When Katie Knight returned from her first trip to Colombia with a portfolio of telling photographs, she had hoped the relevance of her images -- pictures of defoliated forests and survivors of atrocities -- would quickly grow outdated.

Four years later, however, as she joins a multi-state delegation of human right's workers in a return trip to the beleaguered South American country, she'll do so with a heavy heart, knowing her old pictures are more relevant than ever.

"They say it's a war on drugs, but I think it's a war for oil," Knight said Friday, counting down the hours until today's departure. "I was really hoping my photos would become outdated, but they're as relevant as they've ever been."

The photographs, taken in 2001, have become part of a traveling national exhibit, touring museums from Montana to Michigan. The sepia-toned images, printed on gelatin plates and hand painted, offer unique insite to a war that sees little publicity. Knight, who doubles as the curator of education at the Holter Museum of Art, looks to add to her photographic collection, capturing the conflict that continues to occupy her attention.

Organized by the Missoula-based group Community Action for Justice in Colombia, the delegation will spend two weeks meeting with social organizations and government officials in Arauca and Barrancabermeja. Part of the mission will also turn an eye toward Occidental Petroleum which, Knight said, receives $98 million a year in U.S. tax dollars to protect its infrastructure.

The Colombian Support Network said that money makes its way to the Colombian military, which human right's observers say is linked to the paramilitary groups that commit 85-percent of the country's atrocities.

"This is another battle in a much bigger war -- a resource-war motivated by U.S. based corporations that dominate Colombia's rich oil reserves," Knight said.

Last month in Helena, Sonia Lopez, the 21-year-old director of the Joel Sierra Human Right's Committee in Arauca, said that with U.S. support, the Colombian military and paramilitary has worked to destabilize the social movement in her region by rounding up union leaders and social activists.

Lopez also said the groups carry out indiscriminate fumigation of crops to the detriment of peasant farmers under the auspicious of the U.S. war on drugs. Knight observed widespread defoliation during her first two visits, saying oil exploration moved into the region shortly after the forests were cleared.

"Colombia isn't unique," Knight said. "It's part of a much larger pattern. It's one of the places in the world where our tax money and our policies support repressive regimes. This is part of a larger dialogue on how we treat the earth and other human beings."

Knight has focused her attention on Colombian issues since 1999. She's been involved in Latin American issues since 1985, the year she became aware of human rights violations taking place in Central America.

But despite the many groups pushing for change in U.S. policy, including those in Montana, bringing attention to the indigenous struggle in Colombia hasn't been easy. The corporate-owned media, Knight said, benefits from the global war and rarely runs full stories on Colombia, if it runs any stories at all.

"I have a meaningful life and a great friendship with other solidarity workers here and in Latin America," Knight said. "It's psychologically strenuous work and it's hard to sleep after listening to some of the testimonies. But if those in Colombia can do their work under continued threats, then I can do that same work here. I feel fortunate to live here, and I think it's important for me to exercise my freedom to work for change."

Erin Thompson, a member of the delegation from Missoula, said those who work to improve their communities in Colombia -- including teachers and healthcare workers -- are often labeled as guerilla collaborators. It's an association, she said, that places them at risk.

"Since the U.S. government sends aid to the Colombian military, which collaborates with paramilitary groups, they are less likely to threaten or attack these activists when we are there," Thompson said.

The delegation, which includes three Montana women, will travel with several activists from Minneapolis and meet Helena's Scott Nicholson in Colombia.

"You cannot do the work yourself," Knight said. "You need the connections and relationships of trust. You need companions for safety reasons."