Montana 2011 Eco-Stewards Program

The Bighorn River, as viewed from Greenwood Farm on the Crow Reservation

Join us June 2-9, 2011 as we explore the connections between faith and environmental stewardship along the banks of the Bighorn River in southeastern Montana. We will camp in tents and tepees at Greenwood Farm, a 40-acre organic farm on the Crow Reservation, just outside of Hardin, MT.

Through discussions with environmental experts, local farmers, doctors and tribal leaders, we will consider how communities can achieve sustainability and reconciliation through better agriculture, health care and green building practices. Our exploration of these issues will include lectures, community gatherings, field excursions, hands-on project work, creative worship, and sharing of personal passions and vocational discernment. While paddling the Bighorn and hiking in the Sand Rocks, participants will have time to absorb the region’s powerful landscape while reflecting on their own eco-life journeys.

The Eco-Stewards Program, formerly known as the Presbyterian Conservation Corps,  is open to young adults (ages 20-30) who are looking for education and training in environmental stewardship from a faith perspective.

Participants may choose to follow up the week-long program with a paid summer internship at one of several sites, including: Greenwood Farm in Montana; one of several Presbyterian churches in West Virginia; or one of several Presbyterian Church (USA) camps around the country. These Eco-Stewards Interns will put their skills into action through a variety of projects such as planting organic gardens, building green structures, designing and implementing “greening” plans for camps, or creating an eco-stewardship curriculum for campers.

Among others, the program’s leadership will include: Rev. Rob Mark of Harvard University’s Memorial Church and First Presbyterian Church of Waltham, Massachusetts; Dr. David Mark, MD of Crow/Northern Cheyenne IHS Hospital and Bighorn Valley Health Center; and Becky W. Evans, a freelance environmental journalist and communication professor at Boston University and Lasell College.

To apply, email Rev. Rob Mark at robfirstpres@gmail.com