Youth tribal members help with forest restoration efforts

SWAN VALLEY - Young adults of the Salish, Kootenai and Blackfeet Tribes have been helping with forest restoration efforts in the Swan Valley since mid-June through the Mission Mountains Youth Program. Their service will conclude at the end of July. 

This is the program's first year of existence. Program Leader Tim Ryan said his niece Marlee Ostheimere, from the National Forest Foundation, approached him to establish the program. He was inspired by another youth organization he was involved with for two years in high school called the Young Adult Conservation Corps. He promoted the program through the Tribal Education Department which has communication access to all of the local public school systems.

The group is composed of six high school students and two Salish Kootenai College crew leaders who participate in the college's forestry program. The high school students come from areas including Ronan, Pablo and Polson.

The program is a partnership with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Salish Kootenai College, Flathead National Forest and the National Forest Foundation. The program came together after the National Forest Foundation connected the youth program with Swan Valley Connections.

SVC Education Director Sara Lamar said the National Forest Foundation reached out to them originally for a restoration project that rehabbed land that was used as a pasture but turned into a drainage ditch wetland. Following that project, they discussed how to expand the collaboration. According to her, while SVC has worked with local tribes to maintain properties, this is the first time they are bringing in a youth group to provide labor.

Ryan said every weekday the group works from roughly 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. They camp in tents and cabins throughout the week before going home to their families on the weekends.

The week of July 19 they worked on removing invasive plants along the Fatty Creek Trail including houndstongue, Canadian thistle and knapweed. He said while much of the day is spent working, he also likes to give the group a chance to recreate and go swimming afterwards.

Ryan said earlier in the program, the group spent time on the following:

• "Cleared a corridor of wind-blown debris" within the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes' Bison Range.

• Cleaned the Flathead River for garbage and weeds.

• Removed downed whitebark pine trees from trails.

• Surveyed for an old indigenous campsite in the Swan Valley.

• Studied macro invertebrates in Elk Creek to assess steam health.

Throughout these activities, Ryan said he interjects lessons related to heritage education and natural history.

Before their program concludes, Ryan said that they would be working with Ryan Powell, an archaeologist for the Flathead National Forest, at the Condon Work Center to go over "culturally modified trees," trees that have been altered by indigenous people as part of tradition. They will also map out the area for historic properties.

The group's work impact is split between the Flathead Reservation and Swan Valley.

Ryan said part of the program's intention is to give the participants "a sense of ownership" over their land.

"These young adults need to know their heritage," Ryan said. "They learn teamwork ... and hopefully we can ... raise their self-esteem and the value of what they are doing. Hopefully, they can get other young adults like them interested in programs like this."

On their applications, participating students expressed interest in pursuing outdoor related careers. The program is also meant to inspire them to continue pursuing these career aspirations.

"They're getting the benefit of interacting with the cultural landscape," he said. "They are getting paid for this and they're getting some exercise and exposure to careers. That's one of the priorities with this organization."

The experience is also supposed to teach the students how to be observant of the landscape, not just for identifying plants and cultural resources but also to be aware of the presence of wildlife.

Crew Leader Maliek Genzel, a junior at Salish Kootenai College who is studying wildlife and fisheries, said he has learned to appreciate and preserve the land where he lives.

"It's been awesome," he said. "We go out and clear a bunch of trails. It's a great job."

Volunteer Lou'Rasia Weatherwax is an incoming junior at Ronan High School who is interested in pursuing a career in hydrology. She said the most difficult aspect has been dealing with allergies but her favorite aspect was hiking Piper Creek. The biggest lesson she has taken away from the experience is that hard work pays off.

Ryan said the organization's biggest challenge was finding the funding to follow through with their efforts. The National Forest Foundation organized $80,000 in funding for the project with REI two years ago. Due to COVID-19, however, the program was delayed until this summer. The Osprey company also donated daypacks for their daily work.

He said that safety was another major priority for the program. Organizers made sure the group had the proper safety gear including gloves, boots, long pants and hydration equipment.

Ryan tried to have more youth involved but due to COVID-19 they had to restrict their numbers to try and maintain distance between participants. Still, he believes that there is enough interest to keep the program going for the near future.

At the end of the program, Ryan said they will assess how much the students learned and hope discussions will guide how the program will run in the future.

He said, "I'm going to learn a lot about what we did this year, and what works and what doesn't work and try to apply that for next year."

For more information about the program email Ryan at tim_ryan@skc.edu.