POLSON — Wildlife populations are crucial indicators of how an ecosystem is doing.

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) have been checking their big game numbers through aerial surveys for years.

"We're really monitoring for overall population trends in the different species," CSKT Wildlife Program Manager Kari Kingery said.

Watch to learn more about how the CSKT is monitoring the ecosystem: CSKT taking wildlife monitoring to new heights with aerial surveys

Tracking huge herds across a landscape can be quite the challenge.

"Any critter you find in Montana, we'll probably find here," Kingery noted.

That's why the CSKT has been taking to the skies since the 1990s.

"Originally we would have two biologists up in a helicopter and we'd fly these different survey routes,"

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