Awards

LCAS Announces Scholarship Awards for 2024

The Last Chance Audubon Society has announced the award of two $1000 scholarships made available to students to support their continuing studies in fields related to the LCAS mission.

Morgan Schweyen is the first East Helena High School student to receive an LCAS Scholarship. She has been accepted at Montana State University and plans to pursue a career in Architecture and Environmental Design. Morgan is a member of the National Honor Society and has been an active volunteer in community activities, including child care and food security.  She has also been a varsity tennis player during her time at East Helena High.

Arianah Sargent, a Carroll College Junior, receives this award in support of her research activities as part of a project initiated by professor Patricia Heiser. The goal of the study is to determine whether the paleoecologic, hydrologic and climate history of this part of central Montana can be determined by evaluating core sites including the Big Belts and Lake Helena.  Prior to the formation of Lake Helena, about 100 years ago, the area was likely made up of wetlands, ponds, streams and beaver complexes. Studies of core sediments will help complete the picture of the pre-Lake Helena area and how climate and landscapes have changed over time. This award will help Arianah continue her participation in this project, and allow her to focus on her personal research on how charcoal sediments found in the core samples can help tell the fire history of this area.

2022-2023 LCAS Scholarship Awards

High School Awards

The Last Chance Audubon Society selected Grayce Mae Wilkins as its 2022-23 scholarship
recipient. She will receive $1,000. Grayce, a Capital High School graduating senior, plans to
attend the University of Montana in the fall, majoring in Forestry with an interest in
Environmental Science. She was the champion of the 2022 Capital High Envirothon team and a
recipient of the Capital High Bruin Educational Achievement Recognition (B.E.A.R.) Award.
Her community activities include the Youth Forestry Monitoring Program and the Beaver Creek
Restoration Project.