The Montana Discovery Foundation (MDF) foundation supports the Youth Forest Monitoring Program (YFMP), which is a participatory science program that engages high school youth in monitoring forest health, that includes noxious weed management on forest lands. Noxious weeds management is an important theme in Montana, and this grant follows a similar path that last year’s recipient, Sarah Tabor, has begun at the Belgrade High School. With our support, the Montana Discovery Foundation will be able to obtain matching funding for field equipment, and thereby expand an already successful program by engaging high school students in citizen science that monitors noxious weeds on public lands. Students will record noxious weeds using a web-based mapping system for documenting invasive species and pest distribution. Their observations and recommendations will be included in reports submitted to the Forest Service, and this will help the agency to enhance their ability to manage this serious threat our ecosystem integrity in Montana. For more information about this terrific program, you can contact the program manager, Elizabeth Burke. 

Last year they made a video celebrating 25 years of YFMP. This includes interviews with past YFMP alumni and footage from the 25th cohort last year. It provides a wonderful look at the roots of the program and how it often leads alumni along of path of Natural Resource employment.

For more information visit the Memorial Van Shelhamer K-12 Education Grant page