ECONOMY/TOURISM:
FRANCIE ST. ONGE

Ms. St. Onge is the co-owner of the outfitting and guiding company Sun Valley Trekking, where she has worked with many local school groups, nonprofit organizations, and college and university outdoor programs providing wolf ecology education and outreach since 2001.

In 2009, Francie started the first wolf ecology program based in Sun Valley, offering programming focused on viewing wolves in the surrounding region on skis or snowshoes. Sun Valley Trekking activities center on natural history and wildlife, in collaboration with local land owners, biologists, ranchers, conservation groups and the general public.

Ms. St. Onge grew up cross-country skiing and canoeing in the lake country of northern Minnesota and Wisconsin, where wolves were always part of her environment. She completed a Bachelor of Science degree in forestry and resource conservation, with a minor in wilderness studies at the University of Montana. Since that time, she has guided wilderness expeditions throughout the Intermountain West and Alaska, and co-founded a winter environmental education program in Crested Butte, Colorado. She completed her master’s degree in recreation resources and environmental education at Utah State University in 2001.

In 1999, Francie spent the summer working as a naturalist and guide in Alaska’s Denali National Park. In addition to giving lectures and presentations on wolf ecology and predator-predator interactions, she took advantage of the opportunity to assist Dr. Gordon Haber in his research on wolf behavior, observing wolves at their dens in their natural environment.

Ms. St. Onge runs the office operations for Sun Valley Trekking while guiding, training for cross-country ski marathons and raising her daughter.