Screams and laughter echoed across Franklin Park in Missoula in mid-May, a rare warm sunny evening during this dreary, but needed, wet spring. Kids ran all over the field as their parents looked on, jumping rope and playing dodgeball. However, this wasn’t a school group or summer camp; it was an educational event hosted by the Great Burn Conservation Alliance (GBCA) in partnership with the Girl Scouts of America.
Restoration Director Chris Prange answers questions from local kids at an education event hosted by GBCA
GBCA’s education program, now in its second year, collaborates with local schools, communities and youth groups, aiming to teach students about native ecosystems, invasive species, conservation and wilderness skills. These lessons, taught in classroom and outdoor sessions, and excursions like hikes and backpacking trips, aim to foster a connection between students and the public lands in and around their homes.
The Great Burn ecosystem, a large swath of National Forest in the northern Bitterroot Mountains in Montana and Idaho, encompasses numerous roadless areas, as well as the Mallard-Larkins and Great Burn Proposed Wilderness Areas. Named for the fires of 1910, the rugged mountains and dense forests of the region provide a diverse habitat for native species, offering an ideal setting for students to explore and understand their local ecosystem.
Chris Prange and GBCA Stewardship Coordinator Joelle Gallaugher with students from the Idaho Youth ChalleNGe Academy on a backpacking trip.
“It gives kids the tools they need to understand the world around them and to think about their own interactions with the land,” Chris Prange, GBCA’s Restoration Director says of the program. Prange, a former high-school science teacher, has developed the program alongside the organization’s Big Sky Watershed Corps Member Marilynn Mehmke. He noted that the program introduces a real-world element to education, allowing students to see things like the impact of invasive species in real time.
GBCA began the education program last year, following a multi-year grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, which enabled GBCA to expand its habitat restoration and education programs. This year the program has expanded significantly, with events in Missoula, Superior and Alberton, as well as Pierce and Weippe in Idaho.
A student jumps rope during an educational game.
Lessons are interactive and experiential, offering students new ways to learn—like jumping rope to simulate an endangered bull trout climbing a fish ladder, understanding the effect of invasive species after being eliminated from Invasives Dodgeball or learning proper Leave-No-Trace etiquette on an overnight backpacking trip. The benefits extend beyond children; GBCA also engages in community learning events like Wild Montana’s Weeds Walk, where community members learn about managing invasive species and the role of small non-profit organizations in managing public lands.
Prior to the events, GBCA provides lesson plans and ideas to participating groups and educators, allowing teachers to select the most suitable ones for their students. Afterward, each teacher receives a survey to provide feedback, informing the program as it grows and as GBCA continuously refines its educational offerings. “The feedback from teachers that we've worked with has been great,” said Prange.
In the upcoming school year, GBCA plans to work with more of the small, rural communities around the Great Burn Ecosystem, where kids are more likely to face barriers to learning wilderness skills or accessing the backcountry, giving them the opportunity to explore the landscape in new ways, and connect the dots between their lives and the natural world around them.
As the program develops, GBCA hopes that it will not only add to a well-rounded education for local students in and around our mission area, but that it will inspire the next generation of conservationists. As Prange said, “I’d love to see some of the kids we interact with come work with us a few years down the line.”
For more info email info@greatburn.org