The landscaping at Glacier High School is pretty sparse. The variety of birds is sparser except for the occasional seagulls and crows.

Glacier High School science teachers, Flathead Audubon members and Flathead National Forest are helping students to discover their “feathered friends” by planting native-plant gardens.

“Discovering Flathead’s Feathered Friends — Enhancing Schoolyard and National Forest Habitat” is a project to expand the high school’s native garden habitat from one to two gardens and establish new gardens at Helena Flats, West Valley and Somers schools to attract a variety of birds and insects.

The project is funded by a $16,000 grant through “More Kids in the Woods,” a U.S. Forest Service initiative.

On Thursday morning, between pods A and B on the southwest side of Glacier High School, freshman science students and teachers, Audubon members and Flathead National Forest employees were toiling away. What was once flat sod are oases of dirt.

Students trekked from the school to athletic fields to haul sandy loam in wheelbarrows to the plant beds while others planted nearby. A few students helped stake a birch log in the middle of one garden bed.

“We’re planting native plants that thrive in Montana and plant sources for birds like chokecherries,” said Ashley Mason, conservation educator for Flathead Audubon. “We’ve already seen the influence of plants in the other native garden.”

Mason and Teresa Wenum, Flathead National Forest conservation specialist, said the project is designed to promote outdoor learning and link children to the natural world through conservation.

“They can see nature right here — a habitat growing right outside their classroom,” Wenum said.

Students spent two weeks studying birds and will have a botany and ecology unit in the spring, according to Glacier science teacher Pat Allick. Allick and fellow science teacher Bonnie Streeter initially planted the existing native garden as part of a freshman unit on birds.

The students, now seniors, have watched the garden flourish and attract ravens, Bohemian waxwings and different sparrows.

The current freshmen had a lot of input in the new garden as they learned about biodiversity, said Katie Christensen, 14.

“We stood in certain places, took observations about what animals there were and types of plants,” Christensen said. “Then we researched a type of bird and it’s habitat to make this so that they would come.”

Christensen said she is excited to see what insects and birds the new garden will attract in the spring.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at [email protected].