Jessy
Stevenson

Jessy is the Crown of the Continent Specialist at TWS.  She is a descendent of the Blackfeet Nation and was raised in the foothills of the Mission Mountains in rural, northwest Montana. From a young age, Jessy was drawn to the complex relationships between people and place, an interest that guided her studies at the University of Montana where she earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Resource Conservation and Environmental Studies with a focus on water conservation and collaboration. From the clear, cold tributaries of the Swan River to the windswept ridgelines of the Rocky Mountain Front, the landscapes of the Crown of the Continent have shaped her land ethic and are deeply woven into her work and life.

Throughout her career, Jessy has used her passion for storytelling and place-based education to help address the challenges faced by public lands and rural communities in the west. Prior to joining The Wilderness Society in 2022, Jessy was the Northern Rockies Associate Director for American Rivers where she worked with local communities, conservation partners, Tribal leaders, scientists, and elected officials throughout Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming to protect rivers and streams at the headwaters of the Columbia and Missouri River watersheds. In her role as Crown of the Continent Community Conservation Specialist, she works closely with communities, Tribes, and an array of partners throughout the Crown to help build community-led conservation initiatives, support sustainable economic development, improve access to and participation in the management of public lands and waters, and create a more just and equitable conservation community both in the Crown and nation-wide. She strongly believes that protecting the places we love begins with listening, building trust, and ensuring that all voices are not only heard and respected, but celebrated.

Jessy is honored to serve on the Board of Swan Valley Connections and as an advisor to the Flathead Rivers Alliance and the University of Montana’s Wilderness Institute, of which she is an alumna and for which she occasionally works as a guide and instructor. Outside of her role at TWS, Jessy works as an independent illustrator and woodworker, and periodically guides for a local cycling company. In her free time, she loves to write, bake, garden, spend time with family, seek out new stories, and wander the landscapes of Montana with her partner and their dog, Naki. She currently lives and works in Missoula, Montana.