Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:The primary target audiences are the Selis, Ksanka, and Qlipse people of the Flathead Indian Reservation and the Tribal government, yet SKCE maintains open community access to programing that includes Tribal descendants, members of other tribes, and the non-tribal community. Community members have access to food system enhancement projects designed to improve food access and affordability through gardens, nutrition education, and physical activities. Participants of the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), local food banks, and community participate in nutritional education and healthy food preparation programs, and have increased access to fresh fruits and vegetables through SKCE programs. Special workshops for Headstart cooks, senior cooks, and FDPIR food handlers on food safety and nutrition increases food knowledge with care providers. SKCE and partner SKCCHD bring nutritional education, garden experience, and physical activity to reservation youth and families. The Tribal government manages over 400,000 acres of range and crop lands, mostly leased to tribal members. With invasive species being the Tribes highest land related priority, SKCE assists and develops weed management areas, provides technical advice in managing invasive plants, participates with regional coordination efforts, and develops collaborations to address Tribal questions on invasive species. SKCE works with regional partners on invasive plant, land restoration, and interstate and international coordination on addressing invasive species issues in common. SKCE shares information generated in Montana with the Upper Columbia Conservation Area-Flowering Rush initiative for controlling flowering rush, inventory, and coordinating formation of multi-state weed management areas. We coordinate with the Kalispell and Spokane Tribes of Washington, and state and federal agencies and universities in Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. Changes/Problems: SKCE lost three employees and have not been successful at finding qualified replacement employees. The economy is the primary limitation as housing is unaffordable for the salary we offer. Current plan is to continue developing staff locally and compete with other higher salaried options for the skills we develop. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? SKCE supported one graduate student and two undergraduates providing on the job training in rangeland inventories, pollinator identification and monitoring, invasive plant management techniques, research methods, garden techniques and management, scientific writing, and native plant horticulture. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Staff presented a Food Sovereignty Poster Walk at the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Community Earth Day Celebration, Pablo, MT, the SKC Climate Change Hub Symposium, Polson, MT, and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration-National Integrated Drought Information System symposium Polson, MT. Other presentations to: Ventenata Working Group, Ninepipes, MT, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes informational update, Pablo, MT; Society of American Foresters, ventenata update, Missoula, MT; First American Land Grant Consortium, Albuquerque, NM; Midwest Regional Water Program, climate change, Denver, CO; Montana Weed Control Association, flowering rush, Helena, MT. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? SKCE is initiating demonstrations and research into practices that improve soil health, in particular soil carbon flux and storage in rangelands that are degraded by invasive plants and past grazing practices compared to working rangelands in good condition dominated by native plants. Improving soil health and monitoring soil conditions in the community Gardens for Life are a primary management goal, utilizing soil building methods of compost, mulching, limited-till and biotic soil amendments. We plan to fully implement the Healthy and Sustainable Diets program with middle school through adult audiences, include three schools in the School Garden Network, and work with regional Tribal partners. We are building the skills to measure soil health to support extension recommendations for range management and improvement strategies, agricultural practices for improving soil health as a factor in mitigating global carbon rise and climate change. Also, gaining the resources to assist the community adapt climate friendly actions like alternative energy and conservation, food production and utilization, and increased self-reliance and community cooperation. Future programming will follow the same ecological and human health restoration theme. In addition we will provide specific project aims to implement three recent Tribal Council initiatives in food sovereignty, climate change, and economic opportunities.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Healthy and Sustainable Diets Programming SKCE was a lead partner in implementing the Gardens for Life community garden training projects. Seven gardens have been developed where over 100 participants produced 14,000 pounds of sustainably grown produce. Gardens use compost and organic soil amendments, drip irrigation, mulching, and utilizes organic pesticides. Companion cropping and multi-cropping techniques maximize space utilization and production. Extension assisted the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Food Sovereignty Team with a $1M local food purchase grant supporting low-income Tribal families. Gardens for Life offers incentives to young participants to provide a portion of the surplus to the Food Sovereignty team and Senior Centers as an incentive in participating and provide a business perspective of entering the food production arena. Donations were made to the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservation program, Tribal Senior Citizens Centers, and local food