Native Youth for Habitat Restoration

Training and education in habitat restoration for youth from the Duck Valley Reservation

Idaho Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Birds of Prey NCA partnership (BOPP), Golden Eagle Audubon Society, the Shoshone-Paiute Tribe, and the Owyhee Combined School partnered to provide habitat restoration training and education for native youth from the Duck Valley Reservation.

Youth participated in all components of habitat restoration including seed collection, seed cleaning, propagation, and installation, while helping to enhance existing BLM restoration site in the Morley Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area. BLM and local resource professionals, along with BOPP directors and volunteers trained youth on restoration techniques, ecology, and conservation.

The Native Youth for Habitat Restoration project provided eight students that attend the Owyhee Combined School located on the Duck Valley Reservation the opportunity to learn about how to restore sagebrush habitat through a 100 hour work agreement.

The agreement required each student to help facilitate seed collection, propagation, and out planting activities that directly benefit an existing BLM restoration project in the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area . Each student would also gain training, from natural resource professionals, on the methods and techniques associated with each activity. The training was designed to help them understand the importance and relevance of the work, and enhance the students' ability to pursue conservation jobs after graduation.