Team SPAW conducts research throughout the Salish and Pend d’Oreille Aboriginal Watershed (SPAW) in western Montana. Research projects conducted on the Flathead Indian Reservation are typically developed annually and mentored through a core partnership between Salish Kootenai College (SKC) faculty and Tribal government staff from multiple Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes departments and programs, including Cultural Preservation, Tribal Health, Economic Development, Education, Water Management Board, Natural Resources, Lands, Fire, and Forestry.

The core research team will examine the effects of various land and water uses, practices, and management on local and regional communities with emphasis on sustainability, economic development, hydrology, and protection of cultural and natural resources. Research projects to date have included an examination of groundwater interactions with high mountain lakes, an assessment of impacts on snowpack and high mountain lake chemistry, and an assessment and documentation of traditional ecological knowledge.

In addition, students have opportunities to engage in the natural environment and community events, like the powwow, that occur near SKC during the summer.

Learn about the 2024 Team SPAW group.