Digital Commons Network^™

Lit 110l.50: Introduction To Literature, Eric J. Reimer

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2026-2030

No abstract provided.

Phl 110e.50: Introduction To Ethics, Armond J. Duwell

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2026-2030

No abstract provided.

The Montana Travel Industry - 2025 Summary, Melissa Weddell

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

In 2025, Montana welcomed 13.2 million visitors — a 4% decline from 2024 — who collectively spent $5.6 billion across the state. Tourism supported 52,610 jobs (1 in 11 statewide), generated $360 million in state and local taxes, and saved the average Montana household over $740 in taxes. Glacier Country led regional spending at $1.79 billion, followed by Yellowstone Country at $1.34 billion. The typical visitor was 57.8 years old, traveled in a group of 2.2, stayed 5.2 nights, and arrived primarily by car (74%). Top origin states were Washington, Idaho, and North Dakota. Visitors were drawn most by mountains …

2025 Estimates - Nonresident Visitation, Expenditures, And Economic Contribution, Kara Grau

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

Montana welcomed an estimated 13.24 million nonresident visitors in 2025, generating $5.64 billion in traveler expenditures and contributing an estimated $7.11 billion in total economic output to the state's economy. Nonresident spending supported approximately 52,620 jobs and generated $360.4 million in state and local tax revenues. Fuel (21%) and restaurant/bar spending (20%) accounted for the largest shares of visitor expenditures, followed by lodging, outfitter/guide services, and groceries. Summer travel remained the dominant season, with the third quarter accounting for 45% of annual visitation and 54% of total expenditures. Vacation travelers represented the largest visitor segment (41%) and had the highest …

Montana Resident Report: Rural Montana And Tribal Communities And Activities, Q1 2026, Carter Bermingham, Megan Schultz

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

This study was designed to better understand residents’ perceptions of smaller, rural towns in Montana, along with their level of interest in visiting and participating in activities in American Indian communities across the state. The Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research (ITRR) conducts resident studies on a quarterly basis to better understand current topics throughout the state, with resident travel routinely serving as one of those topics. Recent efforts at the state level have focused on expanding Montana’s tribal tourism industry to provide economic benefits and to inspire visitation to Indian Country.

Respondents were asked to comment on how much …

Editors And Staff Members

Public Land & Resources Law Review

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents

Public Land & Resources Law Review

No abstract provided.

Letter From The Editors

Public Land & Resources Law Review

No abstract provided.

Using Data To Discern Whether Nepa Causes Delay, And What Can Be Done About It, John C. Ruple, David E. Adelman, Jamie Pleune

Public Land & Resources Law Review

This article proceeds in three principal parts. Part I provides an overview of NEPA that is focused on the requirements contained in the Act itself, the Supreme Court’s recent opinion in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colorado, and developments involving agency NEPA regulations. Part II summarizes what we know about factors causing or contributing to delays in permitting in general and NEPA compliance in particular. The central question examined in Part II is the extent to which changes to NEPA respond to barriers to development and are therefore likely to be effective. Part III offers recommendations and is …

Testing Prior Appropriation As Drought And Climate Change Push States Toward Water Code Reform: Lessons From And For Oregon, Adell L. Amos

Public Land & Resources Law Review

Part I outlines approaches to addressing the challenges that have arisen in water management under state water codes that have been considered—some adopted, and some still under consideration—in Oregon. This section examines some historical material on Oregon water law and describes the current moment as a way for setting the stage for the work that is currently underway. The dynamics described for Oregon are replicated in many western states. So, while the details are Oregon-related, the storyline is a familiar one in the West.2 Part II describes the efforts of a working group of water law attorneys that the Oregon …

Salt In The Public Wound: The Public Trust Doctrine And The Great Salt Lake, Shoshana Grossman

Public Land & Resources Law Review

This paper analyzes how the Utah PTD applies to the non- navigable tributaries that affect the GSL, and whether Utah must consider the PTD in water rights management. Section I explains the GSL case, outlining the issues, the Physicians’ claims, and Judge Scott’s order. Section II outlines the PTD in Utah. Section III first compares the GSL to other decisions applying the PTD to non-navigable water resources and water rights. Section III then assesses whether Utah’s PTD applies to non-navigable tributaries that affect navigable resources like the GSL, and what that may mean for water allocation in Utah. The paper …

"In Keeping With The Constitution’S Original Design": History And Tradition In Federal Indian Law, Meghanlata Gupta

Public Land & Resources Law Review

This Article examines the Supreme Court’s use of history and tradition in federal Indian law. In recent years, the Court has increasingly relied on Founding-era practices and historical traditions to determine constitutional meaning in areas such as firearm regulation, substantive due process, and religious liberty. At the same time, while the Founding-era record contains substantial evidence that Native nations were understood and treated as independent, sovereign political communities, this evidence has not yet been fully incorporated into the Supreme Court’s Indian law jurisprudence. Examining decisions from Oliphant to Castro-Huerta, this Article describes the Court’s approaches to historical analysis in Indian …

U.S. V. Washington: Considering The Continuing Injunction Of The Boldt Decision, Nicholas Brown

