The three young men’s voices soared in harmonious song with no accompaniment as they sang Arapaho Nation songs in the center of a large circle of well over 200 of us. We were all spellbound by the total magic of the moment. The setting was spectacular, a beautiful spring day near the bank of the Buffalo Fork River with the awesome Teton Range on our immediate west horizon. We stood in a beautiful meadow, full of spring flowers, in a circle joining with 150 fifth graders from several grade schools on the Wind River Indian Reservation in central Wyoming. We were joined by a couple of dozen teachers from the schools, several elders from the reservation’s two tribes, as well as over 50 Bridger Teton Forest Service rangers, scientists, administrators, and other staff, a few other federal agency scientists, and a number of volunteers, including four Sierra Clubbers from the Wyoming Chapter.
The three fifth grade boys sang their tribe’s Eagle Song and a Flag Song with power, incredible beauty and precision and all, of course, in the Arapaho language. Their performance was the perfect beginning for the second day of the Blackrock Field Camp. The day before, fourth graders from the same schools were treated to a wide variety of fun, educational, and hands-on sessions organized by the dedicated Forest Service crews from all parts of the Bridger Teton Forest. They, too, heard prayers from their tribal elders, and enjoyed a scrumptious buffalo burger lunch.
As volunteer helpers, Lloyd, Wendy, Rhonda, and I helped with tasks as needed, but mostly we all had a blast with the kids, watching them excitedly learning new stuff. The Forest Service, other agency people, and many others created wonderful learning stations for the kids, and everyone had a wonderful time. On the bus drive over Togowotee Pass from the Wind River Reservation, some of the kids and grownups were thrilled to see a grizzly bear foraging in a meadow as they neared the field camp!
We heard comments all day from kids who had never before seen the Tetons, and certainly had never seen a grizzly bear before that perfect day. The students were attentive while seeing and handling all of the aquatic critters, discharging “bear spray” at the “real” grizzly bear charging station (thanks to Mac and the Greater Yellowstone Coalition for providing this interactive display), operating a crosscut saw, participating in fascinating cultural stations hosted and taught by tribal elders, and many other learning stations. What a fantastic and exhilarating two days! Sierra Club Wyoming Chapter offers our sincere appreciation to all the dedicated Bridger Teton National Forest folks who put a tremendous amount of work and love into creating this memorable event. Well done! Well done, indeed.