TRAIL STEWARDSHIP VOLUNTEER VALUE $41, VOLUNTEERS VOLUNTEER HOURS MILES IMPROVED

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1 TRAIL STEWARDSHIP 2017 VOLUNTEERS 58 VOLUNTEER VALUE $41, VOLUNTEER HOURS 2217 MILES IMPROVED 26

2 MWA Trail Stewardship in 2017 This summer, Volunteer Trail Crews continued Montana Wilderness Association s legacy of engaging volunteers in bootson-the-ground service with 58 volunteers compiling 2,217 hours of service on Montana s public lands. The majority of the work accomplished by the MWA Volunteer Trail Crew focused on clearing and maintaining trails on the Continental Divide Trail, contributing toward the access to places we value for solitude, recreation and enjoyment. MWA also partnered with the Backcountry Horsemen, Montana Conservation Corps and Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation on stewardship projects that not only cleared trail in the Blackfoot Clearwater but also preserved historic structures and repaired fence in the Badger-Two Medicine. Volunteers, partners, and friends old and new invested sweat equity into a total of 26 miles of improvement on trails that Montanans love to hike, bike and ride. Volunteer Trail Crews are a critical component in MWA s stewardship of priority landscapes. Without the dedicated individuals who give so much time, muscle and sweat, this program would not exist. This includes the packers with Backcountry Horsemen that enable us to get into the backcountry, packing the gear and equipment necessary to do the work. And whether working in smoky heat, wet snow or clear skies, volunteer crews always manage to have a great time. Volunteer John Repke reports, It was a memorable, rewarding and fun experience. It felt good to give back with some trail work...having some really good food in the backcountry and enjoying the fireside chats with the group made it feel like a vacation rather than work. After helping maintain trail in the Anaconda Pintler Wilderness, volunteer Bret Leudke of Whitefish said, Although there was a lot of hard work, the experience was exceptional. I came away with a sense of accomplishment, pride in the work we did and a better understanding of the critical piece volunteer support plays in helping to maintain our public lands. For the third summer in a row, MWA and Montana Conservation Corps collaborated to mobilize Blackfeet youth trail crews in the Badger-Two Medicine. The Blackfeet Youth Conservation Corps Crew worked with the Rocky Mountain Ranger District on the CDT, Glacier National Park and Blackfeet Nation to steward the ancestral landscape. Projects included loon monitoring, fuels reduction, fencing for the Bison initiative, archaeological inventorying and preparations for North American Indian Days. This partnership with MCC exposes youth from the Blackfeet Reservation to career opportunities in conservation and nurtures their connection with the Badger-Two Medicine. MWA also partnered with MCC on a CDT reroute at Clack Creek in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Another valuable partner in 2017 was the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation. Together, MWA and BMWF organized a trail maintenance project near Hahn Pass, an area that will become designated Wilderness when the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act is passed by Congress. A major accomplishment of this summer was wrapping up work in the Granite Butte area of the Continental Divide Trail located just outside of Lincoln, MT. Restoration on the Granite Butte Lookout was completed in 2016 and it s currently available as an over-night rental to the public. And this summer MWA was able to complete the trails portion of the project leading up to the lookout by moving three miles of the CDT from existing road onto a single-track trail - enhancing the trail experience for hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians. MWA led a crew comprised of youth from Montana Academy in digging new tread to construct a large section of the trail. We also secured a grant that enabled us to hire a local trails contractor to convert major sections of road into trail. Restoring the historic lookout and converting three miles of road into trail was no small undertaking and took several years to complete. This long-term project and vision would have been impossible without the continued support and commitment of dedicated MWA members, volunteers, and staff both past and present. Moving forward, the stewardship of public lands will remain a high priority for MWA. Our Volunteer Trail Crews will continue work to maintain and complete the Continental Divide Trail in Montana. We ll also venture into new landscapes that have backlogged trail maintenance projects and are in need of an extra hand. Partners and stakeholders are a pivotal part of this vision and most importantly, the world-class volunteers who show up every year to work the trails. A big thanks to all our partners and volunteers who made a difference in Here s to another year of keeping Montana wild! 2

