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Privacy Policy

 

Protecting your private information is our priority. This Privacy Policy applies to westernsustainabilityexchange.org, all subdomains, all information or data collected or stored from any apps or online software, and information provided directly to Western Sustainability Exchange, and governs all data collection, storage, and usage. For the purposes of this Privacy Policy, unless otherwise noted, “WSE” shall refer to Western Sustainability Exchange. The WSE owns and operates one or more websites as a non-profit organization. By using the WSE websites, you consent to the data policies described in this statement.
 
Collection of your Personal Information
To better provide you with products and services offered, WSE requires you to provide or may collect personally identifiable information, such as your:

 

If you purchase WSE’s products and services, we may collect billing and credit card information. This information is used to complete the purchase transaction, only.
 
We do not collect or store any personal information about you unless you voluntarily provide it to us and we require such information to provide you with information or services. However, you may be required to provide certain personal information to us when you elect to use certain products or services. This information will only be required to provide you with the services you request and may include: (a) registering for an account; (b) entering sweepstakes or contests sponsored by us or one of our partners; (c) signing up for special offers from selected third parties; (d) sending us an email message; (e) submitting your credit card or other payment information when ordering and purchasing products and services. To wit, we will use your information only to provide you the services and communicate with you about services and/or products you have requested from us. We also may gather additional personal or non-personal information in the future, but only with your permission and only to provide you with information or services you request. We will only use the information you provide for the purpose you approved and only for as long as required to meet our requirements to provide you services, to meet legal or financial record keeping requirements, or to adhere to legal or regulatory requirements.
 
Use of your Personal Information
WSE collects and uses your personal information to operate and deliver the services you have requested. Your personal information will be used for that purpose only, or for another purpose which you explicitly approve, or to meet legal or financial requirements.
 
WSE may also use your personally identifiable information to inform you of other products or services available from WSE and its affiliates, but only if you approve such use, which WSE will confirm periodically. You may opt-out of any such email or electronic communication informing you of our products or services, third-parties products or services, or any other unsolicited communication at any time using the opt-out or unsubscribe link contained within such electronic information.
 
Sharing Information with Third Parties
WSE does not sell, rent, share, or disclose any personally identifiable information on its members or customers to third parties. However, you may choose or permit WSE to share such information, and you may cancel such choice or permission at any time for any such sharing in part or whole.
 
WSE may share data with trusted partners to help perform statistical analysis when such data has been aggregated or anonymized. Partners may only be provided with your personal information when you approve such sharing, provide customer support, or arrange for delivery of products or services. All such third parties are prohibited from sharing your personal information with your permission or using your personal information for any purpose except to provide these services to WSE or you. All such third parties are required to maintain the confidentiality of your information in strict compliance with this Privacy Policy.
 
WSE may disclose your personal information, without notice, if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to: (a) conform to the edicts of the law or comply with a legal process served on WSE or the site; (b) protect and defend the rights or property of WSE; and/or (c) act under exigent circumstances to protect the personal safety of users of WSE, or the public.
 
Tracking User Behavior
WSE may keep track of the websites and pages our users visit within WSE, to determine what WSE services are the most popular. This data is used to deliver customized content and advertising within WSE to customers whose behavior indicates that they are interested in a particular subject area. This information is not integrated into your personal information nor to track you in any way.
 
Automatically Collected Information
Information about your computer hardware and software may be automatically collected by WSE. This information can include your IP address, browser type, domain names, access times, and referring website addresses. This information is used for the correct operation of the services we provide, to maintain the quality of the service, and to provide general statistics regarding the use of the WSE website. This information will only be used for these purposes.
 
Links
This website contains links to other sites, which WSE neither endorses nor controls. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to thoroughly read the privacy policies of any other site that collects personally identifiable information, or any information of any kind about you or your use of their site.
 
Security of your Personal Information
WSE uses industry-standard practices to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. For example, WSE uses SSL protocol to provide additional protection. However, your agreement to use the WSE websites and this Privacy Policy acknowledge and agree that no organization can guarantee anyone’s digital privacy.

When personal information (such as a credit card number) is transmitted to other websites, it is protected through the use of encryption, such as the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol. However, no website or online service can guarantee 100% protection or security of your information.
 