Public Land & Resources Law Review

Judge George Hugo Boldt’s 1974 opinion in United States v. Washington was a landmark decision in the recognition of treaty fishing rights for tribes in western Washington. Not only did it recognize the entitlement to 50% of harvestable yields of fish within the tribes’ usual and accustomed fishing sites, but it also provided a permanent injunction to protect future fishing rights for generations to come. Now, over fifty years since the original “Boldt decision” was made, judges in the Ninth Circuit are debating whether the continued injunction to litigate intertribal disputes over treaty fishing rights is proper. This article considers …

Western Watersheds Project V. Schultz, Cv 22-149-M-Dlc-Kld, 2025 Lx 449507, 2025 Wl 2410283 (D. Mont. Mar. 27, 2025), Luke A. Zagar

Public Land & Resources Law Review

Western Watersheds Project v. Schultz delineates what the Forest Service is required to consider for revising Allotment Management Plans as prescribed by NEPA. Environmental plaintiffs sued, arguing that the Forest Service’s reliance on an older baseline assessment was arbitrary and capricious and that the revised AMP failed to consider major impacts on the grizzly bear population. The District of Montana held that the reliance on an older baseline assessment was acceptable but simultaneously found the AMP to be arbitrary and capricious under the “hard look” standard.

San Luis Obispo Coastkeeper V. Cnty. Of San Luis Obispo, 161 F.4th 590 (9th Cir. 2025), Erika C. Rader

Public Land & Resources Law Review

In San Luis Obispo Coastkeeper v. Cnty. of San Luis Obispo, the Ninth Circuit addressed how to consider a mandatory preliminary injunction for an Endangered Species Act claim when multiple listed species may be affected by the requested relief. The Plaintiffs brought ESA and state law claims to compel the County of San Luis Obispo to change its operation of the Lopez Dam on Arroyo Grande Creek, which they claimed adversely affected South-Central California Coast steelhead trout. The tidewater goby and California red-legged frog, both listed species, are also present in Arroyo Grande Creek. The Ninth Circuit determined the …

Unleashing Consultation: Tohono O’Odham Nation V. Department Of Interior And The Case For Reforming The National Historic Preservation Act, Elizabeth Tobey

Public Land & Resources Law Review

The Ninth Circuit’s 2025 decision in Tohono O’odham Nation v. Department of Interior highlights an ongoing failure by federal land management agencies to consult meaningfully with tribal nations as mandated by the 1966 National Historic Preservation Act. This article argues that the NHPA’s framework for tribal consultation enables federal land management agencies to sidestep meaningful engagement with tribes, undermining both cultural resource protection and the federal Indian trust responsibility. To address these deficiencies—particularly in the context of renewable energy development on federal public lands, directly at issue in Tohono O’odham Nation—this article proposes amendments to the NHPA informed by …

Wilderness Watch V. U.S. Forest Service, No. Cv 23-133-M-Dwm, 2025 Wl 2985292 (D. Mont. Oct. 23, 2025)., Gardner Dee

Public Land & Resources Law Review

This comment argues that the District of Montana’s decision in Wilderness Watch v. U.S. Forest Service correctly applied the Ninth Circuit’s Kofa framework to strike down a multi-agency native trout restoration project in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, holding that the Forest Service unlawfully prioritized Yellowstone cutthroat trout conservation over the Wilderness Act’s mandate to preserve wilderness character. Dee further contends that while large wilderness watersheds offer valuable climate refugia for native coldwater fish, watershed-scale restoration projects will continue to conflict with the Act’s prohibitions on motorized and mechanized intrusions so long as agencies rely on helicopter transport and rotenone application at …

Msw Portfolio, Sara J. Murphy

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This portfolio presents a comprehensive reflection of my development throughout the Master of Social Work (MSW) program at the University of Montana. It highlights the integration of knowledge, skills, values, and cognitive and affective processes across ten core social work competencies. Through critical self-reflection, I examine my positionality, biases, and professional identity while emphasizing the importance of lifelong learning and accountability in social work practice. Overall, this portfolio reflects my commitment to providing equitable, client-centered care while advocating for systemic change that supports individuals, families, and communities.

Msw Professional Portfolio, Sierra Trivaye Singer

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Msw Portfolio, Kadie A. Baney

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This portfolio documents my development as a Master of Social Work student at the University of Montana and demonstrates my achievement of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) competencies through integrated coursework and practicum experience. Grounded in an advanced integrated practice framework, this portfolio reflects my emerging professional identity as a rural social worker committed to supporting students and young adults. My practice is informed by systems theory, the strengths perspective, trauma-informed care, and the Just Practice framework, which together guide ethical, culturally responsive, and socially just practice.

Across ten competencies, this portfolio illustrates growth in ethical and professional …

Msw Portfolio, Ellen Mittlestadt

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This portfolio describes how I have developed strengths, skills, values, and cognitive and affective processes through the ten competencies of the Master of Social Work program at the University of Montana. Through attending classes, engaging with professors and my cohort, and continuing to strengthen all I've learned in my practicum, I feel confident that these skills and strengths have grown tremendously, and I'll continue to grow through my practice. The following portfolio describes progress over the past years.

