Year of Award
2026
Document Type
Professional Paper
Degree Type
Master of Arts (MA)
Degree Name
Environmental Science and Natural Resource Journalism
Department or School/College
Journalism
Committee Chair
Nadia White
Commitee Members
Jason Begay, Akasha Faist
Keywords
Regeneration, Wildland Firefighters, Trincheras, Madrean Sky Islands, Community Gardens
Subject Categories
Environmental Studies | Human Ecology | Human Geography | Nonfiction
Abstract
When a wildfire tears through a forest, it leaves a mark. Trees turn white and bark flutters away like chipping paint. The landscape is barren, and life has disappeared.
But some seeds are just waking up.
Soon, a lush understory of flowers explodes across a hillside. Eventually, saplings spring from the ground. In many landscapes, fire is not a destructive force, but a harbinger of life. Some seeds generate only after a burn.
As the climate changes, natural disasters are becoming more severe. Yet humans continue to care for each other and for the world around them. This portfolio explores how regeneration occurs in human communities and the natural world. It examines the potential futures of a changed world, and how life, and hope, can return where it’s least expected.
The first story depicts the “seeds” being planted to address an overlooked crisis in the world of wildland firefighting— mental health.
On the front lines of climate change, wildland firefighters are exposed to brutal conditions. But awareness of the mental health toll of this profession is growing. Though still in its early stages, the movement aims to help struggling individuals get the help they need and keep doing the work they love.
The second story took me to the Borderlands of Arizona and Sonora, Mexico, where ongoing drought and heavier, less consistent rainfall have challenged the traditional way of life for ranchers.
Here, environmental groups and ranchers are quietly working across borders to restore the landscape that they love. They’re embracing an ancient strategy to retain water in arid lands: small rock structures called “trincheras,” and building them in the thousands. Over time, life is coming back, supporting both local livelihoods and biodiversity.
The final story is a photo essay exploring how Missoula non-profit Garden City Harvest prepares their community gardens for a new season. It offers a look into how “rebirth” occurs each growing season, and how, even after a historically warm winter in variable weather conditions, community members are coming together to grow their own food.
Recommended Citation
Shimberg, Rose M., "Regeneration: Planting Seeds of Change in a Warming World" (2026). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 12621.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/12621
Included in
Environmental Studies Commons, Human Ecology Commons, Human Geography Commons, Nonfiction Commons
© Copyright 2026 Rose M. Shimberg