We strive to take industry-standard security measures to protect against unauthorized access to or unapproved alteration of your personal information. Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet or any wireless network can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a result, while we strive to protect your personal information, you acknowledge that: (a) there are security and privacy limitations inherent to the Internet which are beyond our control; and (b) security, integrity, and privacy of any and all information and data exchanged between you and us through this Site cannot be guaranteed.
 
Right to Deletion
Subject to certain exceptions set out below, on receipt of a verifiable request from you, we will:

 

Please note that we may not be able to comply with requests to delete your personal information if it is necessary to:

 

Children Under Thirteen
WSE does not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under the age of thirteen. If you are under the age of thirteen, your parent or guardian must provide written permission to WSE to use this website.
 
E-mail Communications
From time to time, WSE may contact you via email to provide announcements, promotional offers, alerts, confirmations, surveys, and/or other general communication. You may opt-out, or unsubscribe, from these communications at any time. By creating an account, you are requesting these services but you can terminate any or all such communications at any time.
 
If you would like to stop receiving marketing or promotional communications via email from WSE, you may opt-out of such communications by clicking the UNSUBSCRIBE link at the bottom of each message, which will be well indicated and easily accessible.
 
External Data Storage Sites
We may store your data on servers provided by third-party hosting vendors with whom we have contracted. Such third-party hosting vendors will not view, copy, share, or use such information for any purpose other than to meet their or our legal requirements.
 
Changes to this Statement
WSE reserves the right to change this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you about any changes in the way we treat personal information by sending a notice to the primary email address specified by you and stored with your account information, by placing a prominent notice on our website, and/or by updating any privacy information referred to by us in a communication to you. Your continued use of the website and/or Services available after our notification to you will constitute your: (a) acknowledgment of the modified Privacy Policy; and (b) agreement to abide and be bound by that Policy.
 
Contact Information
WSE welcomes your questions or comments regarding this Statement of Privacy. If you believe that WSE has not adhered to this Statement, please contact WSE at:
 
Western Sustainability Exchange
P.O. Box 1448
LIVINGSTON, Montana 59047
 
Email Address:
info@westernsustainabilityexchange.org
 
Telephone number:
(406) 222-0730
 
Effective as of July 6, 2022

jessica harvey lilley farmers market assistant

Jessica Harvey Lilley was raised in Park County and attended MSU Billings. She began her career in finance and lending. She is passionate about making a positive impact on the community where she is raising her children. This led her to get involved with several local nonprofits, where she gained knowledge and experience in nonprofit accounting and programs. She looks forward to continuing to support the community through the Livingston Farmers Market.⁠
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Jessica is helping with Shannan with all things Livingston Farmers Market! From setting up and manning the booth to helping with planning and administration, volunteer recruitment, and more, Jessica is Shannan’s very important right-hand gal! 

Chelsea Phipps Grazing Outreach

Chelsea Phipps is an Eastern Montana native and ranches with her husband and two children just outside of Jordan, MT. Chelsea is passionate about the connection between the health of the land, animals, and humans.⁠

Chelsea is joining us as a Rancher Recruiter where her primary focus will be to educate and assist with onboarding eligible operations for the carbon program in partnership with Native.⁠ Chelsea will be traveling around the eastern part of Montana, working with ranchers on grazing plans toward this effort!

adele stenson Rancher Coordinator

Adele Stenson and her husband Kip ranch with her parents just west of Wibaux, Montana. They raise commercial cattle and irrigated hay, and their three adult daughters come home to help out when they can. 



Adele works as a Rancher Coordinator where she assists ranchers with the Native grassland carbon program, grazing planning and programming, and communications.

The Stenson’s were first introduced to WSE a few years ago when they began to explore the Native carbon program. The first WSE workshop they attended turned out to be their first step toward learning all they could about regenerative agriculture. Since then they have signed a contract with Native which is helping them improve their grazing program through a little fencing and a lot of water development; started raising worms for vermicast; and implemented several changes that they hope will lead to healthier land, wildlife, livestock, and bank accounts.

Tara Povalish native grazing analyst
Tara Povalish earned a B.S. in Animal Science, Livestock Management and Industry from Montana State University. Before joining Native, she worked in the Montana agriculture industry and is excited to combine her agriculture background and passion for sustainability for the Northern Great Plains Improved Grazing Carbon Project.
 
