Thank you for your interest in Salish Kootenai College Extension! We’re planning several exciting opportunities to connect researchers, educators, students, and community members through hands-on learning and collaboration.
Join Salish Kootenai College Extension and research partners for a hands-on workshop exploring drone technology, multispectral and hyperspectral imagery, and geospatial data applications in natural resource management.
The workshop will focus on building technical capacity among Tribal College faculty and staff, with opportunities for students to participate. Topics will include drone mission planning, imagery collection, data processing, and applications in ecological monitoring and research.
MASH — Microplastics in Agriculture, Soil, and Health Symposium
Tentatively Scheduled: Early September 2027
Join researchers, students, educators, Tribal partners, and community members for a symposium exploring emerging research on microplastics and their potential implications for agriculture, soils, ecosystems, and human health.
The symposium will provide opportunities to share research, exchange ideas, and build collaborations across disciplines and communities.
Stay Connected!
Dates, locations, registration information, and detailed agendas will be announced as planning progresses. Please check back for updates and opportunities to participate.
All event dates are tentative and subject to change.
Extension Director: Virgil Dupuis
406-275-4899
email, virgil_dupuis@skc.edu
Extension Operations Manager and Research Scientist;
Ian Issaia McRyhew
email, ian_mcryhew@skc.edu
406-275-4800 ext. 4795
I am Ian Issaia McRyhew. I was born in Apple Valley, California in the Mojave Desert in 1977. I was raised in Butte, Montana and graduated from Butte High School in 1995. I have lived in Polson, Montana since 2005. My wife Susan and my daughter Victoria and I ran out of gas in Big Arm on Flathead lake, and we have been here ever since. Victoria and her husband Charlie have blessed us with three granddaughters Nevaeh, Harmony and Serenity. I live for my family and as a grassland restoration ecologist I am trying to counterbalance the destructive nature of humans, to provide a better future for them. I graduated from Salish Kootenai College in 2021 and received my Bachelor of Science in Wildlife and Fisheries, a Bachelor of Science in Forest Management, and an Associates in Fine Arts. After graduating in 2021 attended Montana State University and earned a Master of Science in the Land Resources and Environmental Sciences Department, where I had the wonderful opportunity to learn form Dr. Jane Mangold, Dr. Tim Seipel and Dr. Laura Burkle, and many others.
Technician
Alvin Mitchell
email, alvin_mitchell@skc.edu
406-275-4800 ext. 4796
Bradley Mitchell Garden Technician
brad_mitchell@skc.edu
Research Assistant and Graduate Student,S. H.
Sarah has earned her Master of science in Natural Resource Management at Salish Kootenai College. Early years of roaming the foothills of the Rockies, on foot and horseback, taught her a deep love and appreciation for the outdoors. She has shared that love as an outdoor educator and riding instructor. As a barn manager and director, she saw the challenges of both caring for herd animals and the land and now hopes to be able to use her masters to make some of those challenges easier.
Rene Dubay
rene_dubay@skc.edu
Salish Kootenai College (SKC) is a private Native Americantribal college in Pablo, Montana. It serves the Bitterroot Salish, Kootenai, and Pend d’Oreilles tribes. SKC’s main campus is on the Flathead Reservation. There are three satellite locations in eastern Washington state, in Colville, Spokane, and Wellpinit. Although enrollment is not limited to Native American students, SKC’s primary function is to serve the needs of Native American people.
