Montana
Montana Audubon Center brings in program to teach about raptor conservation
Hayden is an adult male Swainson’s Hawk who was rescued after he was hit by a car on an Idaho highway.
See Hayden:
Montana Audubon Center brings in program to teach about raptor conservation
“They’re not able to return to the wild, and because of that, we are able to take them in as rescues. We use them in educational programs to teach folks about the incredible wildlife that we have right in our own backyard and give folks an opportunity to see a lot of these species up close,” said Melissa Hill, Buffalo Bill Center of the West’s Live Raptor Program Manager.
He now lives at the Draper Natural History Museum in Cody as part of their raptor experience, helping educate visitors about the birds of prey that call the Western US their home.
On Saturday, Hayden and those from the museum came to the Montana Audubon Center in Billings to teach a lesson in conservation.
“We’re trying to get people to be more knowledgeable about raptors and raptor migration. It’s a really cool and rare opportunity to get a live hawk here,” said Montana Audubon Center Events Coordinator, Halei Akins.
“That might kind of create a spark that will make them interested in wildlife around the globe and hopefully start thinking about some of the actions that we take on a daily basis that we don’t think about could have a big impact on the entire world around us,” said Hill
The aim is to teach attendees to the lesson on how to prevent raptors like Hayden from dying of human-related causes in the wild.
Those from the program say using alternatives to lead ammunition, paying attention behind the wheel, and not using poison to kill rodents are some of the best ways to help.
“Anything that is going to make the world a better place for us typically makes it a better place for wildlife as well,” said Hill.
Those at Montana Audubon say the goal of this event and all of their events are to inspire Montanans to give a hoot about birds and all wildlife.
“When the community is more in touch with our ecosystems and the outdoors in general, they tend to be more involved. And we hope that especially for the kids coming out here, it makes a difference in their mindset and in their connection to the world around us,” said Akins.
MISSOULA, Mont. — In this week’s Amazing America, NBC Montana is highlighting smokejumpers and their efforts to keep our communities safe during wildfire season.
NBC Montana caught up with a current and a former smokejumper to learn more about the work they do and how the job has changed throughout the years.
Jim Kitchen was a smokejumper for 20 seasons, fought over 100 fires and raised his three daughters on a smokejumper base, where he served as base commander.
Kitchen says he’ll never forget his first jump, when he started training in Fairbanks, Alaska, in 1987.
“I went, ‘That was amazing,’ and he goes, ‘Yeah,’ and I go, ‘Have you ever done anything as amazing in your life? I mean, we just made our first jump,” said Kitchen.
Kitchen told NBC Montana when he laughed his crew had to do 50 pushups.
Kitchen saw several changes during his career, including women entering a historically male-dominated field. He told NBC Montana Deanne Shulman, the first woman smokejumper, paved the way for the industry.
He recalled a time when he was on a trip to Washington, D.C. , in the early ’90s to coordinate emergency response, when a U.S. Department of State official asked him a question.
“He goes, ‘I didn’t realize men were smokejumpers.’ And I had to go, ‘Peter, I’ll have you know, there’s quite a few of us, and actually, it’s the women that are rare,’” said Kitchen “The early ladies in smokejumping, they always met and exceeded the bar, and they were instrumental in doing these winter details.”
Another change he oversaw as base commander, was moving from round parachutes used in World War II, to the ones used today.
“Ram-Air parachutes that inflate make the shape of the wing and they actually have about a 20 mph forward speed. And so you can you can fly those in much windier conditions, higher elevations,” said Kitchen.
Kitchen says the job requires you to roll with the punches and make quick decisions on the fly.
He said while training new jumpers, he taught them early to prepare and never hesitate.
“The only thing that we ask of you is that you take all the information that you can and then make a decision,” said Kitchen.
Nick Holloway, a current Missoula smokejumper, who’s been working for 14 seasons, says it’s important to rely on your training, stay positive and persevere.
“Having done this for a few years, it’s just trying to know that essentially every season is a marathon, it’s not a sprint. Just stay healthy, stay focused and keep having a good time,” said Holloway.
NBC Montana asked both men what they were most proud of during their time jumping.
Kitchen recalled fighting a fire near the Grand Canyon, when he and his crew decided to manage a fire instead of suppressing it when they ponderosa pine trees.
The crew let the fire burn to a plateau, “The Ponderosa pine has about a 20 to 30-year fire return interval in that area,” said Kitchen. “That’s one of the high points as far as land stewardship of my career is seeing fire on a landscape escape and not necessarily suppressing it but allowing it to burn, because then you’re saying it’s good for decades after that.”
Holloway told NBC Montana, while he has “too many to count,” he’s most proud that recently he jumped a 3- to 5-acre fire at Yellowstone National Park.
The fire grew to 8 acres, “So seven days later we got around everything, put it all out and essentially with a good product upon departure. So it’s just a classic example of a smokejumper fire.”
Holloway says staying fit for annual trainings, regardless of experience, is critical to staying fire-ready.
“Pushups, pullups, sit-ups, a certain amount and then a mile and a half in a certain time as well,” said Holloway.
Kitchen told NBC Montana he still does his pullups, pushups and sit-ups.
“Many of my colleagues are still in really fit shape even in their 60s, 70s and 80s,” he said.
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