3 2017 Trail Stewardship Projects Badger-Two Med Blackfeet MCC Crew 8 MCCers, 695 hours Hahn Pass BMWF Partnership Crew 7 Volunteers, 448 Hours Granite Butte Public Project & Montana Academy 15 Volunteers, 434 Hours MacDonald Pass 8 Volunteers, 184 Hours Mystic Lake 8 Volunteers, 368 Hours Upper Seymour 10 Volunteers, 363 Hours Storm Lake 8 Volunteers, 355 Hours Centennials 8 Volunteers, 433 Hours PROJECT LANDSCAPE WORK ACCOMPLISHMENTS Blackfeet MCC Crew Badger-Two Medicine Fencing, Trail Maintenance 695 Service Hours Hahn Pass Blackfoot Clearwater Retread 4,200 retread Granite Butte CDNST New Trail Construction 2,270 new trail MacDonald Pass CDNST Structure Improvement 800 bull rail replaced Mystic Lake AP Wilderness, CDNST Clearing, Brushing 13 miles logged out Upper Seymour Lake AP Wilderness, CDNST Trail Maintenance, Carins 4.5 miles maintenance Storm Lake AP Wilderness, CDNST Social Closure + Rehab, Carins 3000 social trail demoed Centennials Centennial Mountains WSA Reroute, Brushing 1000 new trail 3

4 Volunteer Profiles JULIE SCHRAM 2017 Volunteer of the Year Hamilton, MT Selway Pintler Backcountry Horsemen Rancher & Packer / 7x Volunteer / Mystic Lake & Upper Seymour I love packing crews in. It is my way of saying thank you for working on trails. Going back in after the work is done I am always amazed by what has been accomplished. JEAN ARTHUR Bozeman, MT Authored article about VTC for Alaska Airline Magazine Writer / First Time Volunteer / Storm Lake I had no idea I could move so much rock in a week! [Its clear] how important the carins were we met a hiker who told us that she d found a lost hiker in Goat Flats during a white out. She said the carins we built will make the CDT safer for all travellers. DAN DISCO FENN Coxsaxie, NY 2015 Volunteer of the Year Retired, Military Veteran / Triple Crown Thru Hiker / 12x Volunteer / Centennials "The people I meet on the projects are just a special bunch of folks. Sure, you have a few odd balls here and there (no doubt I've been considered one by others), but boy are they a good group of like-minded individuals. HALEY ROE Middlebury, VT Student / MCC Alumni / First Time Volunteer / Upper Seymour & Limestone Pass I was able to work alongside horse packers, forest service rangers, hikers, recreationists, and others. It was heartwarming and humbling to see first-hand how the livelihoods and passions for so many people rests upon the health and accessibility of our public lands. TIM WENTHE Livingston, MT Business Owner, Retired Law Enforcement / 4x Volunteer / Centennials "My lasting impression is that Bureau of Land Management oversees public lands far more beautiful and untouched than I previously thought. Sure was enjoyable working side by side with Chris McGrath and the BLM. BRET LUEDKE Whitefish, MT MWA Flathead-Kootenai Chapter Vice President Retired, Military Veteran / First Time Volunteer / Upper Seymour Although there was a lot of hard work, the experience was exceptional. I came away with a sense of accomplishment, pride in the work we did and a better understanding of the critical piece volunteer support plays in helping to maintain our public lands. 4

