From virtual fencing to drought management, 2024 was a year of innovations and challenges that kept Blackfoot Challenge staff, partners and community members busy. Partnerships reaped many impactful conservation accomplishments, punctuated at year-end by the opportunity to hire a new Science Director who will help identify and develop science and data to support long-term community conservation priorities.

BLACKFOOT BIRDS

Restoring trumpeter swans and monitoring bird species across Blackfoot habitats. Est. 2004.

  • Attended R2R virtual workshop on Sustainable Recovery of North American Birds.
  • Conducted Climate Watch Nuthatch Survey through Montana Audubon.
  • Participated in Cornell Lab’s Great Backyard Bird Count.
  • Monitored wintering Blackfoot swans in the Ruby, Clearwater and Flathead valleys.
  • Attended Partners in Flight Western Working Group meeting in Albuquerque.
  • Attended spring Montana Common Loon Working Group meeting.
  • Conducted and coordinated citizen science long-billed curlew surveys in conjunction with Montana Audubon.
  • Monitored trumpeter swan territories for nest success, cygnet production, and fledging throughout the watershed and adjacent Swan Valley. 
  • Censused Brewer’s sparrows in Helmville-area conifer encroachment project sites.
  • Engaged members in community science program monitoring common loons. 

BLACKFOOT COMMUNITY CONSERVATION AREA

A working landscape that balances ecological diversity with local economic sustainability.  Est 2005.

Management

  • Facilitated 6 council meetings and 6 work group meetings to discuss issues and make management decisions based on the BCCA Management Plan.

Forestry/Prescribed Fire

  • Implemented 240 acres of mechanical treatments along the north boundary of the BCCA Core to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires, enhance wildlife habitat, and improve stand resilience. Completed NRCS EQIP contract as part of the North Ovando Fuel Reduction (NOFR) Targeted Implementation Plan. Initiated planning with NRCS on a second NOFR application.
  • Coordinated with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks on future cross-boundary forest management/habitat projects.
  • Worked with Blackfoot Challenge Forestry & Prescribed Fire Coordinator and University of Montana to initiate prescribed burn plans for 5 management units.

Noxious Weed Control

  • Controlled invasive weeds on road systems, forest treatment areas, and native prairies through integrated approaches across 100 acres including biological controls, chemical application, and hand-pulling.
  • Coordinated with Powell County Noxious Weed Coordinator on a successful state wildlife habitat improvement grant for the next 5-years.

Service Projects and Education

  • Hosted multiple events with university and volunteer groups to pull noxious weeds, remove old fence wire, and maintain beaver dam analogs.
  • Provided multiple presentations about the BCCA to visiting groups including local schools, university groups, and corporate donors.
  • Participated in educational programs on the BCCA with area school groups, reaching more than 80 students.

Access/Recreation

  • Provided year-round public access on 5,600 acres, including hiking trails, 8-week motorized use season, and hunting via the Block Management Program.
  • Maintained the 3-mile hiking/skiing trail system including annual mowing/grooming.
  • Completed fabrication of new information kiosk structure at the Boot Tree. Assembled BCCA Recreation Work Group to outline the public information needed and developed content for a graphic designer.
  • Administered and maintained the new seasonal, cross-boundary motorized loop in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.

Conservation Programs 

  • Implemented the NRCS Conservation Stewardship Program completing multiple conservation enhancements, including wildlife friendly fencing, forest treatments, noxious weed control, and vegetation monitoring.

Wetland/Riparian Enhancements

  • Maintained two beaver dam analogs as a demonstration to enhance wetland habitat, reconnect flood plain, and improve late season stock water.
  • Assessed the potential expansion of BDAs.
  • Installed additional off-stream stock tank to reduce pressure on riparian area and support the rotational grazing system.

 

EDUCATION

Nurturing watershed awareness and stewardship through place-based education.  Est. 1993.

