Conservation Commons: Emerald LaFortune

The sun was stretching its last rays across the land on the eastern side of the valley as we pulled up alongside the Salmon River. In a race with the oncoming sunset, we walked through the willows alongside the water to a small, rocky bar where hot mugs of tea and coffee were quickly produced, the steam warming our faces. Across the river two does picked their way through the sagebrush and back into the hills.

“Whitetails?” Emerald wondered aloud. Their tails flew up revealing the white underneath and she smiled, answering her own question.

On paper, Emerald LaFortune has several impressive titles behind her name. Spend an hour with her however, and you’ll realize that this powerhouse of a woman embodies much more than words on paper could do justice to. I sought out Emerald to shine a light on a strong, unapologetic voice in the outdoor and conservation community, and her steadfast commitment to project and empower the voices of others in the outdoors. Although Emerald and I only had an hour to talk, that time was saturated with important perspectives and good conversation.

B: In your own words, what do you do?
E: I’m currently the director of the Redside Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit which supports the health and strength of the Idaho guiding community. We do that through access to health resources, through funding and encouraging education and training, and through community building. I grew up boating with my family and both my parents were guides. Every time we’d go out on the river, I would see these river guides who I thought were so glamorous and cool and that’s when I decided I wanted to be a guide, too. I moved to Riggins after high school and started daily guiding. I spent a few years guiding, got burned out, tried a few other seasonal outdoor jobs, I was a wilderness ranger intern in the Selway-Bitterroot for a summer, but eventually met a few guides who talked me back into it. What I thought was going to be a year off from pursuing a more “serious career” turned into a few years of multi-day, multi-season guiding which led to the work I now do with Redside.

B: What did you think about your time as a wilderness ranger intern?
E: It was great but I was a really shitty trail worker.

B: Tell me a bit about your angling background.
E: I grew up in Northern Idaho and while my family spent a ton of time outdoors, we didn’t hunt or fish. While at school in Missoula I took an Intro to Fly Fishing class. What was cool about the class is that it was co-ed but was taught by a very accomplished angler who also happened to be a woman. From the get-go that was a great introduction for me, to see that it was something that could be open to both women and men. Our history of the outdoors, hunting and fishing especially, hasn’t shown that. Now I occasionally guide fly fishing trips on the Middle Fork of the Salmon which is a delightful stretch of water. It’s so rewarding for both the guest and guide. Making the jump and deciding your skills are good enough to teach others is a big leap and I try to always continue learning new skills.

B: It’s certainly been a joy to watch you as a role model in the angling community.
E: I will say, I don’t know if you ever feel like you’re good at fishing. It so easy in some ways and so complex in others. It’s been a long 8-year slog towards competency.

B: Who would you say has inspired you over the years?
E: When I first began to fish, I was inspired by April Vokey and Hilary Hutcheson. At that time, if there was a female angler in a magazine article or advertisement, there was a pretty big chance it was one of them. I was inspired by how both weren’t just faces in front of a camera, they were really driving their own stories – April with her podcast and platform, Hilary with projects like Trout TV. I spent most of high school recreating with my dad and boyfriend and they certainly helped encourage some of my love of spending time on public land. And now, I’m inspired by all the folks from marginalized groups that are pushing their stories into the outdoor industry. I want to not only move forward the causes that directly affect me, but also be a good ally to them.

B: You’re quite an accomplished writer, has that evolved alongside the rest of your work?
E: It’s been a journey. I started in 2009 and the platform has stuck with me which is both fun and incredibly embarrassing to look back on. I think a lot of my draw to writing what I do is feeling like our experiences in the outdoors were being glorified and there wasn’t enough of an honest voice of what we actually feel and experience in the outdoors. And writing can be such a tool for connecting people if it’s done in an honest and vulnerable way.

B: How do you see yourself fitting into the conservation realm?
E: In my work with Redside, I think I’m part of a team that is driving forward an honest and vulnerable conversation in seasonal communities about the way our financial, mental, physical, and community health is all intertwined. When I hear a guide reflect a story about how working with a counselor has changed their approach to life and the potential longevity of their career in the outdoors, that’s always affirming to me. In my more personal work writing and creating events for women, I guess I just see a need still, particularly in our most traditional outdoor pursuits like guiding, angling and hunting. There’s a lot of work being done introducing women to outdoor sports, but less support once they get there. Where does a woman turn when she wants to organize an event for the women in her community? Who can a lead female guide talk to when she’s trying to figure out if her pay is equitable to her male co-workers? A lot of the platforms pushing the conversations about equity between men and women forward come from urban centers that aren’t necessarily relatable to women in rural places. I want to show and create a community around a rural, outdoorswoman perspective. I think there are more of us out there than we think.

B: What has been your most treasured public lands experience in Idaho?
E: One of the most important things for me in Idaho and the outdoors which, as someone who isn’t a wealthy land-owning baron means mostly public land, is the way that I can be on a river in Idaho and still feel really connected to my family, friends and community even if they aren’t there. My dad passed away in 2010 and it’s so special to have a place I can go to feel connected to him and what we shared through all our time on the river together. I’m incredibly grateful for the foresight of the people who worked to protect places like the Middle Fork of the Salmon.

Emerald is humble in her success and I would be remiss to leave out that her career has been deeply impactful for not only myself, but a growing number of people who enjoy the outdoors. Her writing echoes a message of inclusivity, compassion and tenacity, “I think good things happen when we all take them time to better understand each other.” You can find Emerald’s writing at www.emeraldlafortune.com or on Instagram at @emeraldlensmedia.

Emerald LaFortune practices what she preaches and at any given time can be found on a driftboat, along the banks of a wild river, or somewhere quiet with a book in hand. She enjoys spending time outdoors with her boyfriend Casey and pup Hank and is based in Salmon, Idaho.

Cover photo: Casey Jones

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