I got the opportunity to volunteer with over 250 others from multiple colleges and programs to plant trees and native species at Wuda Ogwa, the Bear River Massacre site in Preston Idaho.
Wuda Ogwa is the Shoshone translation for the Bear River. Nearly 500 Shoshone people were massacred there in 1863 by U.S troops, this was the biggest Native American massacre in history. The Shoshone tribe was able to buy back their land back in 2018, and since then have been working towards restoring the land and watershed by planting native species to reflect the way the land was pre-colonization.
By restoring native plants and removing invasive species, the ecosystem can heal and begin to thrive again, and the Shoshone people can see their land return to the way it should be. Restoring native plants and the watershed will also bring back thousands of gallons of water to the Great Salt Lake. Some of the native plants that were planted include sagebrush, cottonwoods, serviceberry, willows, sumac, dogwood, and many others. Volunteers also worked to remove invasive Russian olive trees.
This effort is a contribution of a variety of groups including Grow the Flow and the NorthWestern Band of Shoshone who are working together. Over the weekend, we were able to plant 12,000 trees in total. This event was an amazing opportunity to come together as a community and to create change locally.
