Welcome the new Camas co-editor: Jackie Bussjaeger!

Jackie joins the Camas team as a second-year Environmental Studies student focusing on Environmental Writing. She came to Montana by way of her home state, Minnesota, and has enjoyed the plentiful birding opportunities around Missoula. Join us in welcoming Jackie!

Growing up in the Midwest, what did “the West” mean to you?

The idea of the West is one of the most captivating images of the American imagination. As someone who never experienced it firsthand when I was younger, the West was of course filled with romanticized pictures of wild mustangs, rugged mountains, and untamed wilderness. Most of all, the West was a land of unknowns, which is a draw for many people, me included. I had a feeling I'd get there someday. 

What about now? What does “the West” mean to you now that you are here in Montana?

Of course, anytime you spend significant time somewhere, the nuances of the community show through much more clearly than from afar. There's so much more to the West than its legacy of adventure and exploration, and its darker history of cultural genocide and environmental destruction. 

 I've lived in Montana a little less than a year, and there's a lot I'm still learning about what it means to be in the West. Distance means something different here--this is a place that hasn't been built upon the same way the towns and cities have been established near where I grew up. Landscape seems to have more weight when you can see so much of it at once here, far beyond the limitations of the dense hardwood stands of my home state.

Tell us about how you ended up in the University of Montana’s Environmental Studies program.

When I decided grad school was something I wanted to do for sure, I looked for universities with programs that blended writing, science, and environmental issues. I had experience as a writer, but wanted to fold an environmental focus into my area of expertise. The University of Montana's EVST program crossed off all my requirements with ease. 

Writing comes in all forms, for example, your background is in journalism. Can you tell our readers a little about your work as journalist?

I worked full time as the editor of two weekly publications just north of Minnesota's Twin Cities. The area I covered was a county that ran alongside the St. Croix River, which is one of the first rivers to be designated as a National Wild & Scenic Riverway in the 1960s. As editor of the papers there, I was responsible for assembling all my own news stories, and in addition to covering the regular city council, school board meetings, and police reports, I was able to chase the stories that mattered most to me. The closeness to the St. Croix and the values of conservation held by those living in the river valley quickly helped me figure out what I cared to write about the most. 

What role do you think writing and literature can play in raising environmental awareness?

Art helps us work through some of the ideas that make us uncomfortable about our existence in this landscape. It also helps us to celebrate the joy we feel in situating ourselves in those landscapes, of appreciating the many thoughts and emotions they stir in us. It's a way of processing, but also enjoying ourselves at the same time. 

What do you bring to the table as co-editor of Camas?

I have a lot of experience working with lots of different publications--from newsletters to books to lifestyle magazines to weekly newspapers. Jobs like those teach you how to fill in where you're needed, and I've stumbled my way into learning a little bit of everything. In addition to learning how not to freak out at all the weird, unpredictable logistical challenges, I was able to experience how truly pleasurable it is working alongside other people who are passionate about the writing we're putting out into the world. I'm thrilled to work with the rest of the Camas team, who are all connected passionately through art, environment, and place.

Can you tell us a little about your birding hobby?

 I've been interested in wildlife since I was young, but was inspired to take a closer look when an unfamiliar-looking hawk dropped by my yard one winter morning. Once I hit the field guides and found out that it was a red-shouldered hawk, I began paying closer attention to the birds and wildlife in my surroundings. They're literally always there, even in urban settings, and easy to overlook. In addition to just being beautiful creatures with fascinating behavior to observe, they can also tell us a lot about what's happening in the world around us that might not be obvious at first glance.

I'm not an ornithologist, and I still have a lot to learn about birds, but if watching them has taught me one thing, it's to keep my eyes open.