in such a short period of time is just not possible sitting in an office. It's a one-of-a kind experience that yields benefits for many years after.

A truly visionary non-profit that has contributed immensely to a better understanding of our impact on natural resources and the environment. A leading guide to a better future for the ones still to come.

IJNR has an incredibly noble goal of helping journalists develop skills to write in a responsible and informed manner about the environment. Their mission is becoming increasingly important as journalism evolves and we continue to face important environmental challenges.

IJNR provided the most valuable educational experience I've had since graduating from college. I attended a program in 2005 and still use what I learned on an almost daily basis.

Every once in a rare while you are lucky enough to get an experience that lingers with you long after it’s over - the week in September 2008 with IJNR exploring Oregon’s Willamette Valley was such an experience. A New Yorker most of my life, I got to see and know really well the natural landscape of the Pacific Northwest … lessons were taught while camping out in Andrews Experimental Forest, walking through the cornfields of Stahlbush Farms, hiking up a valley at a native oak savanna restoration project …. and many other excursions. IJNR ignited my passion for nature and overall gave me a curiosity and sensitivity I needed in environmental filmmaking. The program also encouraged a strong friendship among the fellow journalists. Years after the experience, we still keep in touch with each other professionally and personally.

I've been lucky enough to participate in two fellowship programs with IJNR. Each time was extremely inspiring and engaging. Energy Country in 2009 was an in depth learning experience about the possibilities of new energy sources, and the scientific complexity involved in making these projects a viable economic reality. As fellows, we also had contact with people directly affected by the pollution of old technology. We also had spectacular views of it from the air. It was an unforgettable bonding experience, and provided many useful sources. There is no substitute for the kind of learning IJNR provides.

I have had the opportunity to participate in two IJNR institutes concerning natural resource issues in Oregon. These weeklong excursions broadened my coverage of important environmental topics, giving me time away from the pressures of deadline reporting to reflect on the complexities of managing forests and fisheries. I was able to meet with a range of experts, analysts and activists who shared information that buttressed future stories I wrote. I can't emphasize too strongly the value of these excursions and the way they improved my coverage of topics that really resonate with our readers.

I'm forever indebted to IJNR.

IJNR is an extraordinary organization that gets working journalists into the field, to see, smell, touch and learn first hand about the environmental issues of the day. IJNR has helped hundreds of journalists produce more thoughtful, nuanced reporting across the American landscape.

I was fortunate to be chosen as an IJNR Energy Country Fellow in 2006 and it was one of the best 9-day learning and bonding experiences of my professional life. As a journalist, it was great to be with other writers and broadcasters with experience in the field of interest. I appreciated the diversity of energy-related issues focused on on our trip and came away energized and enthusiastic. I would highly recommend any other reporter with an interest and opportunity to take advantage of such a wonderful opportunity.

The Fellowship I went on with IJNR changed my life. It taught me not just how to become a better environmental reporter, but to believe in myself and strive for better. My experience gave me the courage to raise the journalistic standards at my publication.

I am a recent IJNR fellow and feel so grateful and fortunate for the experience. Frank, Peter, Adam, Maggie, and all the staff were wonderful and I admire their commitment to their work. As a journalist I deeply enjoyed the fellowship with other journalists from the program and the opportunity to enhance my knowledge and skills in environmental reporting. Keep up the great work!

This organization puts together field trips for journalists on the environmental beat. I was an IJNR fellow in 2006, and I found the trip to be impeccably planned and researched. More than four years later, I still draw on sources on made and things I learned. The trip was intense with very little down time, but it really improved my reporting. IJNR offers the trips for free to journalists, because a small-town newspaper like mine would never have been able to afford a trip like this.

It's going on 10 years since I got on the bus with Frank and Co., but nearly every week I'm reminded of a place or speaker or a fellow journalist that I met on our travels. Without question, my IJNR experience ranks as one of the most educational and rewarding of my career. If you work in natural resources/energy/or the environmental community and frequently complain about the quality of reporting on your industry, then do something about it and invest money and time in IJNR. IJNR not only provides a chance for reporters to dig deeper than normal into issues, but it opens their minds.