The Rod & Connie French Conservation Education Camp was established through a donation by Rod and Connie French to Iowa State University. The facility is operated by Department of Natural Resource Ecology & Management as a space for hands-on field education in forestry, fisheries and wildlife.
The French Camp is situated in the Fish Creek valley, approximately 50 minutes west of Missoula, Montana. Fish Creek is among the most un-developed tributary watersheds in the Clark Fork basin, and thus represents a key stronghold for several sensitive fish species, including the threatened bull trout and the iconic west-slope cutthroat. Along the Idaho border just west of the camp are a series of roadless areas that serve as valuable habitat and migration corridors for elk, moose, bears, mountain lions, wolverines, and much more. The French Camp property is surrounded by Lolo National Forest and is near Fish Creek State Park and Fish Creek Wildlife Management Areas. This wild and rugged ecosystem contrasts markedly with the predominantly agricultural, managed ecosystem surrounding Iowa State University, and courses in this setting offer memorable experiences and valuable perspective to visiting students.
