• Gallatin Canyon
• Montana

Patten, Robin, M.S. December 2006 Environmental Studies

In the Light Beyond Dreaming

Chairperson: Phil Condon

The Gallatin Canyon of south-central Montana is a landscape of varied terrain and mixed ownership, with a community of people that represent diverse attitudes towards the land. In its diversity, the region provokes questions as to how this area developed into what it is today: a complex setting of rugged geography, rich biota, and contrasting humanity.

I set out to try to understand this region by taking three approaches, combining ecology, cultural history, and personal experience to examine the development of land and community through time. I discovered an intricate story that connected the Gallatin Canyon to much larger events in time and space. I also came to understand that my own life – and probably all our lives – are part of a much bigger picture, shaped by forces that may lie far beyond our own awareness.