A class of Montana second graders recently put their eyes to the test with some real-life wildlife monitoring thanks in part to support of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.
Mount Jumbo, jutting high above Missoula, serves as a grassy winter oasis for a herd of elk that migrates from the nearby Rattlesnake Wilderness. The mountain is a popular recreation destination for hikers and wildlife watchers during the warmer months, but each year from Dec. 1-May 1, the City of Missoula closes the mountain to allow wintering wildlife a break.
Rattlesnake Elementary sits below Mount Jumbo which provides not only a beautiful backdrop, but recently a chance for the school’s second grade class to participate in an important citizen science program.
In 2013, Missoula Parks and Recreation launched the Elk Spotters Program by welcoming volunteers to monitor elk activity and movement on Mount Jumbo. Each winter spotters download maps, data sheets and make reports online to provide valuable data to land and wildlife managers. For more information, go to ci.missoula.mt.us.
“Citizen observations of elk on Mount Jumbo help to the Conservation Lands Program to monitor the overwintering herd’s size and activity, track changes over time and inform land management and restoration decisions,” says Peter Whitney, Conservation Lands Program specialist.
But new for 2024, Missoula Parks and Recreation saw a prime opportunity to engage students at Rattlesnake Elementary. Enter the Jr. Elk Spotters Program, which aims to engage students in wildlife observation, foster a deeper connection to the local environment and encourage future conservation efforts, says Mike Sharp, Conservation Lands Outreach and Stewardship coordinator.
Missoula Parks and Recreation recently teamed up with RMEF to donate 10 pairs of Vortex binoculars to the second graders. Staff taught students about the wintering elk herd along with some elk biology and helped get them set up to participate in monitoring the herd right outside their windows.
Supporting Missoula’s elk monitoring program and its new crop of youth observers is only the latest in RMEF and its partners’ long history of conservation on Mount Jumbo. The organization was part of a coalition that in 1995, raised $1.3 million to purchase four private parcels to ensure the mountain remains prime winter habitat for elk and other wildlife.
“RMEF partnered with the city and other organizations in 1995 to protect the elk winter range on Mount Jumbo and is pleased to partner with the City of Missoula’s elk spotters program this year to collect information on the herd from local second graders,” says Jenn Doherty (see photo on left), RMEF’s managing director of mission operations.
With the information and new binoculars at their fingertips, it wasn’t long before the Rattlesnake Elementary students reported their first elk sightings.
“Collaborating with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation further enriches the program’s educational experience, allowing students to develop hands-on knowledge about elk and the surrounding ecosystem,” Sharp says. “The very next week after going into the classroom and presenting the students with the binoculars, The Jr. Elk Spotters reported their first observation of 25 elk on Mount Jumbo!”
(Photo credit: Missoula Parks & Recreation)