Heritage University in Washington received a $15,000 grant from the Yakima Valley Community Foundation (YVCF) for its annual "People of the Big River Field Class."
School officials will use the grant to cover the cost of sending up to 20 college and high school students on a 1,500 mile journey through tribal lands in eastern Washington and Oregon next summer. In partnership with the Yakama Nation Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Forest Service, and Heritage University's Center for Native Health and Culture, the students from Heritage University and White Swan High School will visit several tribal reservations to meet with tribal elders and engage in the scientific process of conducting locally based environmental research.
"This project is designed to strengthen tribal students' interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields by engaging them in a range of cultural and scientific activities," Jessica Black, associate professor of environmental science at Heritage University, said in a statement. "Immersing young people in these cultures forges a sense of identity and belonging between their peers and elders. Students can act as a bridge between cultures and serve as key agents in promoting peace and intercultural understanding. We could not be more grateful to the YVCF for their support of this project, which has a powerful effect on lives of the young men and women who participate in the program."
The students, over the last three years have met with leaders from the Yakama, Warm Springs, Umatilla, Spokane, Coeur D'Alene, Nez Perce and Colville tribes, as well as scientists and natural resource managers in a unique two-week course that blends Western science with Native American Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK).
Projects include studying animals native to the reservations, creating botanical notebooks which profile native and invasive plant species, and researching the impact of wild horses on local vegetation.
