The Ranchers Stewardship Alliance’s Geospatial & Mapping Camp opened new doors for rural youth to envision futures in agriculture and conservation.
MALTA, MT – This summer, the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance (RSA) partnered with Montana State University’s Science Math Resource Center to host its first-ever Geospatial & Mapping Camp in Malta. The free, five-day program, held June 9–13, introduced high school students to tools and technologies like mapping software, drones, GPS, and satellite imagery that are increasingly important in agriculture, conservation, and land management.
Funded through the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the camp combined classroom learning with daily field trips across Phillips County. Students toured rotational grazing systems, mapped drought conditions on rangelands, explored historical landscapes, and connected their findings to the real-world work of ranchers, conservationists, and wildlife specialists.
Each day, students met with professionals in the geospatial field, including MSU geography professor Dr. Beth Nelson, GIS consultant and Blackfeet Tribal member Kendal Edmo, and USGS remote sensing scientist Matthew Rigge. They learned how data collection and mapping can be used to monitor land health, predict challenges like grasshopper outbreaks, and plan for sustainable use of working lands. These are skills that can support the future of both agriculture and rural communities.
The week ended with student-led mapping projects, from exploring habitat in relation to prairie dog towns to comparing bird nesting sites in landscapes with varying human impact. Both projects were presented to local community members, with one later shared at Montana State University’s GIS Day in Bozeman.
While recruitment proved challenging in this first year, RSA sees the experience as a launching pad. “This camp showed us the power of combining STEM with place-based education,” said RSA Mapping Specialist Maida Knapton. “Even with a small group, the growth we saw was incredible. We’re already exploring ways to bring this curriculum to local students so more can engage with these tools and ideas.”
For RSA, the camp is part of a broader commitment to stewarding ranchers, communities, and the land. By equipping the next generation with technical skills and a deeper understanding of how agriculture and conservation intersect, RSA is investing in the people who will one day work alongside ranchers, and in some cases become ranchers themselves, to keep Montana’s working landscapes healthy, productive, and resilient.
