Seeley Swan High School Discovery Days
Story and photo by Jean Pocha, Pathfinder staff. OVANDO – With the sound of wolves yipping and woodpeckers hammering away, the SSHS Discovery Days began in Mollett Park on the Blackfoot Challenge Community Conservation Area (BCCA) May 25. Students arrived by school bus to the open grassland area with wetlands and forest skirting the sides. […]
Pesticides and Pollinators
By Karen Laitala, Vegetation Coordinator Though we live dramatically different lifestyles, my oldest sister who resides in a subdivision in a north Texas city and I, the Montana “country living” member of our family, share a love of bees and an appreciation for pollinators. I think this mutual admiration may have originated with our love […]
On Horseback in Bear Country
Interview with Jack Rich of Rich’s Montana Guest Ranch Interview by Seth Wilson The following is excerpted from Carnivore Damage Prevention News, Issue 24. The complete edition is available online at www.cdpnews.net. How did you start running backcountry trips? Our family started in the guiding business beginning in 1946 and we were originally based near […]
Bears visiting the classroom
Story and photo by Jean Pocha, Pathfinder staff. OVANDO – “There’s three kinds of bears in Montana, black, brown and very, very brown,” chimed a young student at the Ovando School when asked how many bears live in Montana during a “Bear Necessities” presentation. Students in both the Little Room, kindergarten through third grade, and […]
From weeds and wetlands to fences and flickers: Blackfoot Watershed Stewardship Guide now available!
The Blackfoot Challenge is excited to announce the completion of the Blackfoot Watershed Stewardship Guide, a 36-page handbook full of information and resources on land and water stewardship for Blackfoot residents. In drawing upon both the generations of stewardship wisdom from those who live and work in the Blackfoot as well the latest scientific research […]
Annual Soil Health Tour showcases emerging approaches to enhancing Blackfoot agricultural soils
Every fall, members of the Blackfoot Challenge’s Soil Health Work Group gather to tour area ranches implementing new and innovative approaches to improving soil health. The Work Group, established in 2016, provides a forum to explore, encourage, and facilitate soil health in the Blackfoot. On a blustery day in October, this year’s tour brought participants […]
Bears and Ghost Towns: Coming together to deliver place-based education
Earlier this fall, the Blackfoot Challenge worked with a host of partners to bring Blackfoot elementary students outdoors to learn about the world around them. On a sunny fall day in late September, the Challenge hosted a Bear Education Day for the Ovando and Helmville schools at the US Fish & Wildlife Service’s H2-O Waterfowl […]
Riding the Fences
Riding the Fences: Listening and learning as a means to safely live with grizzly bears Written by Jessianne Castle of the Grizzly Bear Collective. This is an excerpt from the full blog post originally published at grizzlybearcollective.com. … David Mannix, who is also a member of the Blackfoot Challenge Board, agrees with Stone. He and […]
Trumpeter Swans and Montana’s Common Loon
By Elaine Caton, Swan Restoration Coordinator Written for the Montana Loon Society‘s 2021 Newsletter In 2005, the Blackfoot Challenge in partnership with the US Fish and Wildlife Service began an effort to restore Trumpeter Swans to the Blackfoot watershed. Since, we have released over 200 young captive-raised trumpeters in the Ovando-Helmville area, and have established […]
Smokey Skies This Spring A Sign Of Prescribed Fire Coordination At A Scale That Matters
Over the last few weeks, a number of private landowners, organizations and public agencies have conducted prescribed burns in the Blackfoot River watershed with the goal of enhancing both forest health and community safety. While this fills the skies with smoke for a few days, burning this time of year has numerous benefits for both […]