Selway-Bitterroot Foundation Autumn/Winter 2007 Newsletter Thanks to all the supporters of the Selway-Bitterroot Foundation. It is through your generous contributions of money, time, wares, and services that we may achieve our mission and goals. Our Mission: The Selway Bitterroot Foundation is committed to connecting citizens and communities to assist in the stewardship of the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness and surrounding wildlands. Our Goals: 1. Work in support of the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness on the Bitterroot, Clearwater, and NezPerce National Forests and surrounding wildlands in an effort to promote stewardship. 2. Build citizen and community support for wilderness and wildland programs and projects. 3. Create opportunities for volunteer participation in wilderness and wildland programs and projects. 4. Foster awareness of wilderness and wildland values and promote understanding of wilderness and wildland ethics, history and ecology. 5. Form long-term relationships with individuals, communities, tribes, organizations, businesses, and other agencies to achieve these goals. Board Members: Beth Bonham, Stevensville, MT Lisa Gerloff, Missoula, MT Jane Holman, Moscow, ID Tom Kovalicky, Grangeville, ID Bob Schumaker, Hamilton, MT Sarah Walker, Moscow, ID Message from the Chair Thank you all for making SBF s first project year a great success! After a couple of years of meeting, discussing, and developing the idea of the Selway-Bitterroot Foundation (SBF), my fellow board members and I were anxious to see what 2007 would bring. Thanks to a strong showing at our fundraisers in Missoula and Lewiston and support from the National Forest Foundation and the Cinnabar Foundation, the SBF was able to hire a Wilderness Steward and projects were accomplished on the ground. How lucky could we get to hire Connie Saylor Johnson as our first Wilderness Steward? Connie had just retired from the SBF Board Members - Selway River
Forest Service as a wilderness ranger on the Nez Perce National Forest in the spring. She knows the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness and was already familiar with many of the projects we had in mind for the summer. And she came with her own packer her husband Lloyd Johnson! You will have a chance to read about the work Connie and Lloyd accomplished in this edition of the SBF newsletter. We are sure hoping to have Connie and Lloyd back next summer. SBF board members did not sit idle over the field season. We had our first board retreat May 17-19 at the Fenn Ranger Station along the stunning Selway River. We worked on fun items such as roles and responsibilities of board members and strategic planning. Ok maybe not fun exactly, but we did have a great time on the volunteer work project the folks at Fenn had lined up for usdemolishing a couple deteriorating picnic tables and fire rings. On June 29 th July 1 st, SBF Board member, Sarah Walker, Beth Bonham and Lisa Gerloff, assisted The University of Montana s Wilderness Institute staff in mapping weeds in the Big Creek area of the Selway- Bitterroot Wilderness (south of Victor, MT). Beth will be sharing more with you on this project. Lisa Gerloff, Beth Bonham, Sarah Walker, & Teekle SBW Boundary Big Creek Who else did SBF work with? To help kick off SBF s first project year, the National Smokejumper Association donated/accomplished a project in our name. Retired Smokejumper and SBF board member, Bob Schumaker, was part of the crew that started on trail maintenance in the Colt Killed Creek area, but due to fire moved to well, Bob will fill you in on the rest. What s next? The cycle repeats some of the board members are conferring with the Forest Service on projects for summer 2008, others of us are researching and applying for grants to support those projects, and all of us are planning the next fundraisers. How can you help? Please continue with your generous financial support. There are opportunities to contribute in other ways too: Be a volunteer. Let us know you want to be on our volunteer contact list. Be a board member or sit on one of our committees. Be our executive director. This is not a paid position (yet!); we are working on it. If you are interested, please contact us at SelwayBitterroot@gmail.com. Two last thank yous before I end. Thank you to the Forest Service, especially to the wilderness managers and rangers that work with us. And thank you to the helpful folks Bitter Root RC & D, our efforts are accomplished under their umbrella. Best, Lisa Gerloff Board Chair, Selway-Bitterroot Foundation Big Creek Lake 2
