You Go SciGirls!

By Tara Carolin

The SciGirl participants and group leaders stand in front of Swiftcurrent Lake in Many Glacier where they observed loons.

NPS/Tara Carolin

In June, nine budding scientists (ages 8-13) from the Blackfeet community participated in Citizen Science by monitoring Common Loons through a partnership with the Native Science Field Center (NSFC) at Blackfeet Community College, the Glacier National Park Conservancy, and Twin Cities PBS SciGirls Team. SciGirls is a Kids show that encourages girls to seek science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and careers. SciGirls has partnered with the National Park Service to provide middle school girls around the country with the opportunity to participate in citizen science in national parks.

To kick off the program, we met the girls at Many Glacier and helped them get acquainted with each other. Helen Augare Carlson of NSFC gathered the girls, explained the significance of the Piikani names they carry and how she received her names. As a Beaver Medicine Bundle keeper, she showed the girls bundle items and explained the importance of recognizing trees and other plants in the local environment. She conducted a smudge, where she burned a small tuft of sweetgrass to clear away negativity and bring in clarity and positive thoughts. Helen went on to explain the role of the loon or matsí’sai’piyi (mä-tzē’ sā’-pē-ē) and other animals in Blackfeet culture providing the girls with a foundation of Traditional Ecological Knowledge.

Common Loons hold importance in Blackfeet culture.

NPS/Tim Rains

The girls were introduced to three female NPS biologists and three Blackfeet women in science career fields, including an educator, a doctor, and a microbiologist. The women each shared their stories of what brought them to pursue careers in STEM. The girls were invited to share what topics they were curious to learn more about.

During a lesson in loon ecology, one girl dressed up like a loon as they learned about adaptations and features that make loons unique. After the lesson, the girls got to use spotting scopes and binoculars to observe two loons swimming and diving at Swiftcurrent Lake and learned how to record their observations on a data form.

Before the week was out, the girls had opportunity to monitor more loons both in the park and within the Blackfeet Nation. They presented what they learned to their parents and to a young adult Piikani Land Crew with Montana Conservation Corps who received training in citizen science loon monitoring the same week. We plan to repeat the program in 2023 and inspire more young women to explore the possibilities of a future in STEM related fields.