A Place for All
As spring creeps through the door, the Blackfoot Challenge continues fostering community collaboration for the benefit of all within the Blackfoot River watershed. The beauty of collaboration is the diverse array of experiences and perspectives that are brought to the table. Together, we can combine these individual experiences to result in more effective approaches to maintaining the natural environment and rural way of life in the Blackfoot watershed. With 30 board members, 12 full- and part-time staff, nine committees and seven work groups, we work together to address natural resource issues that impact everyone in the watershed. Here is a peek into what is currently underway in a few of our programs.
Drought Planning & the Milltown Water Right
In three years, the Milltown water right – co-managed by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) and Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (FWP) – will take effect. This water right guarantees an instream flow of a minimum of 700 cubic feet per second (cfs) in the Blackfoot River near Bonner to protect native fisheries. Beginning on April 24, 2025, the priority date of this water right changes to Dec. 10, 1904, a date change that will affect many water right holders in the Blackfoot watershed. Any rights with a priority date later than 1904 may have their rights called by either CSKT or FWP if the flow of the Blackfoot River at Bonner drops below 700 cfs. If called, junior rights holders may not be able to irrigate.
The goal of the Blackfoot Challenge is to help water right holders prepare for this change with drought planning using the idea of "shared giving." The Blackfoot Drought Response Plan offers an alternative to traditional enforcement by allowing junior water users who voluntarily conserve water to potentially continue exercising some or all of their water rights. The more people that participate in this "shared giving" approach, the more we can minimize adverse impacts on individual water users as well as on fisheries during low flows. With an individualized drought plan, water right holders follow specific actions tailored to their situation. FWP and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes have prioritized our Drought Response Plan, helping us in our mission for collaboration in natural resource management.
Folks with water rights affected by the Milltown water right should begin preparations for drought plans and can find resources and assistance through the Blackfoot Challenge. Visit blackfootchallenge.org/drought-resilience to learn more.
Blackfoot Community Conservation Area
Northeast of Ovando sits 41,000 acres of land managed collaboratively for a diverse set of interests and needs. At its center, a 5,600-acre "core" owned by the Blackfoot Challenge encompasses lands that are critical to wildlife habitat, timber production, livestock grazing and outdoor recreation. Named the Blackfoot Community Conservation Area, the intention of the land is to maintain a balance between local economic sustainability and ecological health using our values of community collaboration between private and public entities. A 15-member community council manages the core and prioritizes local voices for local lands. The community council is made up of two groups, agency representatives and a diverse array of stakeholders, which can include recreationists, ranchers, outfitters, schools, local business owners or other interest groups. Annual elections of council members help ensure diversity in perspectives and experiences and more effective and meaningful management that maintains the integrity of the environment and the opportunity for stakeholders to benefit from the area. The Blackfoot Community Conservation Area is a place for all in the watershed to experience the rich beauty and opportunities that exist in its mountains, forests and plains.
To learn more about the Blackfoot Community Conservation Area, visit blackfootchallenge.org/blackfoot-community-conservation-area.
Become a Member
The Challenge always welcomes new perspectives to the table. If our mission for ground-up, collaborative approaches towards the enhancement and benefit of natural resources and the rural way of life in the Blackfoot interests you, consider becoming a member. There are no dues. Members receive our annual report, biannual newsletter and invitations to meetings and events that provide opportunities to meet other supporters, board directors and program coordinators, and learn more about our community-based programs and ways to become involved. Visit blackfootchallenge.org/become-a-member to sign up!
Reader Comments(0)