banks. SKCE and Montana State University partnered on a curriculum development research project producing Healthy and Sustainable Diets for All learning activity kits for middle school youth. SKCE conducts an agriculture and natural resource youth encampment summer program in cooperation with USDA APHIS. Twenty tribal youth spend ten full days and nights in an immersion program of education sessions from Tribal program managers, ranchers, vegetable producers, teaching faculty, cultural activities, and agency representatives. Six past participants are students at SKC studying natural resources, forestry, and business. The School Garden Network is a group of dedicated area teachers and students engaged in gardening education in the classroom. SKCE work with eight teachers assisting with technical information, garden boxes for school and family gardens, and assisting with seeds, soil, equipment, and funds to conduct school garden programs. Invasive Species SKC Extension completed the planning, environmental compliance and public notice, formed a landowner participation group of over 100 landowners including the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, State of Montana, Lake County, and area landowners, and secured funding to implement the Flathead Lake Flowering Rush Controls Project of treating flowering rush at low water to; high boat traffic areas, public access sites, marinas, and Flathead River. Herbicide applications were delayed two years due to contracting complications within US government agencies. We intend to implement in 2024. Extension is a partner in the biocontrol development process assisting with securing funding, providing plant materials and research sites, and CSKT Tribal Research Review and SKC Internal Review Board processes. SKC Extension led research into restoring rangelands infested with invasive annual grass and forbs and restoring grasses and native pollinator plants. SKC Extension initiated flowering rush investigations twenty years ago when it was not recognized as a serious invader along the 900-mile Columbia River, now flowering rush management actions are being implemented in four states and two Canadian provinces. SKCE provides education, research, and assists forming management groups for ventenata and associated annual invasive grasses, with restoration seedings with native and introduced grasses and native pollinator forbs and shrubs. Extension staff have developed small scale native plant demonstration plots and grow boxes with native plants on the SKC campus, and works through the School Garden Network and CSKT Forestry providing plant materials and technical advice for school native gardens. Native plants are grown in the SKCE greenhouse for planting in research and demonstration plots. SKCE is initiating demonstrations and research with the specific aim to document management practices to improve soil health and guide management recommendations. Documenting local conditions of soil carbon flux and storage in rangelands degraded by invasive plants and past grazing practices compared to working rangelands in good condition dominated by native plants. Documenting the effects on soil carbon, microbe, and fertility using mulching, minimum till, and biotic soil amendments in improving soil health in the community Gardens for Life is a goal as well.
Publications
- Type:
Book Chapters
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Ahmed, S., Dupuis, V., Adams, A., De le Parra, J., & Chunlin, L. (2023). Sustainability Dimensions of Indigenous Peoples' Food Systems in a Changing World. In K. Kevany & P. Prosperi (Eds.), Routledge Handbook of Sustainable Food Systems (1st ed., pp. 565-581). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003174417
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Ahmed, Selena., Warne, T., Stewart, A., Byker-Shanks, C., and Dupuis, V. (2022) Role of Wild Food Environments for Cultural Identity, Food Security, and Dietary Quality in a Rural American State. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. 6:774701. doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2022.774701.
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Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience include residents of the Flathead Indian Reservation, homeland of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of western Montana. We engage low income tribal members, members of other tribes, and non-tribal residents in programs to improve food access, food and nutritional knowledge, and increase the capacity to grow more of their own food. Extension led research engages community members in assessments in of health outcomes due to access to an improved diet. Noxious weed extension involves local residents, tribal government and state staff, and downstream interests in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington in the Flathead Lake Flowering Rush Weed Management Area to contain the spread of flowering rush and reduce the reproductive capacity to lessen local and downstream impacts to water quality, native salmonids, and recreational economic values. Management and reserach into the contro and management two new annual invasive grass invaders helps local land managers identify strategies to contain ventenata and medusahead wilrye to reduce the spread to the rest of Montana. Changes/Problems:SKC Extension experienced a significant staff restructuring when three full time employees left the college. Rebuilding resulted in losing project programming in "Healthy and Systainable Diets for All" non-formal nutrition and enviromental education and food interventions that affected future project functions. We will attempt to reimplement in the coming year. Staff losses also impacted SKC Extension participation in a covid 19 research and outreach project "Protecting Our Community: A Pragmatic Randomized Trial of Home-Based Covid Testing." Even though SKC Extension was impacted by staff reductions, the project was completed and significant findings emerged showing the Tribal community had problems in completing home based testing and the project was published. