Mountain Studies Institute Strategic Plan 2021-2023

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Mountain Studies Institute
HISTORY AND NICHE
MSI was first conceptualized in the late 1990’s as a “living classroom without walls” in the San Juan Mountains
through discussions with over 20 collaborators. Conversations brought together members from the Town of
Silverton, San Juan County, Fort Lewis College, San Juan Public Lands Center (USDA Forest Service and Bureau of
Land Management), and many others to develop the concept of a non-advocacy, mountain center of education
and research in Silverton, Colorado. As the effort grew, the group hosted the State of the San Juan’s Conference
at Purgatory Resort, proving the need for leadership and desire for mountain research in the region. MSI was
granted legal status as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in 2002. Two federal appropriations through the US
Forest Service were sponsored by Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, which helped establish the Institute.
Mountain Studies Institute (MSI) has partnered with San Juan Mountain communities to foster and enhance
understanding and sustainable use of our valued natural resources since 2002. We have grown to embody
a dynamic initiative to care for the San Juan Mountains, one of Colorado’s most special places. Through
applied research, education, and stewardship programs, we strive to go beyond scientific inquiry to the
meaningful application of knowledge and information that makes a difference in the quality of life for mountain
communities and for the environment in southwest Colorado. MSI was created to expand knowledge about
mountain systems, their connections, and their environmental challenges; to ensure that such knowledge is
readily available to decision-makers and leaders in mountain communities; and to contribute to the well-being of
Silverton, Durango, Pagosa Springs, and Telluride as well as the San Juan mountain region in general by helping
to improve the overall health of the mountain ecosystems, and specifically diversify Silverton’s economy.
Our focus on mountain systems rather than the isolated components has made us unique since the beginning.
We have always seen people as important elements within mountain systems and have actively pursued applied
research that includes human actions in disturbed, modified, and non-pristine environments, such as our lands
that have been mined, grazed or otherwise managed. The issues of our time, such as climate change and air
quality, remind us that the world is intricately connected, and all actions have cascading effects that reach across
time and space. While other organizations may focus on a particular aspect of a mountain environment such as
water quality, we have pursued the creative tension at the intersections of disciplines, such as how air quality
impacts high alpine lakes’ water quality through deposition of mercury and nutrients, as an example of a systems
approach.
In the last nineteen years, we have grown significantly, the scope of our work and expertise has expanded, and
our partners have multiplied. Simultaneously, so have the types of challenges and opportunities facing our
mountain communities.