Guardians of the Living Water Summer Program
Summer 2024 marks the 10th annual Guardians of the Living Water Summer camp for Apsáalooke 5th and 6th graders held at Crow school every June. The Guardians of the Living Water program was established through a partnership of the Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee, Crow Agency Public School, Little Big Horn College, and Montana State University. The goal of the program is to reinforce the importance of water in community health and well-being. The program teaches students how to monitor and care for local water sources, and is focused on a group science project where students make and test hypotheses comparing the water quality of different water sources. Each student brings in water samples to test for E. coli, and they also test for E. coli in the Little Big Horn River, the Big Horn River and in Pryor Creek. They learn how to conduct stream assessments, and at each site they record and analyze their observations to determine each stream’s water quality. They also learn from local knowledge holders about Apsáalooke science and ways of knowing that emphasize the importance of water. If you would like to see the students’ posters and learn more about the Crow Water Quality Project and current research findings, please join us at the Community Open House, Tuesday June 25th at 11am, in the LBHC Cultural Building in Crow Agency. Lunch will be provided.