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Students received training in plant identification, research design and layout, conducting plant transects, inventories, and writing reports. Numberous flyers and brochurs were produced such as a localizied Covid 19 brochure, and announcements for community events and opportunities for participation and employment. Professional presentations were made to Tribal programs, area schools, the Society of Foresters Missoula Chapter, Tribal Council, and Falcon. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Presentations were made at SKC Earth Day Celebration, SKC In Service Research Symposium, Dinner in the Garden with area educators and SKC Administration. Presentations were made to Tribal programs, the Society of Foresters Missoula Chapter, Tribal Council, and Falcon. Area schools participated with agricultural and natural resource specialists in career development opportunities. A visiting group of medical students from University of Washington participated in a tour of the SKC garden and discussions on the impact of nutrition intervention and edjcation can have on health outcomes. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Publish an SKC Extension-Community calendar that provides community updates and education. Paticipate in upcoming noxious weed programs including Lake County, Montana State University Research, and Western Society of Weed Science.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Salish Kootenai College Extension activities to improve human health and reservation economy by improving the food system was accomplished with providing education and research in "Healthy and Sustainable Diets for All" with nutrition and environmental education with a nutrition research intervention. Participants improved health measures reducing A1c, cholesterol, blood pressure, and body mass index. Most participants lost weight. New funding was obtained to conduct a curriculum development research project to develop STEM units on disease ecology around Healthy and Sustainable Diets for middle schoolers. A "School Garden Network" USDA Special Emphasis award will expand gardening and education opportunities at eight local school locations. A special microbiome study identified clear differences in gut microbes resulting after the nutrition intervention with fresh fruits and vegetables being provided to participants. Further studies with SKC Life Sciences and MSU are in development. A new "Gardens for Life" project engaged over fifty community members with four community garden sites. A fifteen week organic gardening training provided all the produce the participating families needed and over 10,000 lbs were donated to senior citizens, food banks, and low income community members. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes past several resolutions implementing Tribal wide initiatives in food sovereignty, climate change, and providing economic opportunities for tribal members. SKC Extension implemented actions in all three areas by implementing agricultural methods that will reduce carbon release and help trap carbon, reduce pesticides and water use, and provide healthy local food opportunities for local residents. The training program provides participants with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to implement their own family or commercial gardens. Current planning is to add four more gardens in 2023. Working with Tribal economic development and Mission West, a local USDA inspected food development center and food hub in procuring tribal member produced beef for food supplement distributions creating a new economic opportunity for tribal beef producers at a time when low cattle prices and constrictions in the processing chain are impacting producers. SKC Extension engaged seven undergraduate students in food production, processing, and delivery, research methods, and interacting with the community. SKC Extension is engaged with annual invasive grass outreach and research to develop methods to control invasive grasses and forbs and to restore native pollinator species. Assessments for 50,000 acres of tribal lands found ventenata on approximately 40,000 acres. Infestations of ventenata and other invasives were found on University of Montana Lubrecht Experimental Forest and Bandy Ranch where management actions were implemented on the previously unknown problem. Native pollinator plantings were made on the SKC Campus by students. A Flathead Lake Flowering Rush Controls project is ready for implementation with an Flathead Lake Environmental Assessment and FONSI completed and over eighty sites are reviewed and cleared by Tribal program review.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Thompson, Matthew, P.V. Drain, C.E. Gregor, L.A. Hassell, L.K. Ko, V. Lyon, S. Ahmed, S. Bishop, V. Dupuis, L. Garza, L.A. Lambert, C. Rowe, T. Warne, E. Webber, W. Westbroek and A.K. Adams. A Pragmatic Randomized trial of home-based testing for COVID-19 in rural Native American and Latino Communities for the "Protecting our Communities Study. Contemporary Clinical Trials. 119(2022) 106820.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Carim, K.L., L. Eby, L,M. Miller, H. McLellan, V. Dupuis, M.K. Schwartz. Mechanism of northern pike invasion. Volume 13 Issue 1: 168-190. in the Columbia River Basin. Management of Biological Invasions. (2022.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Byker-Shanks, C., L. Andress, A. Hardison-Moody, S. Pitts-Jilcott,
M. Patton-Lopez, T.E. Prewitt, V. Dupuis, K. Wong, M. Kirk-Epstein,
E. Engelhard, M. Hake, Osborne, C. Hoff, L. Haynes-Maslow. Food Insecurity in the Rural United States: An Examination of Struggles and Coping Mechanisms to Feed a Family among Households with a Low-Income. Nutrients. 2022. 14. 5250. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14245250.
