About
Wallowa Mountain Institute Youth Programs offers place-based, hands-on programs that use outdoor experiential learning and exploration of the landscapes, natural resources, and cultural history of Wallowa County. The program includes out-of-school and summer programs, school-based programs, and leadership and workforce development for youth. These programs are part of Wallowa Mountain Institute, a Wallowa Resources program that focuses on rural issues, leadership, workforce development, and community and land stewardship through youth education.
The mission of Wallowa Mountain Institute Youth Programs is to educate and engage young people through place-based, hands-on programs that increase knowledge of rural issues, grow leadership capacity, build workforce development, and encourage community and land stewardship. The programs aim to promote a deeper connection to the outdoors and the local rural landscape, educate the next generation of land stewards and community leaders, increase K–12 STEM learning opportunities and science literacy, and create equitable access to outdoor science programs for all. The institute focuses on fostering positive connections to the natural world and elevating youth to build meaningful relationships with the land through place-based outdoor experiential learning, while exploring the landscapes, natural resources, and cultural history of Wallowa County with youth.
The leadership team includes Emily Bratcher as Youth Education Manager, Lily Rhoades as Youth Expedition Coordinator, and Jacob Losby as Workforce Development Coordinator. Emily Bratcher earned her bachelor’s degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Science from Oregon State University in 2015 and her master’s in Environmental Education and Science Communication from the University of Idaho in 2020. Lily Rhoades earned their B.S. in microbiology with a minor in chemistry. Jacob Losby earned a B.S. in Business Administration with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship and a minor in Music from the University of Oregon.
Wallowa Mountain Institute is supported and housed under the non-profit entity Wallowa Resources, which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer. One parent described their child’s experience by saying that, rain or shine, their son looked forward to every Friday WREN class, came home with stories and knowledge to share, and learned about the geography and ecology of his home while building confidence with peers and in the outdoors.
Last updated December 29, 2025.
The mission of Wallowa Mountain Institute Youth Programs is to educate and engage young people through place-based, hands-on programs that increase knowledge of rural issues, grow leadership capacity, build workforce development, and encourage community and land stewardship. The programs aim to promote a deeper connection to the outdoors and the local rural landscape, educate the next generation of land stewards and community leaders, increase K–12 STEM learning opportunities and science literacy, and create equitable access to outdoor science programs for all. The institute focuses on fostering positive connections to the natural world and elevating youth to build meaningful relationships with the land through place-based outdoor experiential learning, while exploring the landscapes, natural resources, and cultural history of Wallowa County with youth.
The leadership team includes Emily Bratcher as Youth Education Manager, Lily Rhoades as Youth Expedition Coordinator, and Jacob Losby as Workforce Development Coordinator. Emily Bratcher earned her bachelor’s degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Science from Oregon State University in 2015 and her master’s in Environmental Education and Science Communication from the University of Idaho in 2020. Lily Rhoades earned their B.S. in microbiology with a minor in chemistry. Jacob Losby earned a B.S. in Business Administration with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship and a minor in Music from the University of Oregon.
Wallowa Mountain Institute is supported and housed under the non-profit entity Wallowa Resources, which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer. One parent described their child’s experience by saying that, rain or shine, their son looked forward to every Friday WREN class, came home with stories and knowledge to share, and learned about the geography and ecology of his home while building confidence with peers and in the outdoors.
Last updated December 29, 2025.
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