Off the couch and into the outdoors for program participants

The Kootenai Outdoor Adventure Program continues its mission of getting young people outside and teaching them about nature.

According to Bill Moe, a Libby Schools teacher who helps run the program, about 60 local kids were involved.

“We do a mix of hiking, camping, kayaking, fishing, swimming, cooking, plant and animal identification, survival, Leave No Trace, bear identification, fire/forestry/hydrology with Troy Forest Service, and lots of games,” Moe said in a press release.

Moe explained that the program runs for six weeks in the summer, including one week for fifth-grade boys and one week for fifth grade girls, two weeks for girls in sixth through eighth grades and two weeks for boys in sixth through eighth grades. They hire up to four high school boys and four girls to be mentors for the students in sixth through eighth grades.

“Some of our kids have no outdoor experience and some of them have a lot, watching them work together and play together is mindblowing!” Moe said. “The need for outdoor education, physical activity, mental fortitude, team work and being off the devices is more important than ever for all kids.”

Moe said the students’ adventures included trips to Lake Geneva, which was still frozen over at the time, Shannon Lake, Grouse Lake, Fish Lakes, Boulder Lakes, Hoskins Lake, Kilbrennan Lake, Koocanusa, Flower Lake, Bull Lake, Yaak River (the Fat Squirrel), Vinal Lake and the Libby Fish Pond with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Moe shared some photos that were taken during the group’s outings, including some of his favorites.

“The girls hiking into a frozen lake with three feet of snow, Madison's humongous cutthroat trout, the boys and the girls at 'Camp Kenny' at Lake Koocanusa, the boys and girls that took on the challenge of running the longest bridge in Montana (Rexford), Nature Name art - ‘Cole the Sasquatch’ and ‘Kaleb the Canadian Lynx,’ they were really something,” Moe said.

The brave teachers and adults that worked with us this year were Ben Deremiah, Miranda Langevin, Alexis Higareda. Our hired high school mentors this year consisted of Julianna Schumate, Aurora Smith, Bella Swanson, Gabe Gier, Casey Rusdal, Kaleb Hilton and Shaun Duran. The high school kids and teachers are all trained in CPR and first aid.