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Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience include residents of the Flathead Indian Reservation, homeland of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of western Montana. We engage low income tribal members, members of other tribes, and non-tribal residents in programs to improve food access, food and nutritional knowledge, and increase the capacity to grow more of their own food. Extension led research engages community members in assessments in of health outcomes due to access to an improved diet. Noxious weed extension involves local residents, tribal government and state staff, and downstream interests in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington in the Flathead Lake Flowering Rush Weed Management Area to contain the spread of flowering rush and reduce the reproductive capacity to lessen local and downstream impacts to water quality, native salmonids, and recreational economic values. Management and reserach into the contro and management two new annual invasive grass invaders helps local land managers identify strategies to contain ventenata and medusahead wilrye to reduce the spread to the rest of Montana. Changes/Problems:COVID-19 significantly impacted work for most of the year. Building occupancy levels required staff to work alternate days in the office to limit the number of people at work reducing exposure potential. No face to face activities were permitted, thus all contact had to be remote. Limited contact with the public required personal protective equipment be worn and most was done outdoors. Several staff contracted COVID-19 missing work, and staff were exposed required to quarantine or ten days. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Due to COVID-19, training opportunites were greatly reduced. On the job training opportunities in plant identification, insect identificaiton, data gathering, range inventory, and herbicide mode of action were provided to staff. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?SKC Extension presented a one hour community update with overt 140 people participating. The update was delivered via Zoom https://www.facebook.com/SKCFoundation/videos/tours-and-tidbits-skc-extension/363417921321490/. Posters and pamphlets were distributed throughout the campus on COVID-19 safety procedures. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Healthy and Sustainable Diets will be developed for the middle school community. The School Garden Network will be engaged in student and family garden box project and school native landscape plantings. The Flathead Lake Flowering Rush Controls Project will be implemented hopefully with more timely funding and cultural clearnces and other permitting completed. The Safeguarding Natural Heritage Youth Camp will be developed and delivered with a hybrid of in person and virtual delivery. Virtual sessions will be taped for All Cllimate is Local and delived to Missouri and Columbia Basin tribal colleges.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goal 1. Improve human health and the reservation economy by improving the reservation food system. Objective 1.1 Identify and implement solutions to community health disparities resulting from poor quality diets with: Healthy and Sustainable Diets for All Curriculum nutrition education and research project was implemented with 40 participants and families. All sessions were delivered via Zoom and videotaping due to COVID-19 restrictions. Information on health status, eating patterns, attitudes and knowledge of nutrition, food sovereignty, basic health measures taken, and socio-economic conditions were collected. Health measures were self-adminstered with take home A-1C and cholesterol test kits, wrist blood pressure cuffs, and weight and body measurements taken at home by the participants. Several issues came up with self-administered tests. A microbiome assay was added to this years study, results are still pending. Participants received twelve weeks of nutrition education and healthy cooking videos were available for participants to view. Initially it started out with good attendance and participation, as Zoom seemed easier for people to attend versus transportation to SKC for in person classes. However later in the project, there was attrition, but those finishing did improve health measurements. The School Garden Network participated in 50 garden boxes going to students and families. SKC constructed and delivered the boxes, provided soil, and training in box gardening. Objective 1.2 Identify and implement food system solutions that alleviate food related health disparities with: The SKC demonstration garden provided 10,000 pounds of fresh produce to Senior Citizen Centers, Food Banks, and low income commumity members improving food access relieving food insecurity. Assisted 50 families with home gardening. Provided food production experience for 5 student employees, and 50 community members. Objective 1.3 Identify and develop solutions to emerging issues related to food, health, and meet community needs to respond and implement solutions Developed and distributed COVID-19 informational packets to the campus community, provided signage about masking, hand washing, testing, and vaccination information. Partnered with Universith of Washington and Montana State University on a home-based testing education and research project to identify barriers to home based testing in a Tribal community, Our findings showed our Tribal community struggled with successfully completing home based testing. These findings were early in the pandemic, perhaps contributing to the lower number of successful test completions due to participant uncertainty, but the results were similar to the home testing for Healthy and Sustainable Diets health measures. Goal 2. Reduce the impact of invasive species on the reservation landscape and surrounding regional landscapes restoring productivity. Objective 2.1 Control and contain new invasive plants through education, assessment, building cooperative weed management areas, and finding new methods for early detection and response. The Flathead Lake Flowering Rush Control Project Environmental Assessment was approved. Treatments were delayed this year due to slow arrival of funding from project partners, and additional cultural review was required. Objective 2.2 Conduct native plant restoration education and demonstration projects Native plants were grown in the SKC greenhouse for a demonstration planting and for distribution to area schools thru the School Garden Network. Native pollinator plantiings were done on the SKC campus to attract native pollinator insects. Objective 2.3 Identify and address emerging issues and technologies related to management of invasive species and land restoration with the Tribes, and local and regional ranching community needs for responding and implementing solutions Demonstrations show that certain grasses and forbs for range reseedings exhibit diferent levels of resistance to different herbicides used for annual invasive grass controls. Our demostratios that are having better success include blue bunch wheatgrass, intermediate wheatgrass, basin wildrye, blanket flower, and annual sunflower.