Resilience In Recreation: Stories Of A Changing Climate, Casey L. Auberle

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

As the impacts of climate change become increasingly prevalent, the outdoor activities that bond us to our local communities and environments are under threat. In Missoula, MT, drought, rising temperatures, and wildfire smoke change what it means to fish, ski, run, and recreate in our town. In a series of Q&A style podcasts, environmental philosophy graduate student Casey Auberle creates a platform to share stories of a changing climate through the lens of local recreators and climate activists. Capturing these voices invites us to consider our relationship with nature on both an individual and communal scale, to find unity in …

Hi Friend! Msw Portfolio Of Community Building And Advocacy, River Gerard Segar

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This MSW Portfolio emphasizes the importance of being rooted in community and demonstrates how to engage in community building in a way that helps center marginalized voices. This portfolio also highlights advocacy in the United States for transgender people and asserts the need for increased cultural competency in clinical practice with people in non-monogamous and/or kink relational structures.

Moving Forward, Sarah Blackford

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This portfolio demonstrates my learning and development through the MSW program at the University of Montana.

Standing In The Middle: Planting Seeds Of Liberation, Halle V. Smith

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This portfolio documents the development of an ecologically grounded and theoretically integrated social work practice across two years of practicum with the Crime Victim Advocate (CVA) program in Missoula, Montana. Drawing on ecofeminism, Indigenous Cultural Responsiveness Theory (ICRT), and trauma-informed practice (TIP), the author frames healing, justice, and liberation as ecological processes rooted in the conditions that surround people rather than the deficits within them. Cherokee teachings on ayetli, or standing in the middle, and a seeds of liberation metaphor serve as orienting frameworks throughout, guiding critical self-reflection, survivor-centered advocacy, clinical practice with domestic violence survivors, and policy engagement. The …

Rooted In Dignity And Hope: Clinical Practice, Advocacy, And Compassionate Care, Holly Ann Harris

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This MSW portfolio reflects my personal and professional journey toward becoming a social worker grounded in dignity, hope, and compassionate care. Inspired by early life experiences that shaped my understanding of the connection between dignity and hope, I entered the University of Montana’s MSW program with the goal of becoming a counselor supporting individuals and families experiencing grief, loss, and mental health challenges. Through coursework and the completion of my generalist and specialist practicums in hospice and the emergency department, along with ongoing critical self-reflection, my perspective has expanded to include a deeper understanding of systemic barriers, social justice, and …

Practicing In Broken Systems: An Advanced Integrated Social Work Portfolio, Andrew Tomt

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This portfolio documents my development as an advanced integrated social worker within behavioral health and crisis response systems. Grounded in the ten CSWE competencies, it illustrates my progression from foundational generalist practice to a more complex, systems-oriented approach that integrates ethical decision-making, trauma-informed care, research-informed practice, and policy awareness. Drawing on my practicum experience in Mobile Crisis Assessment and Triage (MCAT) in Spokane, Washington, the portfolio demonstrates my ability to engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate across micro, mezzo, and macro levels. It highlights my commitment to social justice, cultural humility, and least-restrictive care, while also addressing the challenges of working …

Master Of Social Work Portfolio - Rooted In Relationship: A Journey Toward Integrated, Justice-Oriented Social Work Practice, Elisabeth Noel Marshall

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This portfolio represents my professional development throughout the Master of Social Work program at the University of Montana. Grounded in systems and ecological perspectives, trauma-informed practice, and the Just Practice framework, this work demonstrates the integration of clinical, mezzo, and macro social work practice across diverse settings, including therapeutic residential care, collegiate wellbeing, assisted living, and substance use treatment.

Through direct practice experiences, policy analysis, program evaluation, advocacy, and community engagement, this portfolio highlights the development of competencies aligned with the Council on Social Work Education’s Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards. Particular emphasis is placed on relationship-centered practice, justice-oriented advocacy, …

Msw Portfolio, Jasmine J. Klingaman

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This Master of Social Work (MSW) portfolio presents a comprehensive demonstration of professional growth and mastery of the ten core competencies as aligned with the standards of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the Department of Social Work. Through selected artifacts and critical reflection, the portfolio illustrates the integration of knowledge, values, skills, and cognitive and affective processes essential for advanced integrated practice. Emphasis is placed on ethical and professional behavior, engagement with diversity and difference, and the application of research-informed and evidence-based practice. The portfolio further highlights competence in policy practice, engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation across …

Professional Portfolio: Becoming A Justice-Centered Practitioner, Akemi Nakagawa

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This professional portfolio reflects my learning through this program, including the knowledge and skills I have developed, how my learning has been shaped by the people I have learned from and alongside, and what I will carry forward into future practice. I share my developing theoretical orientation that guides my thinking and practice, grounded predominantly in the Reproductive Justice framework, Critical Social Work, Janet Finn’s Just Practice framework, and by the work and wisdom of Paulo Freire–particularly his pedagogy of popular education.

This portfolio also reflects my ongoing development as a social worker who is committed to advancing intersectional justice …