Melissa DiNino – Building a Unique Life in Big Sky Country

Melissa DiNino (photo: Louise Johns)

Melissa DiNino is a biologist, artist, and designer who currently lives and works in Montana’s legendary Tom Miner Basin. A native easterner, Melissa moved West soon after college to work as a range rider– a job that involves monitoring livestock on horseback in an effort to encourage the successful coexistence of livestock and apex predators in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. In her role as a range rider, Melissa developed a deep appreciation for Montana’s spectacular landscapes, the challenging relationship between people and predators, and the importance of compassionate communication between all stakeholders.

Melissa grew up in Connecticut, and developed an early love of adventure and the outdoors while spending time at her family’s cabin in Maine. She’s also a committed athlete and played competitive basketball from age five through college. As you’ll hear, Melissa is humble and soft spoken, but she has a track record of pushing herself hard, both in academics and athletics, as well as in her present-day professional work and art.  Although only in her mid-20s, Melissa is wise beyond her years and is committed to doing meaningful work in a place that she loves, surrounded by a supportive community… and she’s making it happen in an inspiring way.

I know regular listeners will really enjoy this conversation, but it will be especially valuable to anyone who is in the early stages of their career, looking to do work that is meaningful and fulfilling.  Melissa and I discuss her path to Montana, as well as some of the challenges and funny mishaps of adjusting to life in the West. We talk about the realities of piecing together a variety of different jobs and artistic endeavors, while remaining focused on the big picture of doing work that matters. We chat about lessons learned from athletics, the value of being competitive with oneself, and importance of being willing to “put yourself out there” in creative pursuits. We also dig into some details around wolves, grizzlies, and the importance of civil discourse when discussing emotional subjects like wolves. And as usual, we talk about favorite books, films, and places in the West. Links to everything are in the episode notes.

Thanks so much for listening, and I hope you enjoy this conversation with Melissa DiNino!

All photos courtesy of Louise Johns


Click Here to Download on iTunes

Click Here to Download on Spotify

Click Here to Download on Google Play

Click Here to Download on Stitcher


Episode Notes

Topics Discussed:

3:30 – How Melissa describes her work
4:50 – Range riding explained
9:30 – Balancing grazing and predators
11:15 – The human element of range riding
13:00 – How Melissa started range riding
14:45 – Transition to Montana
16:15 – Embarrassing/funny Montana story
19:45 – Growing up in Connecticut
20:30 – Adventures in Maine
21:30 – Parents’ influence
24:10 – Basketball
25:55 – Competition and lessons learned from sports
29:00 – Why she chose to study wolves
32:25 – Tips for having tough conversations
36:00 – Stories of collaboration
37:30 – Crazy stories from range riding
38:45 – Books about wolves
42:00 – Background in design
43:15 – Art and watercolors
46:10 – Artistic mentors
48:00 – Future plans
50:00 – Mentors
51:20 – Favorite books
53:00 – Favorite films
54:00 – Weird hobbies
55:20 – Most powerful outdoor experience
1:01:00 – Favorite location in the West
1:02:00 – Request of the listeners
1:02:50 – Connect with Melissa online
Information Referenced: