ABOUT MOSS
Our Mission
Montana Outdoor Science School (MOSS) inspires curiosity, awareness, and understanding of nature and science through quality educational experiences. We engage people through exploration and learning, and prepare students to care for the environment.
Our Vision
MOSS envisions a future where Montanans have a strong connection with nature, understand and value the natural sciences, and are inspired to care for this extraordinary place we call home.
Land Acknowledgement
Our programs are held on the ancestral homelands of the Niitsítpiis-stahkoii (Blackfoot), Apsaalooké (Crow), Salish Kootenai, Cheyenne, and Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Sioux) peoples. We honor the past, present, and future of these Indigenous groups, and acknowledge their role as caretakers to this land.
Our History
Montana Outdoor Science School was found in 1994 as “Nature Camp LLC” by Martha Collins, Marth Kauffman, and Louise Forrest. These three scientists and educators wanted to create a fun, hands-on nature summer camp experience experiences for kids, including their own. The MOSS founders shared a vision that our lives are enriched when we have a greater understanding of our natural surroundings.
For thirty years, MOSS has nurtured, educated and inspired a combined love of nature and science for generations of curious kids. In its first 30 years, MOSS has operated its offices out of the Emerson Cultural Arts Center, the Bozeman Fish Technology Center, and most recently, a private building on Industrial Drive.
Now, in 2025, MOSS is joining forces with Crosscut Mountain Sports Center, uniting our missions to provide place-based outdoor education. Crosscut is honored to welcome MOSS to a home they’ve envisioned for over 20 years, since their first collaboration with Bohart Ranch in 2003.
Over 20 years ago MOSS developed the foundational winter ecology curriculum for the Ski Education Program at Crosscut Mountain Sports Center that brings over 2,500 school kids from around the area to learn to cross-country ski while also learning about the area's ecology. Two decades on, MOSS has come full circle to collaborate with Crosscut and set-up base camp on the historic Bohart Ranch property in Bridger Canyon, now owned and stewarded by Crosscut.
At every turn, our loyal and generous community of donors, sponsors, program participants, staff, and volunteers, past and present, have helped to make all our impact and progress possible.
Outside Kind Pledge
MOSS recognizes our responsibility in ethical use and care of the open spaces and wild landscapes that we explore, educate, and live in. We have taken the pledge to to serve as Outside Kind Ambassadors, following, demonstrating and promoting best practices, principles and tips for enjoying the wild places through our outdoor education programs.