State forestry, food science competition comes to Ronan
Megan Strickland
Megan Strickland
Megan Strickland
Megan Strickland
Megan Strickland
Megan Strickland
Megan Strickland
Megan Strickland
Megan Strickland
Megan Strickland
Megan Strickland
Megan Strickland
Megan Strickland
Megan Strickland
Megan Strickland
Megan Strickland
Megan Strickland
Megan Strickland
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Future foresters and culinary artists descended upon Ronan last week as the school hosted two state FFA competitions.
Buses took 100 students from 10 schools into Crow Canyon for the Forestry competition, while the Food Science event was held simultaneously at the Lake County Fairgrounds.
“It went great,” Mission Valley FFA Advisor Reese McAlpin said.
While food science competitors worked to create delicious culinary creations, forestry competition took students into the heart of the Mission Valley to study the plants that have carved out a niche against the stone mountains and the tools used to manage the ecosystem.
“We have a wonderful partnership with the Salish Kootenai College forestry department,” McAlpin said.
Forestry students and members of the college’s forestry club spent the morning teaching students different species and management methods.
“If you are going to go into environmental science or hydrology, you’ll use all of these,” said Rudy King III, a college presenter who explained the uses of various tools the competitors were later quizzed on.
For many students it is the first time to see the tools, but for others the equipment is more familiar.
“It might click that some of them really enjoy it,” volunteer and FFA alumnus Dan Salomon said. Salomon spent his morning teaching students how to crank and safely operate a bladeless chainsaw.
“It’s not rocket science, but you need to be careful,” Salomon told the students as they took notes.
The competitors later had to crank the chainsaw themselves.
Salish Kootenai College Forest Club president Loga Fixico said he believed the competition was very important to exposing students to the significance of plants.
“Plants are primary producers to all the energy we have available to us,” Fixico said.
Establishing appreciation of plants in young people helps build understanding not only in individual people, but also in society as a whole, Fixico said.
Fellow club member Matthew Weingart agreed that instilling respect for wildlife at a young age is important.
“I think developing a connection with the forest is vital to protecting the environment from future damage,” Weingart said.
The Mission Valley FFA Forestry team of Troy Barney and Graydon Irish brought home 13th in the forestry competition.
Mission Valley did not have a food science team.
