“Buffalo Nation and Restoration of a Keystone Species,” the third program of Cultural Perspectives of Land Use in the Gardiner Area is set for Tuesday, December 9, at 7:00 PM.  Jason Baldes, Buffalo Representative for the Eastern Shoshone Tribe, gives a PowerPoint presentation and leads a discussion in the Gardiner School multi-purpose room. The public is invited to the free program and is encouraged to attend.

Jason Baldes is an enrolled member of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe from the Wind River Indian Reservation (WRIR) in Wyoming. He received his undergraduate degree in Land Resource & Environmental Sciences and is currently completing a graduate degree in the same discipline from Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana. Jason’s work has been focused on the reintroduction of buffalo to the WRIR and he is currently the Buffalo Representative for the Eastern Shoshone Tribe. Jason also serves on the Advisory Board for the Tribal Lands Program of the National Wildlife Federation.

On December 10, Jason is leading Gardiner High School Yellowstone Science, Biology, and Agriculture II students on a field trip to buffalo jumps near Emigrant, Montana.

The overall program, Cultural Perspectives of Land Use in the Gardiner Area, features expert speakers who will cover land use from multiple perspectives, including Indian Education for All topics. The presentations are given during the 2014-2015 school year. After speakers engage students either in the classroom or on field trips to local cultural and natural sites, they will present evening programs for the Gardiner and other nearby communities.

A recent Humanities Montana grant partially funds the project. The school, Yellowstone Gateway Museum, and the Friends of the Yellowstone Gateway Museum have also committed funds to the project’s completion. Please visit the museum’s website, www.yellowstonegatewaymuseum.org  or call 406-222-4184, for more information.