Creating a working landscape for all

As passersby take in the Blackfoot watershed's forests, waterways and wildlife, many have no idea that a unique concept to benefit all community members came to life in the heart of the watershed – with the creation of a community forest known as the Blackfoot Community Conservation Area (BCCA).

Back in 2003, recognizing the increasing potential for habitat fragmentation, the Blackfoot Challenge and The Nature Conservancy initiated a large-scale land acquisition effort known as the Blackfoot Community Project to purchase up to 89,215 acres of Plum Creek Timber Company lands. As part of the process, community members led the way in developing a community conservation area at the base of Ovando Mountain. Residents expressed support for keeping the area open for future generations and maintaining traditional uses such as hunting, foot and horseback use, snowmobiling, livestock grazing and sustainable timber management.

Today, the BCCA incorporates two management levels: the BCCA Core comprised of 5,600 acres owned by the Blackfoot Challenge and managed by the 15-member BCCA Council comprised of 11 community members/user groups and four state/federal agencies; and the larger BCCA itself – covering 41,000 acres of surrounding public and private lands. The BCCA Core lands are collaboratively managed with state and federal partners as well as area landowners through the Council and multiple Council work groups. Operating through consensus, the Council members follow a vision statement to "Develop a working landscape that balances ecological diversity with local economic sustainability for the future benefit of the Blackfoot watershed community."

With that in mind, over the last 20 years, Blackfoot Challenge staff, partners and the BCCA Council members have coordinated dozens of stewardship projects to enhance the BCCA and ensure the area fulfills its original purpose of sustainable, multiple use.

One of the BCCA's most recent projects provides a model of that cross-boundary cooperation and multiple use vision that guides BCCA stewardship. In partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC), the BCCA implemented a project aimed at enhancing road infrastructure and access on three ownerships within the BCCA. Together the partners are creating a seasonal motorized loop route that will complement existing cross-boundary public access for recreation, improve safety and support natural resource management activities.

As part of this work, the BCCA is also upgrading the public parking area and informational kiosk for visitors entering from the Boot Tree Road access point. All of this work will enhance public recreation opportunities on the BCCA during the eight-week motorized season and assist with ongoing management activities.

"This road project would not have happened without our partnerships with the Forest Service and DNRC and our shared commitment to collaborative stewardship," said Brad Weltzien, Blackfoot Challenge land steward and BCCA manager. "Thanks to the active coordination of many partners and landowners through the BCCA Council, we can implement projects like this that cross ownership boundaries and expand recreation benefits without compromising the conservation values."

But that's not all the BCCA has been up to. In keeping with the BCCA Council's multiple-use goals, the area has benefited from numerous stewardship and public engagement projects over the years. Those efforts include:

• Active forest management with select harvesting to improve forest health and generate revenue to support overall management.

• Outdoor education programs for area students, including Youth Field Days this fall for multiple schools.

• Addition and maintenance of a couple miles of public hiking trails.

• Innovative grazing management and administration of three grazing leases with neighboring ranches.

• Ongoing treatment of noxious weeds.

• Participation in Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Block Management Area Program to enhance public hunting opportunities.

In addition, the BCCA recently piloted prescribed burn projects covering more than 110 acres to improve forest resilience and better understand the logistics required for beneficial prescribed fire. The BCCA Council is now exploring opportunities to expand the use of prescribed fire in conjunction with forest thinning projects in the coming years.

One additional benefit from all of this work is the impacts on the local economy. These BCCA stewardship projects employ area contractors and provide an ongoing source of opportunity for local business owners. Raw materials from projects have also been delivered to nearby mills.

The BCCA offers a rare, community-managed conservation model – one that supports the interests and needs of diverse community members and partners. While caring for the land, the BCCA Council also strives to provide responsible recreational use at sustainable levels to benefit the public as well as the health of the natural resources. No matter your interest - horseback riding, hiking, hunting, mountain biking, camping, wildlife viewing, snowshoeing, berry picking or just learning more about forest and land stewardship - the BCCA is a great place to explore.

For more information, including maps of the BCCA, please visit the Blackfoot Challenge website at: http://www.blackfootchallenge.org/blackfoot-community-conservation-area/