LINCOLN — It is a regular thing here in Montana - growth, death, and rebirth, but one thing that can hinder that is noxious weeds, which can take over Montana's native plants.
That's why students from Lincoln are getting out into nature to help the forests they've grown up with.
Students explain the purpose of their project:
Students from Lincoln Public Schools split into two groups for a day of noxious weed pulling - one at Indian Meadows Trailhead and the other at Blackfoot Pathway: Sculpture in the Wild.
"The vision for the park from the beginning [was] that this could be a place that the community could come and come together and explore and appreciate this landscape that's right here in town," said Erin Farris-Olsen, the executive director of Blackfoot Pathway: Sculpture in the Wild.
According to the Montana Weed Control Association, "Noxious weeds are non-native and have been introduced into an ecosystem by mismanagement, accident, or ignorance."
The 36 state-listed noxious weeds can harm Montana's native plants and animals.
"We focused a lot on weeds this morning, but as I was walking the land I was noticing all of the native plants and flowers that are blooming," said Olsen. "I would love to expand the programming to also raise more awareness [with the] instinct to identify those natural plants that are in and around this forest and this community."
The Weed Control Association also says, "Infestations degrade native plant communities, which provide valuable food and shelter for wildlife and contribute to a loss of agricultural productivity."
These factors are why students took to the forest - to lend a helping hand.
"We want to keep it in the best shape it can be in," said Brooklynn Daniel, an 11th grader at Lincoln High School.
The day of weed pulling is more than just cleaning up the wildlands around Lincoln.
Daniel said, "We kind of just want to give back after everything that our community's done for us this year for sports or just students alone."
Montana's forests are vast, and every little bit helps to keep them how we know and love them.