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience include residents of the Flathead Indian Reservation, homeland of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of western Montana. We engage low income tribal members, members of other tribes, and non-tribal residents in programs to improve food access, food and nutritional knowledge, and increase the capacity to grow more of their own food. Extension led research engages community members in assessments in of health outcomes due to access to an improved diet. Noxious weed extension involves local residents, tribal government and state staff, and downstream interests in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington in the Flathead Lake Flowering Rush Weed Management Area to contain the spread of flowering rush and reduce the reproductive capacity to lessen local and downstream impacts to water quality, native salmonids, and recreational economic values. Management and reserach into the contro and management two new annual invasive grass invaders helps local land managers identify strategies to contain ventenata and medusahead wilrye to reduce the spread to the rest of Montana. Changes/Problems:Covid19 altered Extension activities significanty. We were able to adapt with social distancing by working with small groups primarily outdoors using masks and maintaining sanitary conditions. A special opportunity arose with several SKC Departments contributing to construct and distribute 50 garden grow boxes across the School Garden Network, a group of area teachers and students focusing on food production and nutrition education. Program delivery, meetings, and professional development are done virtually. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Students and staff were trained in native and invasive plant identificaiton, monitoring, and inventory, natural resource and social science research design, assessing grassland pre and post herbicide treatment. Student research presentations at First American Land Grant Consortium, developed capacity for virtual extension presentations and engaging participants. Staff and students created an on line StoryMap, Facebook Pages for SKC Extension flowering rush, Healthy and Sustainable Diets for All, and SKC Extension, and published an SKC Extension Website. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?SKC Extension communicates on-line with the community through the SKC Extension Website; https://extension.skc.edu/, Flowering Rush Flathead Lake Controls on line StoryMap; https://arcg.is/1Tzyzb, SKC Extension Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/skcextgarden/, and the Salish Kootenai College Health and Sustainable Diets for All Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/communitygardens1/. Prior to Covid19, Extension communicated with Tribal government primarily face to face, but communications now are done with Tribal Council on Zoom calls. Communications with Tribal staff has proven more difficult. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Goal 1. Improve human health and the reservation economy by improving the reservation food system. Meet with Tribal agricultural operators, Tribal Lands Department, Tribal Food Sovereignty Group, Water Management, Tribal Council, Flathead FRTEP, Montana State University, and interested stakeholders to formulate a joint Tribal College, FRTEP, and MSU Extension vision and plan for agricultural operations. Impement year 4 of Healthy and Sustainable Diets for All eduication and research project with all virtual and socially distanced curriculum delivery and expanding a microbiome to identify changes in participants gut microbiome due to an improved diet. Implement Covid19 antibody testing outreach education and research pilot study with migrant workers. Implement Covid19 home testing outreach education and research study to identify barriers tribal communities face in implementing home based testing to help manage Covid19 pandemic. Goal 2. Reduce the impact of invasive species on the reservation landscape and surrounding regional landscapes restoring productivity. Implement Flathead Lake Flwoering Rush Control Program with herbicide treatments to flowering rush on the bed of Flathead Lake, and monitor the impacts. Secure funding for 2022 treatments from the US Army Corps of Engineers, State of Montana, and cooperating landowenrs. Complete ventenata inventory to assist prioritizing future containment work by the Tribes. Implement native pollinator and native plant education and restoration project.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Impact SKC Extension staff and students and Montana State University partner to deliver Healthy and Sustainable Diets for All nutritional education, healthy cooking, and behavioral research resulting reduced blood sugar, pressure, cholesterol, and body mass index. SKCE and MSU staff and faculty of The Center for American Indian and Rural Health Equities (MSU-CAIRES) implement Covid19 education and home testing research to protect public health. SKCE invasive plant and restoration education, coordination, and research projects address aquatic and grassland invaders that cause significant ecological impacts and threaten habitats on a regional scale. Flowering rush, an aquatic invasive plant impacts native fish, recreation, and water quality. SKCE formed the Flathead Lake Flowering Rush Controls Project implementing controls at the headwaters of the infestation, reducing impacts locally and reducing spread down the Columbia River System. New annual invasive grasses are reducing grazing for cattle and wildlife, biodiversity, and altering fire regimes on intermountain grasslands. SKCE implements restoration educational demonstrations and research to contain new annual invasive grasses to contain ventenata and establish beneficial grasses and native pollinator forbs. SKCE addresses local issues important to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes that also affect the four northwest states, two provinces, and numerous Tribal nations. SKCE collaborations involve partners from Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and Montana. Information sharing and collaborations engaging university, state, federal and tribal partners has resulted in a regional multidisciplinary effort to address flowering rush. Goal 1. Improve human health and the reservation economy by improving the reservation food system with objectives to improve poor diets, implement food system improvements, and address emerging diet related health issues. Objective 1.1 Identify and implement solutions to community health disparities resulting from poor quality diets with: Healthy and Sustainable Diets for All Curriculum nutrition education and research project was implemented with 140 participants. Information on health status, eating patterns, attitudes and knowledge of nutrition, food sovereignty, basic health measures taken, and socio-economic conditions were collected. Participants received twelve weeks of nutrition education and healthy cooking methods instruction. Conducted a food usage inventory for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (Tribes) for evaluating the potential of substituting local acquisition and production of foods for Tribal entities like schools, food supplement programs, and seniors. Support the local School Garden Network engaging students with food system educational projects, school gardens, classroom growing experiments, and family garden boxes with SKCE. Supplemented USDA-NIFA Extension funding with National Institutes of Health; $90,000. Objective 1.2 Identify and implement food system solutions that alleviate food related health disparities SKCE campus demonstration garden donated 11,500 lbs. of fresh produce to senior centers, FDPIR, food banks, and community events improving food access for seniors and low income community members. Assistance provided to community (3) and family gardens (13) increasing food access for 50 family members. Conducted youth Agricultural and Natural Resources two-week summer immersion camp. Twenty students visited numerous agricultural operations and met with natural resource managers gaining insights in careers in agriculture and natural resources Provided food production experiences for SKCE student employees, volunteers, and community members. Objective 1.3 Identify and develop solutions to emerging issues related to food, health, and meet community needs to respond and implement solutions · Covid19 became the top human health issue of the year. Educational materials development and testing agricultural migrant workers led to a new home based educational and testing project evaluating barriers to Native populations participation. · Covid19 required modifying SKCE delivery mechanisms to socially distanced and virtual activities. Healthy and Sustainable Diets for All curriculum was converted to virtual presentations with healthy cooking videos. · Provided garden 50 garden boxes to students and families participating in the School Garden Network providing gardening opportunities while following social distancing requirements. Goal 2. Reduce the impact of invasive species on reservation landscapes and surrounding region restoring productivity with objectives to control and contain new invasive plants, implement land restoration education and demonstrations, and address emerging invasive plants. Objective 2.1 Control and contain new invasive plants through education, assessment, building cooperative weed management areas, and finding new methods for early detection and response. · SKCE established the Flathead Lake Flowering Rush Controls Project with approximately 100 landowners signed up to participate in herbicide treatments to control flowering rush. Several years of education and communication efforts resulted in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho adding flowering rush to the state noxious weed lists, and initiation of management efforts along the Columbia system. SKCE and University of Montana cooperated on herbicide control research identifying appropriate chemicals for use in Flathead Lake. Other projects investigated environmental impacts, initiated a biological controls program that may soon be able to release a weevil for flowering rush management. · A ventenata distribution assessment shows ventenata is more widespread and found in habitats previously thought to be relatively resistant. SKCE is partnering with MSU Land Resources on ventenata education and research designed to suppress ventenata and conduct restoration plantings and seedings with native plants. Objective 2.2 Conduct native plant restoration education and demonstration projects · Planted native pollinator plants on campus to attract pollinators to the SKCE gardens. A noticeable increase in visits by native and domesticated bees. · Maintained campus native plant island seeding demonstrations that are producing seed. · Bureau of Land Management Native Pollinator Initiative will include improving SKCs native plant growing capacity, engage students in native plant horticulture, and implement habitat favorable to native insect pollinators. Objective 2.3 Identify and address emerging issues and technologies related to management of invasive species and land restoration with the Tribes, and local and regional ranching community needs for responding and implementing solutions · Native pollinator plants are being significantly replaced by annual invasive grasses and invasive forbs. Ventenata was just recently identified on the reservation is rapidly spreading throughout western Montana threatening grasslands throughout the region. SKCE and MSU-Land Resources are partnering to provide education on invasive plants and native pollinators and implement research testing various treatments and seeding methods to restore grassland condition with native grasses and forbs creating habitat for native pollinators. · SKCE developed collaborations around climate change and sustainable food systems with interest in carbon flux and stock measurement, and will be cooperating with a Tribal College climate change and traditional knowledge webinar series with Columbia and Missouri colleges and tribes with climate monitoring as a key topic. · Supplemented USDA-NIFA Extension funding with Bureau of Land Management Native Pollinator Initiative; $50,000, USDA-APHIS Safeguarding Natural Heritage Youth Camp; $50,000, DOI-Army Corps of Engineers; $45,000, Montana Department of Natural Resources; $45,000.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Alexander, Janice M.,Frankel, S.,2,Hapner, N.3,Phillips, John L.4, Dupuis, V., Working across Cultures to Protect Native American Natural and Cultural Resources from Invasive Species in California. Journal of Forestry 115(5):473-479.