As an Analyst for Native’s Northern Great Plains Grasslands Program, Tara helps develop, maintain, and manage grazing plans, maps, reports, and other key project data. She works directly with participating ranchers in Montana, in collaboration with WSE, to collect and manage reporting data, supports and facilitates access to improved ranching management resources, and oversees adherence to program objectives.
 
In her free time she enjoys riding her horse, fly fishing, hiking, and home decor.
Holly Fretwell conservation econoimist in Montana

Holly Fretwell is president of Montana Connections, LLC where she does economic conservation consulting and hospitality management, is co-owner of the Jammin Jackalope camping and cabins, and is a research fellow at PERC, the Property and Environment Research Center. For nearly three decades Fretwell’s research has focused on public lands policy, private conservation, property rights, and markets. Her passion is helping others understand how free markets and trade can help enhance conservation and environmental quality.

Fretwell holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in resource economics from Montana State University. An educator at heart, Fretwell taught economics at Montana State University for 15 years, provided tools and curriculum for high school teachers to motivate economic thinkers, and has authored two books.

Joel Henry, Lawyer headshot

Dr. Joel Henry enjoys the complexity at the intersection of law, business, and technology, given he earned two computer science degrees from Montana State University, a Ph.D. in computer science from Virginia Tech, a J.D. at the University of Montana, and started his own software company.

Joel is one of a handful of people in the US with both a PhD in computer science and a JD. He is one of the leading experts in Montana, and nationwide, on cryptocurrency and blockchain technology law. A significant area of his practice also includes complex, cutting-edge legal matters around new technologies, including artificial intelligence, GDPR, and other data privacy laws, IT security, and data breaches. He also serves as an expert witness on litigation matters involving technology issues, electronic discovery, and digital forensics.

In his free time, Joel enjoys brewing beer, casting flies, tracking elk, floating rivers, backpacking, and hiking, but only when he isn’t spending time with his family.

Lauren Dillon received her B.S. in Visual Communications from the University of California, Davis. Lauren became passionate about working with missional companies that dared to challenge the status quo after a few years spent working for Patagonia. In 2012 Lauren seized an opportunity to move to Wyoming and consequently spent eight years working seasonally across the West as a photographer–each year becoming more interested in the intersection of ranching and conservation. Lauren made her way to Montana in 2017 to manage the guest program at J Bar L Ranch–a regenerative, grass-fed beef operation and one of WSE’s partners–where she quickly became fascinated by learning about soil health ranch’s land management and conservation projects. Lauren is excited to continue supporting land stewardship and regenerative producers through her work on the Communications and Farmers’ Market teams.

Matt Skoglund of North Bridger Bison, WSE board

Matt Skoglund is the founder and owner of North Bridger Bison, a bison ranch rooted in Regenerative Agriculture principles located in Montana’s Shields Valley. Prior to starting North Bridger Bison, Matt was the Director of the Northern Rockies Office for the Natural Resources Defense Council, where he worked on various conservation issues in Montana and the Northern Rockies for a decade. Matt is a graduate of Middlebury College and the University of Illinois College of Law. He is passionate about food and ranching, and he loves to hunt, garden, cook, and forage for morel mushrooms in the spring. Matt and his wife, Sarah, have two young kids, Otto and Greta.

Mark Ledger, former banker and WSE board member

Mark Ledger has been a member of the board since 2005, having served as Chair twice during that time.  Professionally, Mark’s career has involved  international finance,  business counseling and private equity.  Having spent all of his high school summers as a hand on a family cattle ranch in Big Timber, he has long standing ties in the area and retains a personal interest in agricultural and environmental sustainability.   Mark serves on the boards of multiple non-profits, including land trusts, inner-city homelessness, urban micro-finance and a foundation dedicated to underserved populations.  He and his wife, Ann, live in Pennsylvania and have two children and four grandsons.

Alex Blake is a regenerative rancher from Big Timber and a producer coordinator
for WSE. He lives and works on the ranch and tree nursery his parents started in 1973 on a foundation of deep appreciation for the natural environment. Alex holds a Master’s in Agribusiness from Texas A&M University but has gotten most of his agrarian education from hands-on experience on farms and ranches in places as diverse as Kenya and Argentina. He enjoys being a part of the progressive rancher support network in south-central Montana and draws inspiration from those who are constantly challenging old ranching paradigms. He was an artillery Captain in the United States Marine Corps and is a proud husband and father to a two-year-old daughter.

