Environmental program takes aim at Weeds: Townsend K-12 School District 1 / Montana.

A project aimed at controlling weeds that destroy natural vegetation and eliminate food sources for wildlife and livestock is motivating teachers and students in Townsend, Mont. The Bug and Weed Project, for which Townsend K-12 School District 1 was named the Montana state winner in the 2007 National Civic Star Award competition, provides leadership in educating students and the public.

The project helps procure funds to treat problem-some infestations and grows insects that eat the weeds, reducing the use of chemicals and helping to protect the environment.

The project is also training teachers and students in the use of GPS/GIS/ArcView mapping systems. The systems and training enable students to map weeds for organizations and the public. The organizations then use the maps to obtain funds for weed treatment. The business portion of the Bug and Weed Project also raises bio-control agents to be sold and used to limit troublesome weeds.

Accomplishments of the program include the creation of noxious-weed curriculum units that meet Montana Standards for Education for grades K-12. The units were created in a form that teachers could download on their computers with appropriate handouts, and the units help them meet state-required curriculum components.

The project has also created a highly visible weed and bug insectary, which has established a crop of biological control agents and fostered a public forum for education. Through the insectary, displays, media and presentations, students are helping to educate the public about noxious weeds, including their history, impact and control agents.

The project has also resulted in the development of a semesterlong class in electronic mapping techniques. This provides technology-oriented career training that could be particularly useful to rural students.

Community partners in the program include Broadwater County Weed District, ESRI, which provides the ArcView software, Townsend Ranger District, the U.S. Forest Service, state and private forestry units, Montana Department of Natural Resources, Montana Department of Agriculture, Montana Rail Link, the state Bureau of Reclamation and the Montana Department of Transportation.

The active school partners include the superintendent and board of trustees, who help oversee the project and ensure that it meets legal obligations; the district clerk, who tracks project funding and payroll; the school-to-work coordinator, who markets the project to attract funding and also handles contracts; the teachers, who incorporate weed units into the curriculum and teach use of the mapping technology, and the 15 to 20 students a year who enroll in ArcView technology classes.

For more information, contact Superintendent Brian Patrick at [phone] or by e-mail at [e-mail]. Patrick's mailing address is Townsend K-12 School District 1, 201 N. Spruce St., Townsend, MT 59644.