When The Nature Conservancy (TNC) invested in its Clearwater Blackfoot Project, we were looking to the future. But not just the future of the forest as a haven for wildlife and important waterways. We were also investing in the future of the communities who work and play on this land.
The unique structure of the investment allows us time to study the landscape’s and the community’s needs. We hope that we will be able to find permanent conservation outcomes that help communities that have long lived and worked these lands develop a more certain future—and exercise a voice in developing that future.
We figured it would take the first couple years of ownership to do our homework. With partners such as the Blackfoot Challenge and Trout Unlimited, we have been reaching out to communities, evaluating the forests and waterways and addressing urgent needs. Crews of local contractors have cleaned out or replaced more than 120 culverts, repaired roads, treated invasive weeds, started forest thinning projects and even worked on repairing a bridge over Belmont Creek.
Some land transfers are already starting to take shape. We are working with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to convey 5,500 acres north of the Blackfoot River Corridor that will connect with existing BLM lands. While we anticipate transferring more lands to the public through a mix of state and federal ownership, we are excited to explore other possibilities.
People who care about the Blackfoot watershed have told us that they want to try something new. Many folks are interested in developing a community-focused model for forest ownership and management, a model that honors traditional public access and flexible resource stewardship. We’re listening and it’s going to take a lot of work.
To evaluate the possibilities for this kind of outcome, we have partnered with TNC’s Washington state chapter. With our TNC colleagues and local partners, including the Seeley Lake Community Foundation, we’re looking at the possibilities for developing innovative ownership and community-driven management on Clearwater Blackfoot Project land and similar land in Washington.
Researchers from the University of Montana and the University of Washington are lending their expertise in ecology, environmental law, community forests and forest economics to this study of community forest models and possibilities for the region. Study elements include an overview of the specific project areas, a survey of community-led forests nationally, analysis of relevant community forest projects and a summary of enabling conditions in Montana and Washington such as state statutes related to community forests and related ownership options. We need to understand how we’d fund such an endeavor and how it would be managed. Interviews and research will begin this summer.
As researchers analyze results, we’ll be sharing the information with the community and using it to kick-start our discussions here locally. We’re grateful to the Seeley Lake Community Foundation for helping to support this study.
We don’t have to look far afield to find a groundbreaking model for community-based conservation. For more than 10 years now, the Blackfoot Community Conservation Area (BCCA) north of Ovando has been proving a model for this kind of community project. It is managed by a diverse group of local stakeholders and adjacent agencies for a variety of uses, including forest products, grazing, hunting and public access. We anticipate drawing on the lessons of the BCCA as we consider
Removing the uncertainty surrounding the future of industrial timberlands in Montana is a big task but also a big opportunity. We need creative thinking and input from all members of the community to find sustainable solutions. That’s why we invite everyone to join this process. Stay tuned for announcements about community meetings during the first few weeks of August. If you can’t make the meetings, we’d appreciate hearing from you. You can provide input at nature.org/blackfoot or call Chris Bryant at 406-214-6437.
We’d also like to remind folks that we’re having a celebration at Tupper’s Lake, just a couple miles south of Seeley, Sunday, July 24 starting at 1 p.m. If you’d like to come a bit early and lend a hand with some trail construction and campsite clean up, let us know by contacting Helen Jenkins at hjenkins@tnc.org or 406-543-6681.
Reader Comments(0)