Chris Mehus the executive director of regenerative agriculture non-profit, western sustainability exchange

Chris Mehus, born, raised, and educated in Montana, has always maintained a joint passion for agriculture and the outdoors. He has applied his degrees in Wildlife Biology and Range Science to assist and advocate for ranchers who have a strong conservation ethic. After 10 years of direct ranching in Southern Montana putting his education to practice in numerous areas of grazing management and planning, Chris spent many years working in rural business, economic, and financial planning giving him unique insight into the workings of a ranch business to understand economic drivers and incentives that make ranching with nature a more profitable operating model than typical conventional practices. He is an outspoken advocate for the Ranching For Profit, Integrity Soils, Holistic Management International, and related schools of thought and how they can be applied to create a thriving ranch business while creating healthy, functioning ecological systems with rich soil and diverse wildlife populations.

WSE livingston farmers market manager Shannan Mascari

Shannan Mascari joined the Western Sustainability Exchange (WSE) team in 2019 as Office Administrator and Farmers Market Manager. Mascari attended Chico State University in Chico, California prior to moving to Montana in 1996. Upon moving here, she became a certified nursing assistant, caring for the elderly, before moving on to an administrative position with a wetlands restoration company. There, her hard work and dedication earned her the title of Vice President of Operations. She has over 18 years of administrative and managerial experience.

Mascari’s passion for taking care of the planet and the people who inhabit it is a perfect fit for WSE and the Farmers Market program. She and her husband, Jason, have three children and can often be found at soccer games, enjoying the great outdoors, or simply relaxing at their home on the Yellowstone River.

Lauren Dillon received her B.S. in Visual Communications from the University of California, Davis. Lauren became passionate about working with missional companies that dared to challenge the status quo after a few years spent working for Patagonia. In 2012 Lauren seized an opportunity to move to Wyoming and consequently spent eight years working seasonally across the West as a photographer–each year becoming more interested in the intersection of ranching and conservation. Lauren made her way to Montana in 2017 to manage the guest program at J Bar L Ranch–a regenerative, grass-fed beef operation and one of WSE’s partners–where she quickly became fascinated by learning about soil health ranch’s land management and conservation projects. Lauren is excited to continue supporting land stewardship and regenerative producers through her work on the Communications and Farmers’ Market teams.

Lill Erickson, the ecosystem services program director of Western Sustainability Exchanage

Lill Erickson has deep conviction to protect the incomparable landscape, wildlife, and way of life of the rural West, especially Montana. In 1994 Lill founded Western Sustainability Exchange to do just that.  Leading up to it’s conception,  Lill was an organizer for conservation nonprofits throughout the west, caretaker of a cattle ranch bordering Yellowstone National Park, and an advisor to a national committee to craft a strategy to promote agricultural sustainability. 

These experiences gave her the prowess to implement regenerative agriculture practices and develop market-based conservation strategies to ensure a healthy, long standing, and profitable relationship between nature and innovative land stewards. 

Lill loves her community of Livingston, spending as much time as work allows adventuring with friends in nature, and caring for and cavorting with her two dogs and two cats.

Rebecca Kurnick of Montana Aleworks

Rebecca Kurnick is a research scientist at Edaphix where she works to support healthy landscapes by mitigating undesirable species from a soil health lens. She has a background in local food systems and degrees in Soil Science and Agricultural Education from MSU. Rebecca discovered her passion for healthy soil and working landscapes through her work on farms and ranches in Maine and Montana. She enjoys helping people understand why it’s important to support the farmers and ranchers who contribute to functioning ecosystems. Rebecca and her husband Ryan enjoy hauling their two young children around the mountains on rafts, bikes, and skis teaching them about the places they love.

Malou Anderson-Ramierz resides on her family ranch in Tom Miner Basin, Montana, where she and her husband Dre live and work while raising their two daughters, Esme and Hasell. Aside from working on the ranch and learning about holistic management systems, she has psychology, social work, and equine-assisted therapies background. Malou enjoys working in community-building and land-based practices. Helping people and communities reconnect to themselves through restoring landscapes, coexisting with wildlife, and creating strong and thriving communities for both human and the more-than-human. When she’s not on the ranch or tending to kiddos, animals, or listening to lands, she loves exploring newfound communities- both urban and rural, reading, riding her horse, and sitting next to the ocean.

Carrie Balkcom is the Executive Director of the American Grassfed Association. AGA is the National multi-species entity organized to protect and promote Grassfed and pasture-based farmers and ranchers.

