Fire cleanup work earns Stockgrowers state honors

Staff and wire report

Members of the Montana State University-Northern Collegiate Stockgrowers were honored by the state during Saturday's football game for their work during two major fires in Montana.

Northern Chancellor Greg Kegel met with Stockgrowers members Cordell Murray, a sophomore, and Wade Schneider, a freshman during halftime of the Lights football game against the Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears to recognize them for the honor, with Murray and Schneider accepting the honor for the many members of the club who helped during and after fires this years.

The Governor's Office of Community Service and Montana Campus Compact selected the Stockgrowers as the Volunteers of the Game this week for their volunteer work during the East Fork Fire in the Bear Paw Mountains and the Lodgepole Complex Fire in eastern Montana.

The students, saying they were unable to donate hay or supplies, decided they would donate labor, helping rebuild fences, move displaced cattle and provide support to firefighters battling the blaze.

Some members of the Stockgrowers also helped fight the East Fork Fire.

The Collegiate Stockgrowers also held a barbecue fundraiser, which raised more than $1,600 for ongoing fire relief.

"These students are an inspiration to all of us at MSU-Northern as well as the Havre community," Tracy Jette, an Northern employee, said in a release from the Office of Community Service.

The Lodgepole Complex Fire started July 19 and burned more than 270,000 acres in Petroleum and Garfield counties near Jordan and Winnet.

The East Fork Fire started Aug. 27 on Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation and within four days had grown to 20,000 acres, with wild winds, difficult terrain and lack of communications hindering efforts to fight the fire. At one point, it was listed as the eighth-highest priority fire in the nation, with a top-level incident command team coming in to coordinate efforts.

In the end, the fire had burned nearly 22,000 acres on the reservation, Beaver Creek Park and private ranches.

The Stockgrowers donated their time to help with recovery in both fires.

Throughout the fall, the Governor's Office of Community Service and Montana Campus Compact recognizes outstanding student volunteers as Volunteers of the Game.

The Governor's Office of Community Service expands and promotes national service and volunteerism in Montana and engages citizens in service and emergency preparedness. Montana Campus Compact is Montana's largest higher education network and works to improve community life by educating students for civic and social responsibility.

People can visit http://www.serve.mt.gov and http://www.mtcompact.org for more information.