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Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience include residents of the Flathead Indian Reservation, homeland of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of western Montana. We engage low income tribal members, members of other tribes, and non-tribal residents in programs to improve food access, food and nutritional knowledge, and increase the capacity to grow more of their own food. Extension led research engages community members in assessments in of health outcomes due to access to an improved diet. Noxious weed extension involves local residents, tribal government and state staff, and downstream interests in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington in the Flathead Lake Flowering Rush Weed Management Area to contain the spread of flowering rush and reduce the reproductive capacity to lessen local and downstream impacts to water quality, native salmonids, and recreational economic values. Management and reserach into the contro and management two new annual invasive grass invaders helps local land managers identify strategies to contain ventenata and medusahead wilrye to reduce the spread to the rest of Montana. Changes/Problems:Co-vid 19 restrictions have impacted SKCE operations. For the indefinite future we are to maintain social media campus restrictions which will limit public access, numbers of people working in campus facilities, and how we interact with the public. We will be producing ten at distance video and online extension resources in Healthy and Sustainable Diets curriculum. Fortunately, SKCE conducts significant outdoor activities that have fewer restrictions, thus we do not anticipate not fulfilling our goals and objectives and exceeding expected outcomes. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Extension employed six current students and recent graduates in research and extension projects including range inventory, aquatic plant survey, invasive plant monitoring, controls, and assessment, gardening, and native plant restoration. Students engaged with low income residents in food access, healthy cooking and nutrition education, health surveys, and conducted basic health measurements for research. Students provided healthy cooking and nutritional education curriculum providing experience in presentation, public speaking, and teaching. Students presented professional poster at a Native Food Summit, The Undergraduate Research Celebration hosted by Montana State University, Falcon, and the Native Plant Nursery Association. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Presentations to the Healthy and Sustainable Diets for all Advisory Board, review of curriculum with community members and Advisory Board, and the Montana Idea Network Biomedical Research Excellence. Health, food, and nutrition fact sheets were printed and distributed to 27 workshop participants and their families as booklets. Presentations to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Council, Washington Weed Control Association, Montana Weed Control Association, the Columbia River Northern Pike Working Group, and the Upper Columbia Conservation Commission on flowering rush issues in Flathead Lake. They co-published an on line StoryMap public communication StoryMap to provide publicly accessible information on the Flathead Lake Flowering Rush Weed Management Area see at;https://arcg.is/1Tzyzb. Students implemented and maintain social media sites on flowering rush https://groups.google.com/a/skc.edu/forum/#!forum/flowering_rush, Healthy and Sustainable Diets for All. https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Health---Wellness-Website/Healthy-and-Sustainable-Diets-For-All-1216212608521279/, and published an SKC Extension website extension.skc.edu. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Implement flowering rush herbicide treatments on 160 acres. Implement a new Healthy and Sustainable Diets for All project engaging social media, web based information distribution, and training: At Distance due to covid restrictions. Conduct a natural resource and agriculture youth summer camp. Implement new projects on carbon stock and flux measurement, a climate change workshop engaging Montana Tribal Colleges.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goal # 1. Improve human health and the reservation economy by improving the reservation food systems. Identify and implement solutions to community health disparities resulting from poor quality diet. Conducted 10 weeks of healthy food preparation trainings per week reaching 37 low income community members and 102 family members and children participating in Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations food assistance program (FDPIR), Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program, and area food banks. Developed Healthy and Sustainable Diets for All outreach curriculum and delivered to 139 community members. Conducted food usage inventory for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes institutions serving food including Early Childhood Services, Salish Kootenai College, Senior Centers, and the Food Distribution on Indian Reservations Program to measure the amount of food that could potentially be sourced locally. Secured $160,000 for research and nutrition education with food supplement participants involving 40 families, and improving access to fresh vegetables for 500 FDPIR participants. Provided on site gardening and nutrition education with approximately 50 youth, twice a week for 8 weeks from the Community Health and Development Mission Valley in action summer youth program. 2. Identify and implement food system solutions that alleviate food related health disparities with Implemented four community gardens and assisted 15 family gardens. SKC garden donated 1,100 pounds of produce to senior centers and food banks. Assisted six area schools with school growing projects utilizing time cameras, social media, and constructed 45 garden boxes for the students and their families to learn to grow vegetables at home. Provided approximately 10,000 pounds of locally produced vegetables to participants in the FDPIR program in association with extension nutritional education and research. Implemented a trench composting system in the SKC garden to reduce fertilizer inputs, reduce carbon release, and improve soil health and fertility. Students raise vegetable starts for low income community members who are gardening. 