5 Granite Butte Lookout Legacy Project Lookout Restoration & New Trail Construction on CDT Complete! Granite Butte Lookout is a historic and scenic treasure. Originally built in 1932, and reconstructed in 1962, Granite Butte is the only lookout tower that sits atop Montana s Continental Divide. It sat in disrepair for decades until former program director Shannon Freix formulated a partnership with the Lincoln Ranger District to begin the process of restoration. Thus began a five-year partnership between MWA and Lincoln Ranger District to bolster recreation opportunities surrounding Granite Butte Lookout. Thanks to countless volunteer hours, government grants and private donations, the lookout tower was complete in It is now available for rental by the public and stays occupied most every night, year-round. Renovating the lookout tower was just the beginning. The nearby Continental Divide National Scenic Trail was rerouted off the dirt road and onto new trail leading up to the lookout. Contractors, paid by MWA-secured funds, and over 50 volunteers from across the country built three miles of new trail around Granite Butte. MWA s Stewardship program and Lincoln RD s cumulative work has made Granite Butte a premier destination for hikers, campers, bikers and stock users. MWA s partnerships with youth-serving organizations have been instrumental in completing this new section of the CDNST. Montana Youth Challenge Academy, based out of Dillon, and Montana Academy Therapeutic Boarding School contributed substantial amounts of volunteer labor. A big thanks to these two programs for lending a hand and helping make a positive impact in the lives of youth! 23 Youth Volunteers 992 Youth Crew Hours I see Granite Butte as a generational bridge. It serves as a place-based story of our history that will entice youth to not only learn about that history, but connect with nature through a fun place like this Granite Butte. Michael Stansberry, Lincoln District Ranger 5

6 Blackfeet Youth Conservation Corps Crew MWA & Montana Conservation Corps Partnership In 2017, Montana Wilderness Association and Montana Conservation Corps continued their partnership providing conservation service opportunities for Blackfeet Youth in the Badger-Two Medicine. The Blackfeet Youth Conservation Corps Crew, comprised of two MCC AmeriCorps volunteers and six Blackfeet ages 18 24, worked with the Rocky Mountain Ranger District, Blackfeet Nation and Glacier National Park to steward the ancestral landscape. Projects included loon monitoring, fuels reduction, fencing for the Bison initiative, archaeological inventorying and setting up for North American Indian Days. MWA funded three weeks of project work. All three weeks were in the Badger-Two Medicine landscape and two of those continued MWA s legacy of work on the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. This included one week at the historic Badger Cabin located directly atop the Continental Divide. Funds provided by a Challenge Cost Service Agreement with the USFS and a generous $3,500 donation by MWA s Island Range Chapter. Thank you to everyone who gave their time or money to make this wonderful partnership bear fruit. Most importantly, thank you to the hardworking Blackfeet youth and AmeriCorps volunteers who spent their summer stewarding this special place! MWA Sponsored Accomplishments New Trail Constructed: 1.25 miles Noxious Weed Removal: 4 acres Trail Maintenanced: 5 miles Drainage Structures: 25 Hazard Trees Felled: 30 Brushing: ½ mile Crew Service Days: 15 Fencing: 7 miles Crew Service Hours: 695 MCC Cirriculum Lessons: 3 6

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8 Volunteer Trail Crew: By the Numbers VOLUNTEERS ACCOMPLISHMENTS Trail Crew Volunteers: 58 New Trail Constructed: 3,326 Trail Crew Hours: 1,508 Trail Retread: 4.5 miles Volunteer Packers: 6 Trees Removed: 240 Volunteer Packing Hours: 96 Drains Maintained: 170 Total Volunteer Hours (incl. travel): 2,217 Drains Constructed: 26 Youth Volunteers: 14 Structure Work: 800 Bull Railing replaced Military Veterans: 11 Brushing: 6.5 miles First Time Volunteers: 35 Social Trail Closed & Rehabilitated: 3,100 Male/Female Ratio: 4 to 1 Carins Built: 15 Camp Cooks: 2 Campfire Rings Dispersed: 8 Meals Served: 660 Stumps Removed: 12 Service Days: 228 Total Miles Hiked: 1,215 Total Volunteer Value: $41, Total Miles Improved: 26 8

9 THANK YOU To every volunteer, donor, USFS/BLM employee, and MWA staff member who helped make this season happen. Keep it Wild! 9