Tying service-learning into environmental conservation

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Abstract

The Montana Conservation Corps turned an erosion control project into a service-learning opportunity. The corps members then passed along the knowledge they gained about water quality and erosion control to local lakefront residents to promote long-term solutions to Flathead Lake's erosion and water-quality problems. This paper, by AmeriCorps member Shawn Orloff, won first place in the 1999 Northwest National Service Symposium hosted by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL.

Issue

The Montana Conservation Corps (MCC) requires each crew to complete three 36-hour service-learning projects during a term of service. For one of the projects, the corps decided to help with the erosion control of Flathead Lake, about 15 miles southeast of Kalispell, Montana. Recent studies of the lake have shown significantly increased erosion since the Kerr Dam was built in the 1930s. One study reported a loss of 2,400 acres on the north shore alone. In their study of the lake, the corps members found that humans frequently contribute to erosion.

Action

The corps members decided erosion control and education of residents near the lakeshore were needed to help secure the lake's future. They designed a project to build a buffer zone on a piece of property at the Biological Station using special techniques, then wrote and distributed a pamphlet geared towards lakefront homeowners.

Several members of the community donated their expertise and materials during the project. A local landscape architect spent several days transplanting native trees and shrubs and paid for a truckload of soil. She also supplied an herbicide made of pine and cinnamon oils to control weeds without chemicals. The Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks in Kalispell supplied a dump truck to haul the bark mulch donated by a local timber company. Biology Station staff also helped each day.

The crew then created a pamphlet based on information from dozens of scientific papers, magazine articles, handouts, and their own experience. The purpose of the pamphlet was to educate local residents about the many human factors that contribute to erosion and declining water quality of the lake. A professor of oceanography from Oregon State University made sure the pamphlet was scientifically accurate. The pamphlet was distributed to 2,500 lakefront homes and businesses. Many of the homeowners were receptive and curious about possible restorative efforts that could be done on their properties.

The crew also gave a presentation to the Flathead Lake Protection Association. More than 50 lakefront residents and FLPA members attended the presentation.

Context

The Montana Conservation Corps enrolls about 80 members in Billings, Bozeman, Butte, Glendive, Kalispell, and Missoula, Montana, each year. Corps members serve either 6-month or 10-month terms of service. Crews of four to eight corps members work in their communities as well as in Montana's backcountry on service projects.

Corps LINK uses MCC corps members to supervise community service projects and act as mentors to local at-risk youth.

Citation

Orloff, Shawn. "The Flathead Lake Erosion Control and Water Stabilization Project." Fourth Annual NW National Service Symposium. Portland, Oregon: Northwest Regional Education Laboratory, May 1999.

Outcome

The Flathead Lake Erosion Control and Water Stabilization Project benefited the corps members, the community, and the at-risk students who worked with the corps members on the project. The corps members and the at-risk students were able to gain extensive knowledge about soil erosion and water-quality issues through their research. By sharing their knowledge and erosion-control techniques with the residents, the community became more knowledgeable about how to control erosion and maintain water quality. Because the corps members shared information with the community, 4,000 to 6,000 residents are now more informed about how their daily behavior impacts the environment.