Employees from the Bonners Ferry Ranger District and an engine crew from the Idaho Department of Lands Kootenai Valley Forest Protective District hosted students on May 5 at the picturesque Kootenai Wildlife Refuge. This event was the grand finale of a comprehensive eight-week long stewardship program, in which Forest Service employees presented information on different natural resources to five 3rd grade classrooms in the Boundary County School District. The students learned about wildland firefighting, plant and wildlife print identification, and how to identify the age of a tree. They also received a tree to plant at home and, possibly the best part, a hug from Smokey Bear. “It is our hope that the program will give students an awareness and appreciation of the resources available in their own county,” says newly retired Forest Service employee and event coordinator, Sondra Steinhorst.