The Institute of the Rockies was established as a not-for-profit educational association in Missoula, Montana in August, 1973. Patricia McMeekin Badgley and John H. Badgley created the concept, Harry Haines applied for and gained 501-c-3 status from the IRS. Key board members and advisers in addition to the Badgleys included Allen Bjergo, Lex Blood, Arnold Bolle, Audra and Lud Browman, Gary Cook, Dorothy Eck, William H. Edelman, Joseph Fitzgerald, Robert Howard, Chuck Jonkel, Nancy Leifer, David and William Maclay, LeRoy Malone, Joe McDonald, Joe McDowell, Bud and Janet Moore, Jean Morrison, Valerie Peacock, Clifford and Gail Stoltz. The Institute invited membership of individuals interested in the future of Montana and the Northwest region. Their focus was on the process of enhancing the knowledge of citizens with policy concerns shared by the membership. Influenced by American crises in the 1960s and the early 1970s, the Institute was part of a national movement seeking to energize grassroots democracy.
The vision advanced by the founders was conceived as "architectonic," the notion that in a free society, citizens should empower themselves to shape their culture and the priorities passed on to future generations. In that sense, all activities were future-oriented. Projects and workshops ranged from elementary education, structure of local government, county heritage centers, energy, and water policies in Montana, to the Columbia River Watch and use of chemicals in agriculture. The membership raised over a million dollars in cash and kind to fund these projects--such as the region's first earth-sheltered conference center near Missoula-- partially sustained and co-sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities and its Montana Committee. However most funds were generated by families who served as directors or project advisors. Hundreds of citizens, students and local leaders around Montana and the Northwest volunteered time and ideas to advance the mission of the Institute.
In 1984, following the death of Patricia Badgley, the direction of the Institute changed under the leadership of Dr. Chuck Jonkel, the prominent wildlife biologist who created Missoula's International Wildlife Film Festival. Jonkel conceived of the Institute as an umbrella to nurture organizations working on environmental and wildlife issues. While less in the public eye, the Institute remains associated with the Great Bear Foundation in Missoula.
This collection contains by-laws, meeting minutes, newsletters, correspondence, and publications by and about the Institute from its founding in 1973 until 1994. While the administrative files and financial records reflect the Institute's history through 1994, the bulk of the files on the Institute's projects and programs document activities from the late-70s to the mid-80s. Most of these projects were specific to the Northern Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Northwest and relate to the use of natural resources, economic development, and education. Not included in this collection are files specifically concerning the Institute's involvement in the International Wildlife Film Festival or the Great Bear Foundation.
This collection reflect the general activities of the Institute as stated in a 1991 reorganization proposal. Each series has been organized alphabetically. The collection is organized into 9 series.
Series I: Administrative files, 1973-1994 and undated, 0.5 linear feet
Series II: Financial records, 1973-1994, 0.2 linear feet
Series III: Community outreach, 1972-1984, 1.3 linear feet
Subseries 1: Columbia River Watch, 1972-1982, 0.3 linear feet
Subseries 2: Miscellaneous water projects, 1975-1979, 0.4 linear feet
Subseries 3: Energy projects, 1977-1984, 0.3 linear feet
Subseries 4: Economic development projects, 1976-1984, 0.3 linear feet
Series IV: Education programs, 1970-1994, 0.6 linear feet
Subseries 1: Education Clearinghouse, 1970-1979, 0.5 linear feet
Subseries 2: Montana Study Program, 1991-1994, 0.1 linear feet
Series V: Property management, 1977-1993, 0.2 linear feet
Subseries 1: Earth Conference Center, 1977-1985, 0.2 linear feet
Subseries 2: Other properties, 1981-1993, 3 folders
Series VI: Publications and Publicity, 1973-circa 1985, 0.3 linear feet
Series VII: Subject files, 1978-1994, 0.4 linear feet
Series VIII: Photographs, 1941 and circa 1978-circa 1980, 0.1 linear feet
Series IX: Sound recordings, 4 reels of audio tape, undated
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and the University of Montana--Missoula. The use of personnel files in Series I is restricted.
Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. Non-exclusive rights given to The University of Montana.
[Name of document or photograph number], Institute of the Rockies Records, Archives and Special Collections, The University of Montana-Missoula.
Materials were in the possession of John Badgley prior to transfer to the Archives.
John Badgley delivered a second group of materials, which were inventoried on May 10, 2008. Prior to their transfer to Archives and Special Collections, the materials were kept at the home of Charles Jonkel, the president of the Institute at the date of deposit.
Gift of John Badgley, 2004 and 2008.
The Institute of the Rockies Records were donated as part of a larger collection of Badgley Family Papers. This series was separated from Badgley's personal and family materials to facilitate discovery and access.