AGA is the leader in pasture-based production and the oldest grass-fed certification in the United States. AGA certifies ruminants and dairy.
Carrie grew up on a Florida cattle ranch and has stayed connected to the agriculture and livestock industry. She has spoken, presented, or coordinated numerous regional and national conferences; and is well known in agricultural, culinary, and sustainable agricultural circles.

Andrew Anderson, manager of J Bar L Ranch in Montana

Andrew Anderson is originally from Tom Miner Basin, where his family ranch is located. Currently, he manages J Bar L Ranches in the Centennial Valley and Melville, MT. His wife Hilary and four children have worked on the J Bar L for 13 years, helping to manage cow/calf, yearling, and grass-fed beef enterprises. They feel incredibly fortunate to ranch in wild and complex ecosystems and continually strive to learn how to preserve these unique places’ health, diversity, and integrity.

Dylan Hoffman is the Director of Sustainability for Yellowstone National Park Lodges. He oversees park-wide environmental efforts, compliance issues, and programs to curb the park’s contribution to climate change. In addition to his passion for helping to protect our environment, Dylan enjoys recreating in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem – including floating our local rivers, Nordic and backcountry skiing, hunting, or waving around a fly rod. Dylan lives in Gardiner, MT, with his partner, Erin, and their two little girls, Steely and Merrick.

Brittany Masters is the co-founder of Go Roam Free, a regenerative bison ranch and food business. As a first-generation rancher, Brittany brings her brand marketing and strong business sense to the world of sustainable animal agriculture. Brittany is passionate about developing brands and premium health products. Brittany spent 9 years as a Marketing Director at the Boeing Company, where she focused on reviving the Boeing brand and serving as a brand consultant to airline customers. During that time, she launched a startup food brand in the Middle East and finished her MBA at Seattle Pacific University. As WSE’s Secretary, Brittany hopes to help family-scale ranches transition to regenerative agriculture while improving their profitability in order to preserve the best of the west.

Roger Indreland, together with his wife Betsy, own and manages Indreland Angus, north of Big Timber, Montana. Roger is a third-generation rancher with a Farm & Ranch Management degree from Montana State University and forty-four years in the registered Angus business. Roger has found his niche in the grass-fed bull business, hosting an annual bull sale each December.

For over thirty years, Roger and Betsy have regenerated the landscape by placing value in building soil health and increasing biodiversity to complement Mother Nature’s system. As Roger says, “Our soil is the key to our success, so decisions are made with that in mind.”

In 2020, the Sweet Grass Chamber of Commerce honored them as “Ag Persons of the Year” and were nominated in 2021 as “Tow Rope Heroes” by the Northern Ag Network

WSE logo

TBD

Colin McClure is a proud Bobcat Fan and a 3rd generation graduate from Montana State University in Soil and Water Science. As a 4th generation Montana descendant with ties to active farming and ranching operations in the Flathead as well as central Montana, Colin was raised in and around agriculture. Colin is strongly rooted in both traditional and regenerative agricultural practices focusing on improving the livelihood of all Montanans.

Holly Stoltz, Communications Manager

Holly Stoltz’s greatest passion has always been helping people in the agricultural community. Throughout her career, she has revitalized a small-town newspaper, promoted businesses and organizations with her screen printing and embroidery business, actively mentored area business start-ups, and supported the 4-H program as club organization leader and activist.

Montana ranch-raised and marrying into a family ranch, agriculture has always been a part of her life.  Because of this, her degree in marketing, writing experience, and seeing the need to shift away from traditional ag practices, Holly has become a vocal supporter of regenerative agriculture as the only way to secure this legacy for future generations.

Tyrrell Hibbard enjoyed an upbringing in agriculture and conservation and today serves as a producer coordinator and senior advisor for WSE. Tyrrell is a rancher by day and distiller by night. He manages a seasonal custom grazing operation on his family’s multi-generational ranchland on the Continental Divide west of Helena. He also owns and operates Gulch Distillers in downtown Helena, producing award-winning spirits from Montana grains and fruits. When not actively engaged in agriculture or adding value to agricultural products, Tyrrell pursues conservation goals through WSE and Prickly Pear Land Trust. He serves on the board of directors. Tyrrell earned his bachelor’s degree in English from Duke University. He lives in Helena with his wife and two daughters.