Sampling/sight seeing

suspected waste dumpsites (St Mary ridge line is # 1 on map)
Wild Goose island lookout 

One of the main sampling sites we visited was at St Mary on the Blackfeet reservation. There was a ridge line that it was suspected to be dumped on and on that ridge line all of those 10 households except  one had cancer in their family. So we took samples on the rivers and run offs and took well water samples at the households and some of the businesses. They were so kind they welcomed us into their home with open arms and one even invited us to stay for dinner. During our sampling trips my mentor would tell me the oral traditions of their culture and their creation stories. I got lucky and was able to see this grass called Bear Grass that only grows at certain elevations/times of the year and only lives a couple weeks. I was also able to visit Glacier National Park for the first time it was beautiful! The glaciers there are only expected to be around for 10 years so you should visit it before than! They also eat choke cherries like Yakama's but there’s are huge! My favorite place in Glacier National Park was the wild goose island lookout because you can see the glaciers in the background and the island in the middle of the lake. The water is pretty it looks almost greenish from the glacier run offs, I wish I could have gone on the boat tour. I didn’t see any wildlife besides squirrels, it’s funny I seen more deer on campus in Missoula than I did anywhere else. Although I was pretty close to a bear I didn’t see it but everyone else around me did. Blackfeet nation/Glacier Park is so beautiful I would definitely recommend going check  it out I will going back one day for sure!

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