  • Provided live raptor program at Lincoln School.
  • Hosted a ski and snowshoe day on the BCCA.
  • Led two field trips with Seeley Lake Elementary School Outdoor Program to learn about and observe trumpeter swans and common loons.
  • Co-led Montana Audubon field trip to observe birds and discuss collaborative conservation in the Blackfoot.
  • Provided hands-on lessons on aquatic macroinvertebrates for students from two schools at Montana Outdoor Science Academy.
  • Led field trips on stream ecology for students from Helmville and Lincoln schools.
  • Delivered radio telemetry lessons to Ovando School students.
  • Presented on collaborative conservation and wildlife conflict reduction methods to visiting Helena High School class.
  • Along with several community and agency partners, offered an all-day event on bear awareness for students and teachers from Seeley Lake Elementary.
  • Offered bear aware education presentations at Sunset and Bonner schools.
  • Offered noxious weed education to students at Helmville and Sunset schools.
  • Co-led field trip on BCCA for Montana Native Plant Society annual meeting.
  • Implemented a full day of education activities about water and fire for more than 120 students, teachers, and parents from six watershed schools at the DNRC Clearwater Unit for the annual Youth Field Day.
  • Hosted a week-long field course for five students and two teachers from Shattuck St. Mary’s School, including field-based learning about the watershed and collaborative conservation from BC staff and partners.
  • Participated in a 10-day staff trip to Slovenia and Croatia to share our work with international peers, as well as broaden our understanding of conservation efforts and tools abroad.

 

FORESTRY

Restoring forest health and reducing wildfire risk in and around local communities. Est. 2008.

  • Facilitated 600+ acres of prescribed burning on state and private lands and supported federal partner burns across another 600+ acres.
  • Completed 589 acres of forest thinning to improve forest health and reduce fire risk.
  • Conducted 14 outreach / education tours or events throughout the Blackfoot to showcase prescribed fire effects and efforts.
  • Helped form the new Montana Prescribed Fire Council (hosted by Montana DNRC).
  • Participated in a two-week prescribed fire Training Exchange (TREX) in Nebraska. 
  • Began planning a Blackfoot Valley TREX for spring of 2025 for prescribed fire field training and experience. 
  • Participated in a 10-day staff trip to Slovenia and Croatia to share our work with international peers, as well as broaden our understanding of conservation efforts and tools abroad.

 

LAND STEWARDSHIP

Supporting landowners through stewardship assistance to enhance watershed-wide resilience.  Est. 2016.

NRCS Program Assistance

  • Conducted multiple property assessments and landowner meetings associated with NRCS stewardship programs resulting in greater awareness and participation. 
    • Helmville Valley Conifer Encroachment (HVCE) TIP: Completed over 400 acres of treatments under multiple EQIP contracts to conserve native bunchgrass communities and improve rare bird habitat. 
    • North Ovando Fuel Reduction (NOFR) TIP: Completed over 500 acres of treatments under multiple EQIP contracts to mitigate catastrophic wildfires and increase forest resiliency.

Grazing Management

  • Kleinschmidt Creek Project: Coordinated with landowner and lessee to implement the first year of holistic grazing management plan following infrastructure improvements to protect riparian resources.     
  • Nevada Creek Project (Phase 7): Coordinated with Big Blackfoot Chapter of Trout Unlimited (BBCTU), U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and landowners on developing a grazing management plan to support the stream restoration project. Coordinated installation of 3 miles of riparian fencing and stock water. 
  • Nevada Creek (Phase 6): Project completed. Installed 2 miles of riparian fencing and livestock water gap to support stream restoration and grazing management plan.
  • Nevada Creek Project (Phase 5): Project completed. Worked to extend 2 pipelines and add 2 stock water tanks to supply riparian pastures.
  • Douglas Creek Project: Completed grazing management plan to accompany a bear fence project, with goal to conserve riparian values within the bear fence. Planned and implemented a winter stock water system to support an expanded calving lot. 

