Alturas Institute

08/23/2026

This week we meet in Sun Valley for the 16th Annual Conversations with Exceptional Women.

So now, we are proud to officially announce our Friday schedule.

It begins with Dr. Caitlin Gustafson on the state of women's health care, a physician who practices obstetrics in rural Idaho and speaks about this not from theory but from the exam room.

Then Joanne Freeman on threats to our democracy and the role of the people. Christine Walker on defending artistic expression. Ellen Ochoa on the view from orbit.

It closes with everyone on stage and no script: "How Shall We Live?"

Two days. Thirteen women. One conversation worth having.

August 27–28 · The Argyros Performing Arts Center · Sun Valley

🎟 Get your tickets → https://www.alturasinstitute.com/

08/23/2026

This week we meet in Sun Valley for the 16th Annual Conversations with Exceptional Women.

Today, we are excited to announce our Day 1 program.

It opens with a full hour with Dr. Fiona Hill, national security adviser to three presidents, on the challenges and threats to American democracy. Not a panel. An hour.

Then a conversation about the American character with seven women who have each shaped some part of it. Rose Ann Abrahamson, an Agai Dika Shoshone Elder and direct descendant of Sacajawea, telling that story as her family tells it. Four women whose careers changed course entirely: a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, a Mötley Crüe drummer, a Las Vegas assistant sheriff, a professor.

And at 5:00, a screening of Ask E. Jean with director Ivy Meeropol in the room.

Day one of two. August 27 at the Argyros Performing Arts Center, Sun Valley. 🎟 Get your tickets → https://www.alturasinstitute.com/

07/20/2026

What is America? Where is it? And how shall it live?

As the nation approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, these questions belong to all of us. Join Dr. David Adler, president of The Alturas Institute and renowned constitutional scholar, for the next edition of Constitutional Conversations: "America's Character: What is America, Where is it, and How Shall it Live?"

Drawing on Socrates' enduring question — "How shall I live?" — Dr. Adler invites citizens to ask the same of America: to take stock of where the nation stands, how it measures up to the aspirations of the Declaration and the requirements of the Constitution, and what beliefs, values, and principles should govern its life going forward.

🗓 Wednesday, July 23 | 1:30–3:00 p.m.
📍 Yanke Center, 220 E. Center Blvd., Boise
🎟 $10 at the door | Open to the public

45-minute talk followed by 45 minutes of Q&A. Come with your questions — self-governance starts with asking them.

05/14/2026

Wednesday May 20th: What Did the Declaration of Independence Really Mean?

As America approaches its 250th anniversary, there's no better time to go back to the beginning.

Join us Tuesday, May 20 at Trinity United Methodist Church in Idaho Falls as Dr. David Adler, constitutional scholar and president of The Alturas Institute, leads a special edition of Constitutional Conversations: "The Declaration of Independence at 250: The Idea of America at the Beginning."

Dr. Adler will explore the figures, ideas, and debates that shaped one of history's most consequential documents. Who influenced Jefferson? What role did Benjamin Franklin play? Why did Lincoln call the Declaration the "sheet anchor of the republic?"

🗓️ Wednesday, May 20

🕖 Doors open 6:30 PM · Program 7–8:30 PM

📍 Trinity United Methodist Church · 237 N. Water Ave., Idaho Falls

🎟️ $10 at the door · Free for teachers and students
45 minutes of insight. 45 minutes of conversation. Come ready with questions.

03/31/2026

Constitutional Conversations with Dr. David Adler
The Constitution and the War in Iran
April 1, 2026, 4-5:30 p.m., Boise, Idaho
Held at the Yanke Center, 220 E. Park Center Blvd

In this next edition of “Constitutional Conversations,” Dr. David Adler, president of The Alturas Institute, and a renowned constitutional scholar, explores the legal and constitutional issues at the center of the war in Iran. Adler’s scholarly, peer reviewed, writings on the Constitution and the conduct of American foreign policy have been quoted by the U.S. Supreme Court, lower federal courts, Republicans and Democrats in both houses of Congress, as well as other government officials and historians, political scientists and legal scholars.

In this presentation, Adler addresses the respective powers and duties of the president and Congress in the decision to go to war, its continuation and the question of its conclusion. James Madison and Alexander Hamilton agreed that Congress enjoys exclusive constitutional authority over matters of war and peace.

Yet Congress has not declared or otherwise authorized war in Iran. What are the implications for American law of President Trump’s exercise in unilateral executive warmaking? Why hasn’t Congress asserted its constitutional responsibilities? What do these actions and inactions look like in a historical context?

“Constitutional Conversations” includes a 45-minute lecture, followed by a 45-minute Q & A session. The public is invited. Admission is $10, which can be paid at the door or via Venmo.

03/19/2026

Kris Millgate is one of our Esteemed Speakers tomorrow night. Welcome her and more at The Alturas Institute Conversations with Exceptional Women!
For more information visit:
www.alturasinstitute.com

Kris Millgate has been telling stories about Idaho wildlife for two decades, and her latest project “Sage Wisdom West” is a documentary film about sage grouse. It will premiere at the Colonial Theater in downtown Idaho Falls.

https://www.eastidahonews.com/2026/03/she-spent-two-years-following-sage-grouse-through-the-idaho-desert-new-documentary-shows-why-it-matters/

Article by Rett Nelson - Reporter

03/16/2026

We've got an amazing night planned! Tickets are still available.
Visit: www.alturasinstitute.com

Kris Millgate

03/13/2026

You're Invited — Conversations with Exceptional Women is Almost Here!

Our 16th Annual Conversations with Exceptional Women is this next Thursday, March 19 — and we'd love to see you there.

Join us at the The DEC - Downtown Event Center in Idaho Falls for an evening of inspiring stories, stimulating conversation, and connection with remarkable local and national female leaders.

🕔 Social Hour at 5:00 PM
🍽️ Dinner + Program to follow
📍 Downtown Event Center, Idaho Falls

Seats are going fast — register today and be part of this incredible tradition.

Register link: https://www.alturasinstitute.com/