3.2 WILD INNOVATION: Lailani Upham

The Burn 2025_BrassicasKidsSet

The Burn 2025_BrassicasKidsSet by Freeflow Institute

Chandra - MountainPrairie - 2023

Ed Roberson in conversation with Chandra Brown, Part II – Teaching & Learning in the West’s Wildest Landscapes

3.3 WILD INNOVATION: Brooke Hess

As a professional kayaker, Brooke Hess’s life revolves around wild rivers. But in recent years she’s become increasingly concerned about threats to river ecosystems - like the dams on the lower Snake River. She knew she had to do something to encourage more people to advocate for the removal of those dams. That’s why, in April 2022, she and three other women set out on the trip of a lifetime: kayaking all 1000 miles of the Salmon River, from its headwaters to the Pacific Ocean. https://freeflowinstitute.com/season3brooke/ Our theme music is by Nate Heygi and Wartime Blues. The Freeflow Podcast is made possible by support from the Prop Foundation. Mary Auld and Stephanie Maltarich produced this episode. To learn more about Freeflow Institute, go to www.freeflowinstitute.com.

3.2 WILD INNOVATION: Lailani Upham

Lailani Upham grew up on Amskapi Pikuni (Blackfeet) traditional lands in Northwest Montana. As a child, she listened to stories and songs about her people and their culture, as told by her grandparents and Tribal elders. As an adult, Lailani took these stories with her everywhere - they helped ground her, wherever she was, even if she was far from home. In 2019, she realized she wanted to take her stories to the next level by starting her own Indigenous-led company that facilitates "cultural storytelling hikes" on Blackfeet lands. Iron Shield Creative takes Tribal and non-Tribal people on hikes that are steeped in language, narrative, song, and community. Lailani's goal is to cultivate understanding from an Indigenous perspective and diminish damaging stereotypes by sharing traditions and stories. https://freeflowinstitute.com/3-2-the-leader-lailani-upham/ Our theme music is by Nate Heygi and Wartime Blues. The Freeflow Podcast is made possible by support from the Prop Foundation. Mary Auld and Stephanie Maltarich produced this episode. To learn more about Freeflow Institute, go to www.freeflowinstitute.com.

3.1 WILD INNOVATION: Leeanna Torres

Leeanna Torres worked for years on the rivers of the Southwest as a fish biology technician. She spent spare moments on those rafts scribbling thoughts and observations in a pocket notebook. In 2021, she had the opportunity to merge her passions for rivers and words on Freeflow Institute’s Gates of Lodore writing workshop on Utah’s Green River. On the river this time, as a committed writer with a very specific focus, Leeanna explores concepts of identity, belonging, craft, and connection. Our theme music is by Nate Heygi and Wartime Blues. The Freeflow Podcast is made possible by support from the Prop Foundation. Mary Auld and Stephanie Maltarich produced this episode. To learn more about Freeflow Institute, go to www.freeflowinstitute.com.