Soil Health

  • Together with The Nature Conservancy, completed the Biochar Demonstration Project including the transfer of over 500 tons of biochar from Stoltze Lumber Company (Columbia Falls) to 6 ranches in the Blackfoot between Potomac and Helmville. Coordinated with the Biochar Steering Work Group, 2 contractors, soil scientist, 42Biochar, and 6 landowners to transfer and apply biochar, including compost charging, spreading methods, and plot documentation.
  • Coordinated Blackfoot Soil Health Work Group to share experiences and knowledge on bale grazing, cover crops, no-till seeding, biochar demos, and high stock density/short duration grazing.
  • Provided a 30-minute presentation at the National Soil Survey Conference with Challenge Chairman Jim Stone to approximately 60 soil scientists from around the nation on soil health efforts in the Blackfoot.

Conifer Encroachment

  • Together with NRCS and USFWS, continued to coordinate conifer encroachment removal projects in the Helmville area to conserve grassland/sage habitat and rangeland, benefiting rare native bird species.
  • Coordinated with USFWS on development of 530-acre project on the Blackfoot and Kleinschmidt Waterfowl Production Areas to conserve sagebrush/bunchgrass prairie under the USFWS cooperative agreement with the Blackfoot Challenge. Project started at the end of 2024. Coordinated with BC Bird Program on locations for spring bird monitoring.

Fish Screens

  • Assisted BBCTU with training a new maintenance technician for 9 fish screens to mitigate fish entrainment in irrigation ditches.

 Education

  • Provided presentations to multiple groups including University of Montana, Northwest Philanthropy Fellows, watershed groups, local schools, and agencies. 
  • Visited Boone and Crockett Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch with BC Forestry Coordinator to provide recommendations on fuel reduction, prescribed fire and biochar. Provided a written summary following the trip. 
  • Hosted a soil health education station at Youth Field Day event, reaching over 100 students from local schools.
  • Participated in a 10-day staff trip to Slovenia and Croatia to share our work with international peers, as well as broaden our understanding of conservation efforts and tools abroad.

 

VEGETATION

Integrated, locally led approaches to invasive plant management across fence lines.  Est. 1995.

  • Supported implementation of integrated noxious weed management for landowners, including providing native and exotic plant identification, herbicide application protocols, and biological control insect releases.
  • Hosted 2 weed pulls at the Russell Gates Fishing Access Site for the 26th year.
  • Received the second WHIP grant to revisit previously treated areas and initiate noxious weed treatment on new areas within the BCCA core.
  • Worked on nearly 100 miles of the Blackfoot River corridor in Powell and Missoula counties, inventorying and treating close to 65 acres of noxious weeds utilizing newly secured BLM grant funding.
  • Received a Noxious Weed Trust Fund cost-share grant for the Nevada Creek Vegetation Management Area and initiated treatments during the 2024 field season.
  • Conducted pre- and post-monitoring for vegetation management practices along the Blackfoot River corridor and the Nevada Creek Vegetation Management Area.
  • Held 2 noxious weed management informational programs in Helmville and Ovando, providing continuing education credits for licensed pesticide applicators.
  • Provided state and county ROW vegetation management through state and county agreements.
  • Assisted in education and field experiences for visiting groups on the BCCA.

 

WATER

Voluntary water stewardship grounded in shared knowledge and shared commitment.  Est. 2000.

