Field Program

Little Bighorn Battlefield welcomed us with its eerie, beautiful, and quiet environment on our first day. Our main task for this hitch was to knock out St. John's Wort in and around the historical site to prevent further spread. After only a day of spraying, however, our project partner, Marian, declared that the weather was not safe to spray in! So she took us under her wing and divulged the history of the landscape, her incredible and impactful lore, and advice for our futures all while we prepared the monument for its anniversary by manually weed pulling. Marian, who is planning on retiring soon, is strong-willed, humorous, creatively wise, and resilient beyond belief (and that's being humble). She has led the monument's native plant garden single-handedly and is the main reason that Little Bighorn's ecological history has not been wiped out entirely. With her help, our team found work and enjoyment in this wacky week. At the end of it all, Marian imparted upon us kind words and even a draft of her coloring book that she has been working on!