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At the Blackfoot Challenge, we believe that the best place to learn about the watershed is in the watershed and that our best teachers are those who have experience here. That's why our education programs are outdoors, hands-on and rely on a multitude of local residents and partners willing to share their expertise with the next generation. Based on the guidance and direction provided by our Teachers Steering Council, earlier this fall we coordinated two outdoor education days focused on the...
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 forested landscapes and communities. Cindy Super is the Forestry and Prescribed Fire Coordinator for the Blackfoot Challenge, a community-based organization that fac...
It's summertime in the Blackfoot, and that means the Blackfoot Challenge's team of range riders are back in the saddle. Every summer when cows are put out to graze their summer pastures farther away from the ranch headquarters, our range riders go with them. By actively monitoring wolf and grizzly bear activity in proximity to grazing livestock, range riders hope to decrease the potential for conflict and livestock loss. While the increase in human presence near livestock deters wolves and...
Stewardship: The careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care. What does it mean to be a good steward? This is something we think about a fair bit at the Blackfoot Challenge. Whether we find ourselves stewarding the lands and waters that we rely on or the communities that we are a part of, stewardship in all forms requires a commitment to place and a commitment to the future. We believe it also requires a commitment to one another – and to learn, adapt and share. We h...
OVANDO - The Blackfoot Challenge is pleased to announce the hiring of Seth Wilson as Executive Director. Wilson assumed the position full-time on Sept. 3, concluding the organization's eight-month national search. As the organization's first Wildlife Coordinator in 2001, Wilson brings with him a wealth of knowledge about the unique issues facing the Blackfoot watershed as well as an intimate understanding of the collaborative approach that has come to define the organization's success. "I am...
After ten years at the helm of the Blackfoot Challenge, Executive Director Gary Burnett takes position with Heart of the Rockies Initiative Dear partners and friends, It has been my honor to serve for the past ten years as the executive director of the Blackfoot Challenge. I have learned so much from the landowners, board members, staff and partners with whom it has been my privilege to work alongside. It is with tremendous gratitude that I start a new chapter guided by lessons learned in the Blackfoot. I have accepted the executive director...
Thanksgiving greetings from your partners at the Blackfoot Challenge. Please read on for a few updates on what we've been up to. We hope you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day. Trumpeter swan restoration program marks a milestone this year The Blackfoot Challenge has been working with a host of partners to restore trumpeter swans to the Blackfoot watershed since 2003. We are excited to report that 2016 has seen the most pairs of trumpeters in the Blackfoot, the greatest number of nests...
While presidential nominee hopefuls take turns slinging mud at one another and an armed militia declares a war on public lands, the Blackfoot Challenge and partners continue to work below the headlines, finding lasting solutions by working together. As this onslaught of “political theater” grabs the attention of the media, I’m reassured by the alternative approach many are taking, and have been for decades, to solving conflicts. I’m reminded of the 80/20 rule, coined by third-generation Helmville rancher David Mannix and Blackfoot Challen...