  • Working with the Blackfoot Drought Response Committee, managed drought response during the worst drought conditions that the watershed has endured since the Drought Plan was created in 2000.
  • Coordinated with more than 80 drought response participants to ensure shared water conservation during the longest period of drought response in our history, including implementing mandatory water conservation measures for only the second time since 2000.
  • Completed the 15thyear of our irrigation scheduling program, providing weekly irrigation information, tips, drought strategies, and soil health concerns to over 100 irrigators throughout the watershed.
  • Continued in our 5th year of a soil moisture monitoring program, adding one additional location to bring our total to 18 locations where irrigators track daily soil moisture information, manage their irrigation applications, and test different irrigation or cropping strategies.
  • Coordinated and supported partner efforts to collect the third year of data on a hydrologic study aiming to understand the Blackfoot River’s water budget at the watershed scale. Results are providing critical understanding to inform strategic implementation of water conservation efforts and are building a dataset that will answer large-scale questions about the hydrology of the watershed.
  • Worked with multiple partners and landowners to collect a second year of stream flow and resource assessment data on three tributary streams to inform restoration designs that benefit fisheries, improve drought resiliency, and increase wetland habitats.
  • Secured funding from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to update the Blackfoot Watershed Restoration Plan and design high priority restoration projects. The plan will be updated over the next several years in collaboration with restoration partners, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, and other watershed interests.
  • With robust support from watershed partners and the Board, expanded efforts to build shared understanding, vision, and capacity to address growing recreation pressures by creating a new Recreation Program within the Blackfoot Challenge. A new program coordinator was hired in October to manage the program.
  • Hosted 8 community meetings throughout the watershed, facilitated by a team from the University of Montana’s Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management department, to collect local knowledge and concerns around recreation from watershed residents.
  • Attended 7 workshops and/or trainings, gaining knowledge in modeling low-streamflow conditions, geospatial analysis and planning tools, Montana water law and management, fluvial geomorphology, the Flathead Irrigation Project, and climate change impacts to water quantity and quality.
  • Participated in 6 outreach events delivering messages on collaborative water management, drought resiliency, water conservation tools, and stream monitoring techniques to over 200 students, natural resource professionals, and landowners.

 

WILDLIFE

Reducing human-wildlife conflicts through proactive and preventative strategies.  Est. 2002.

  • Employed an Elk Hunt Coordinator to work with hunters on hunting opportunities and scheduled hunts on participating ranches during elk hunt shoulder seasons.
  • Conducted winter track surveys in the Southwest Crown of the Continent for lynx, wolverine, wolves, mountain lion, marten, bobcat and late/early season grizzly bears.
  • Launched a pilot project on one ranch using virtual fencing to manage livestock grazing on public lands pastures, facilitating better management of livestock locations, reducing the need for hard fencing across wildlife habitats, and keeping livestock away from areas of potential conflicts with predators.
  • Installed 7 new high priority electric fences and 12 new electric drive-over mats to deter grizzly bears from home sites and calving yards to prevent bears from getting into conflict. Also provided fence materials to protect 3 bee yards,1 chicken yard, 1 sheep night pen and 1 hobby farm compound.
  • Removed 263 livestock carcasses from Blackfoot-area ranches and 338 livestock carcasses from outside the Blackfoot-area ranches to reduce attractants for bears and wolves. 
  • Hosted interactive “Bear Aware” programs at 4 watershed schools and hosted an annual training for staff at an area guest ranch.
  • Provided a team of staff and board to consult with Colorado wildlife managers and landowners as they consider conflict management tools for reintroduced wolves.
  • Provided 4 seasonal range riders to monitor livestock and wolf/grizzly bear/mountain lion activity across 72,000 acres.
  • Provided 25 bear-resistant garbage cans to watershed residents; and placed 8 additional bear-resistant garbage cans and 3 garbage dumpster enclosures throughout 5 communities to continue to support Bear Smart efforts.
  • Assisted at the 2nd annual Old Salt Festival, helping educate hundreds of guests on containing attractants and ensuring there were no conflicts with bears.
  • Set up and maintained turbo fladry at 2 ranches during calving season to prevent conflicts with wolves.
  • Handed out more than 100 cans of free bear spray and provided more than 50 cans of training/inert bear spray to watershed residents, ranchers, recreationists and hunters.
  • Assisted Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks with grizzly bear management and research efforts.