3. Identify and develop solutions to emerging issues related to food, health, and meet community needs to respond and implement solutions Tribal Agribusiness Workshop with 20 CSKT tribal farmers and ranchers concerning local markets for meat, vegetables, and fruits. Assisted Arlee High School with greenhouse construction, Two Eagle River School with gardening and greenhouse management, and Polson High School with curriculum materials for their new nutritional education and recipes for school meals. Conducted a survey with 25 native community members, "Examining Food Insecurity Among Native Rural Populations" on their experiences with purchasing and preparing food to assess appropriate intervention strategies of nutrition education, how to improve access, and recommendations for policy changes. Conducted five surveys on food sovereignty, food choices, dietary quality and nutrition knowledge, and motivational aspects of participant food systems. Significant barriers to a healthier diet include knowledge, economics, access, and motivation. Expanding healthy and sustainable diets programming with SKC Life Sciences investigating soil and gut microbiomes in outreach and research. Goal 2. Reduce the impact of invasive species on the reservation and surrounding regional landscapes restoring productivity. Control and contain new invasive plants through implementing weed management areas, providing education with Tribal entities, area farmers and ranchers, and working regionally to partner on controlling leading edge invasions affecting numerous entities. As a result of SKCE leading research investigations and outreach education concerning the aquatic invasive plant flowering rush, a Columbia Basin Flowering Rush Management Strategy has been published involving four states and two Canadian provinces. This regional strategy includes a Mid-Columbia Flowering Rush Task Force, a biological control program, SKCE is implementing the Flathead Lake Flowering Rush Controls Project that with a long term strategy of sequential herbicide. SKC secured $140,000 to begin implementing sequential treatments to contain flowering rush in Flathead lake to address local environmental impacts and reduce propagule pressure down the 900 mile Columbia River System. SKCE conducted inventories and digitized infestations, attempted contacts with over 300 landowners and had half sign up for a controls project, developed a database of landowners and infestations, conducted an Environmental Assessment, and completed a EPA Pesticide Use Permit to initially treat approximately 160 acres. Successful work on the south end of Flathead Lake that is under Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes ownership and management, has led to formation of a control group on the north end of the lake under ownership and management of the State of Montana. Implemented research to address annual invasive grasses ventenata, medusahead wildrye, and cheatgrass. Informed Columbia System fisheries managers on new genetic information developed by SKCE and UM on the origins of northern pike in the middle Columbia River indicating Lake Cour d'Alene as the source for the mid-Columbia northern pike invasion and not the Montana population. 2. Conduct native plant restoration education and demonstration projects Five student, three staff, and one faculty volunteer installed campus native plant demonstration plantings utilizing natural and synthetic mulches and no mulch, and planted approximately 100 native wetland shrubs and trees. Engaged 25 native youth in two week ag and natural resource camp on the SKC campus. Safeguarding Natural Heritage Youth Camp provided native youth opportunities to visit various agricultural and natural resource management efforts and learn about USDA career options in agriculture, health and nutrition, food sovereignty, chemistry, and math. Planted native annual and perennial pollinator plants near the SKCE gardens to enhance bee habitat improving gardening production. Secured $125,000 from Department of Interior in new funding for native plant growing and restoration projects. Implemented campus native pollinator habitat restoration projects working towards making SKC a pollinator friendly campus. Developed native seed list and scouting for collection sites for restoring native pollinator plants on sites invaded by annual invasive grasses and forbs. 3. Identify and address emerging issues and technologies related to management of invasive species, land restoration, and the Tribes, and local and regional ranching community needs for responding and implementing solutions. Implemented annual invasive grass research 3ith herbicide and no-till seeding and small plot mechanical restoration for grasslands dominated by ventenata, medusahead, and cheatgrass. Conducted monitoring and evaluation of vententa control on the National Bison Range assessing impacts to native grasses with the use of indaziflam and burning on management of ventenata and cheatgrass in Rocky Mountain Montane grasslands. Developed research proposal for restoration of grasslands infested with annual invasive grasses with native pollinator plants.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Byker Shanks, Carmen., Ahmed, S., Dupuis, V., Tryon, M., Running Crane, M., Houghteling, B., Garvin, T. 2019. Dietary Quality Varies Among Adults on the Flathead Nation of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes in Montana. Journal of Community Health. 45, 388-399.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Smith, Erin, Ahmed, S., Byker Shanks, C., Dupuis, V., Running Crane, M., Eggers, M., Pierre, M., Flagg, K., Byker Shanks, C. 2019. Contribution of Wild Foods to Diet, Food Security, and Cultural Values Amidst Climate Change. Journal of agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 9 1-24.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Ahmed, Selena. Byker Shanks, C. Dupuis, V., Pierre, M., Advancing Healthy and Sustainable Food Environments: The Flathead Reservation Case Study. United Nations System Standing Committee on Nutrition, 44 38-45.
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