Blackfoot Stewardship: Overview of Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project

Standing at the base of the Blackfoot Clearwater valley, imagine getting a clear, unobstructed view of the Lolo National Forest as the landscape steadily climbs off the valley floor and tapers into the snow-dusted peaks on the horizon.

Now imagine the forest areas surrounding the local communities being actively managed for forest health; from thinning projects and prescribed burns to road removal and stream restoration - local people, enriching their rural economy, while making the forest healthier for wildlife and fish, more accessible for recreation, and safer from wildfire in the process. As your gaze travels higher, you notice the human touch on the land becomes lighter. The higher your vision climbs, the lighter the touch on the land becomes, until your gaze finds the higher elevation Wilderness, where only horse packers, hikers, and wildlife roam the high-country.

The Blackfoot Clearwater Landscape Stewardship Project is a grassroots land-management proposal that helps realize this vision for the landscape. The glue that holds this vision together is trust. Residents within the Blackfoot and Seeley Swan valleys have a long history of working together and establishing trust. This “culture of cooperation” has created a climate where timber workers and ranchers can sit down with conservation organizations, as well as state and federal agencies, to collectively work out solutions that are appropriate for both the local residents and the integrity of the landscape they live in.

The results are a project which establishes certainty among groups who have tended to be at odds in the past. The proposal offers wilderness proponents the certainty of congressional protection, local community members the assurance of a guaranteed source of timber and economic revitalization, forest service managers receive creative solutions to implement forest plans, and off-road vehicle recreationists receive expanded winter-use access.

If passed by Congress, this project will be a cooperative model that can be replicated elsewhere in the country where both forests and communities are in need of revitalization. The ultimate goal of this proposal encourages cooperation and works to demonstrate that conserving Wilderness and wildlife while maintaining and enhancing a traditional way of life are not mutually exclusive goals.

Due to its collaborative nature, the project has already received support from many diverse groups in Montana including: county commissioners in the three affected counties, local advisory councils, snowmobile clubs, industry and conservation organizations, local landowners, and sports groups. This broad base of support indicates that Montanans are looking for a land management model that does the right things on the ground for the right reasons, and is not bogged down by conflict and stalemate politics. For more information, visit the project website.