In 2011, materials deposited after the initial accession were processed into the collection. In addition, the collection was organized into series to aid discovery and better reflect the operations of the Institute. Most of the financial documents and duplicate publications were not retained. Financial documents that were retained are intended to provide a summary of the Institute's finances over its history. Bank statements were retained for time periods not covered by annual reports or other summary documents stating the Institute's financial assets. One folder of documents related to a conservation easement were added in 2013.
An unprocessed collection of Badgley Family papers (Accession 2005-18) is available at the Archives.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.
This series contains the Institute's governing documents, minutes from the Executive Board, reports detailing the operation of the Institute as a whole, and general files of correspondence and grant proposals. This series also contains personnel files with restricted access.
Proposals, membership list, legal documents, correspondence, publicity, and clippings.
Access restricted.
Access restricted.
This series includes information about the finances of the Institute. In the file titled "Financial reports" is a letter by John Badgley arguing that the Institute should be dissolved and that "the books will be closed" by June 30. While the Institute was not dissolved, it had shed many of its operations shortly before Badgley's letter.
This series contains materials used to organize community outreach projects conducted by the Institute. These projects involved organizing communities to achieve economic goals or to increase awareness of environmental concerns.
Columbia River Watch was a project to increase awareness of the impact of policies and human activities on the Columbia River Basin. The project consisted of public events, the creation of publications, and the production of a documentary called Voices of the River, which aired on the Public Broadcasting Service. This subseries contains correspondence, publicity for events and media productions, grant proposals, and financial documents. Photographic materials in this subseries were separated and placed in Series VIII: Photographs in a file titled "Voices of the River publicity proofs and negatives."
This subseries includes proposals related to the use and protection of water resources in Montana and notes from a series of forums held across Montana titled "Water Watch".
This series consists largely of files related to a project designed to create recommendations to the Montana State Legislature on how to best use money in the Coal Tax Trust Fund. The project was to include research, community feedback, and recommendations to the legislature. These files contain research, proposals, reports, and meeting notes. The subseries also includes subject files related to energy.
This subseries consists of files for projects intended to stimulate the creation of new businesses, mainly in and around Missoula, Montana. One of the driving forces behind these projects was William Maclay. Files in this subseries contain proposals, correspondence, meeting notes, and clippings.
This subseries contains materials related to programs designed to improve education, specifically the Education Clearinghouse and the Montana Study Program. The Education Clearinghouse was an effort to improve primary and secondary education in Missoula in the late 70s. The Montana Study Program, which the Institute supported in the early 90s, consisted of a home stay program for international college students to improve research and English language skills.
According to a letter from the Institute dated September 1979, the original purpose of the Education Clearinghouse was to raise funding for educational conferences. The Clearinghouse conducted conferences titled "Challenge Education," which attempted to stimulate new ideas in primary and secondary education. The Clearinghouse also produced a quarterly newsletter titled Educational News and Views. This subseries contains correspondence, proposals, conference notes and publications, and subject files.
The Montana Study Program was a home stay program for international students, mostly Japanese, interested in learning English and research skills useful within American universities. This subseries contains correspondence, documents describing the structure of the program, and financial documents.
The Institute managed at least two properties over its history. This subseries includes materials related to the building and operation of the Earth Conference Center, which at one point served to house the Institute's administrative offices, and a cabin in Swan Valley used as a retreat.
The Earth Conference Center was a earth covered building built outside of Missoula and was intended to demonstrate techniques and technologies intended to reduce energy consumption. This subseries contains proposals, financial documents, correspondence, planning documents, and publicity. Proofs and negatives from the file titled "Planning documents and grant application" were separated and placed into Series VIII: Photographs in a file titled "Earth Conference Center proofs and negatives."
This subseries contains materials related to the Institute's cabin in Swan Valley. Also included are agreements for spaces the Institute leased from other landlords.
Many of the Institute's projects were intended to increase awareness around specific issues. This subseries contains published materials resulting from these projects and publications about the Institute itself. Notable among these items is a poster designed by Monte Dolack in 1983.
This series consists mainly of files of clippings grouped by subject. Some files includes mailings or publications from advocacy groups. Materials in this file are about water resources, energy, and the resettlement of Tibetan refugees.
This series in includes a historic photo from the Swan Valley Cabin operated by the Institute, as well as visual materials used to publicize the Institute and its projects.
This series contains reel-to-reel audio tape. The original collection inventory indicates that one of the tapes is audio for a slide show presentation on water, perhaps for Montana Water Tomorrow, a project that consisted of a series of forums and a slide show to promote awareness of issues related to Montana's water resources.