Awards

2021-2022 LCAS Scholarship Awards

High School Awards

This year two students were selected to receive the LCAS Scholarship: Erin Robinson, Capital High and Claire Downing, Helena High.

Erin Robinson plans to attend Montana State University in the Fall, to pursue her interests in animal behavior, evolutionary biology, and zoology with an emphasis on ornithology. In addition to her school activities she is a four-year volunteer at the Montana Wildlife Center. Her work with and interest in bird behavior, has resulted in her pursuit of a falconry license. From her letter of recommendation from Ali Pons, Montana Wildlife  Rehabilitation  Center Coordinator: ” She has a thirst for knowledge  and a presence that myself and other volunteers at the Wildlife Center admire and gravitate towards.”

Claire Downing plans to attend Vanderbilt University in the Fall to pursue interdisciplinary studies in ecology, evolution, and biology. She has extensive involvement with both school and community environmental activities and research efforts. She has served as a volunteer with BLM and the USFS and last summer was an intern with the American Fisheries Society Hutton Fisheries Biology Program. From her letter of recommendation from her science teacher, Tyler Hollow: “Claire’s confidence in her knowledge and application of science makes her a natural leader..”

Congratulations Claire and Erin! Good luck and best wishes in your scholastic endeavors!

Carroll College Grants

This year’s $1000 award goes to Hannah Winn in support of her senior research project, “Age and
growth rate of trees along forest-meadow ecotones”. (Note: An ecotone is the boundary between two
different plant communities.) Identifying at least two forest-meadow boundary sites in the Helena area
that exhibit small tree growth extending into meadows, and based on field and published research,
Hannah proposes to gain a better understanding of how climate change may affect tree growth within
the forest-meadow boundary areas. The goal is to identify the possible long-term affects climate change may have on habitats, birds and other organisms by focusing on the factors influencing the growth rate of trees. (Thanks to Janice Miller and to Bob Martinka for their help in reviewing and commenting on Hannah’s proposal; and to Stephen Turner for his assistance in helping with communications. Please see Hannah’s research project HERE.