MCC Youth Crew Braves Cold and Rain to Pull Weeds

In mid-June, a Montana Conservation Corps (MCC) crew of 5 high school students from the Flathead and Missoula, and their 2 adult Crew Leaders braved the cold, rainy weather to hand pull weeds along the Middle Fork river corridor, specifically between Bear Creek and Cascadilla.  The temperatures hovered around 50’ F at the start of the project, as the crew members headed out to battle the river weeds, officially kicking off 3 days of weed mitigation which culminated in the River Weed Rodeo.  

The week began with an intensive training, given by Tris Hoffman, an Invasive Weed Specialist with the USFS, Jessica Swanson, USFS Biologist for Hungry Horse/Glacier View Ranger Districts, and representatives from Glacier National Park’s River Crew. After their training, the crew floated the river, guided by 3 local guide companies who generously donated their services, which were an integral piece of the project: Glacier Guides & MT Raft Co, Wild River Adventures, and Glacier Raft Co. The crew stopped along the way to pull weeds such as Spotted Knapweed, St John’s-wort, and Oxeye Daisy. Some weeds are dangerous because they outcompete local plants, some put toxins in the soil so other plants can’t grow, and some are even dangerous to local wildlife.  According to Jessica Swanson St John’s-wort is poisonous to most animals, including the Mountain Goats that can be observed in this section of the Middle Fork.  Additionally, she notes that Spotted Knapweed, though not poisonous, does not have the nutritional value that forage native to this area has, so though it is technically edible, it does not provide animals with the nutrients they need to survive.  

When asked about the MCC crew’s experience on this weed mitigation project, Ashley Mazzulo, MCC’s Director of Youth Programs, commented, “The first day of the trip challenged everyone in new ways as they navigated cold temperatures and lots of rain. Despite the challenges, one of the highlights on the first day was getting to see goats! As the week progressed and the weather improved, the group became more engaged and expressed a lot of gratitude for the experience and seeing an area that many of them had visited previously from a new perspective.”  

If you know of any teens who might be interested in Montana Conservation Corps’ Youth Program, send them over to  www.mtcorps.org/joinmcc/youth/ to check out the details.  There are still some openings for the fourth and final session based out of Kalispell, 8/4-8/14/2024.  

FRA is proud to partner with MCC in working to educate the next generation of land and water stewards.  Thanks to the Youth Crew for their perseverance and hard work through a crazy weather week.  We think you’re awesome, and we’re pretty sure the mountain goats agree! 

Funding support to hire Montana Conservation Corps Youth Crew and Noxious Weed Coordinator provided by Flathead National Forest Resource Advisory Committee.