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VALLEY STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT FLATHEAD WATERSHED |
On May 17, 19 and 20, 200 students from four local schools applied knowledge acquired in classrooms about watersheds, habitat and wildlife to field studies at Owen Sowerwine Natural Area (OSNA).
In a project titled “Finding the Flathead: Discovering and Conserving the Watershed in Your Backyard,” habitat restoration, conservation education and peer mentoring were united. Students from Fair Mont Egan, Kalispell Montessori, Kalispell Middle School and the Flathead High School Orion Program learned about habitat enhancement and restoration at OSNA after completing classroom local watershed studies. While at OSNA Orion students mentored, instructed and assisted the younger students as they worked in pairs through three stations: Bird identification, Weeds and Nature Journaling.
Owen Sowerwine is managed by Montana Audubon and Flathead Audubon. It is Montana’s first and only designated Natural Area and also a Montana Important Bird Area. It is located about ˝ mile east of Kalispell city limits, near local schools and in the Flathead Watershed.
Flathead Audubon’s Conservation Educator Nancy Zapotocki designed the project with the goal to increase watershed knowledge and stewardship of the local environment, as well as to inspire personal discovery and growth. She designed the project after being awarded a TogetherGreen Fellowship and funding for Watershed Education and Youth Peer Mentoring.
TogetherGreen is a National Audubon program funded by Toyota. It aims to provide inspiration, leadership and opportunities that inspire people everywhere to take action at home, in their communities and beyond to improve the health of the environment. The Northwest Montana Education Cooperative and Flathead Conservation District were also involved in the project.
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