MOIESE — Fourth and fifth graders from all over the Flathead Indian Reservation gathered in a remote part of the Moiese Valley last week to learn more about the Lower Flathead River and the importance of preserving and protecting it.

Approximately 1,000 students attended this year’s CSKT River Honoring, a two-day environmental event intended to educate students about the river and its ecosystem. For students from St. Ignatius Elementary School, it was also an opportunity to learn about new careers.

“The kids were exposed to all sorts of new careers that they may never have considered,” said St. Ignatius substitute teacher Joe Difulgengis.

Tribal and community educators and specialists were on hand to expose the students to fields ranging from wildland recreation to fisheries to water resource management.

“The event was really two-fold,” said Difulgengis. “There was just as much education regarding the traditional principals as there was about education about protecting the environment and keeping it clean.”

Students rotated through approximately 20 stations, which combined both educational and native traditonal activities. “The stations were great about integrating things that we talk about every day in class, such as math and science,” said Difulgenis.

For one Mission fourth grader, the fisheries stations were especially important. The stations taught students about sampling and measuring snow pack in order to maintain healthy flows in the river. The other fish station identified the different types of fish that are native to the area.

“He never knew he could work in a field that involved fish. The station really opened his eyes to something new,” said Difulgenis.

During the two days, students were also exposed to native games, such as Doubleball and Shinny.

“The kids loved double ball. They were all smiling afterwards, and that said a lot about the game,” said Difulgenis.

“The River Honoring puts an emphasis on how we need to be more responsible citizens, and talk about how to care for our environment. ‘The river is a symbol of how important water is. It used to be a lot cleaner, and it’s up to this younger generation to protect it and make it better,” he added.