2007 Field Season Projects Completed SBF Wilderness Steward The Selway Bitterroot was abuzz with volunteer activity from the Montana side to the Clearwater, Idaho area during field season, 07. Even as a fledgling organization, the Selway Bitterroot Foundation coordinated, launched and supported diverse volunteer groups and a wide array of projects on three forests: Bitterroot NF; Clearwater NF; and Nez Perce NF. In addition to other projects reported on in this newsletter, I coordinated, oversaw, and performed 6 major projects that included 34 volunteers for 2,595 hours. SCA Crew Cliff Creek A group of eight SCA (Student Conservation Association) volunteers rehabilitated a two-mile section of non-system trail on the Clearwater NF. Six high school students from all over the US, and two experienced leaders rendered the trail impassable, installed check dams and water bars for erosion control, and took steps to encourage new plant growth and discourage travel. Three volunteer packers and their animals supported the group with food, tool and gear transportation. They packed the group into and out from the project as well as packing a resupply within the five-week period the group remained on the job. A group of 16 students (high school and early college age) from Iowa backpacked to Two Lakes on the Nez Perce NF where they rehabilitated a highly used boundary trail and heavily impacted campsites near the lakes. Four professional naturalists lead the group and provided inspiring educational sessions. They watched closely as fires burned in the distance with the potential to make leaving the project necessary. The group was on the project for one week and did not use any stock support other than the transport of tools. A volunteer packer, Lloyd Johnson, supported volunteer hosts at Elk Summit and Fish Lake, two high profile points of entry into the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness. He gave orientation sessions, completed necessary volunteer paper work and packed supplies to and from Fish Lake. Throughout July and August, I intermittently visited Stanley Hot Springs where I cleaned up sites, removed fire rings, pulled and cut invasive weeds, and made several visitor contacts. Along with FS personnel, I completed campsite inventories in the Wind Lakes area as well as made an extensive inspection of potential grazing areas, and considered a grazing monitoring protocol to be initiated next spring. A plan to clean up a burned over cabin site at Colt Killed Creek on the Clearwater NF was cancelled because of fire. The Selway Bitterroot Foundation Board had planned that cleanup as a boardmember project but will postpone it until next year. The Foundation is off to a great start in implementing volunteer projects to support and enhance the Selway Bitterroot lands. Hopefully the program will expand to include technical support and other types of projects. -Connie Saylor-Johnson, SBF Wilderness Steward 3
Selway River In mid-may the SBF Board Members met at the Fenn Ranger Station for a three day Board Retreat. To provide us some relief from designating committees, writing board responsibilities, and strategic planning (and to get us outside where we belong) one afternoon we spent sweating along the Selway River. We disassembled a couple of debilitated picnic tables and removed two fire rings. We laughed and told stories as we welded sledgehammers, shovels, and picks. The heavy, hot, satisfying work was just what we needed to get our heads back in the game. Meadow Creek Sarah Walker, Jane Holman, Jim Renshaw, & Larry Jakub - Selway River For four days in late May, Jim Renshaw, a SBF Advisory Board Member, along with three other volunteers from The Backcountry Horsemen packed 13 head of stock into the Meadow Creek Station. They opened the station for the summer, connected the water system, stocked horse feed and repaired the corral. During the trip they cleared 20 miles of trail. Although Meadow Creek is outside of the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness the project fits within our mission to assist in the stewardship of the Wilderness and surrounding wildlands. Big Creek Lake SBF Board Members, Lisa Gerloff, Sarah Walker, and I assisted the University of Montana s Wilderness Institute in their noxious weed monitoring program on the Bitterroot National Forest for three days at the end of June. Gill Gale of the Bitterroot National Forest met us at the Big Creek Trailhead to give us an educational and inspiring talk about the impact noxious weeds have on the management of wildlands and the harm they present to the biodiversity of this planet and the importance of the type of data collection we were to assist with on this trip. Eli - Wilderness Institute Three Wilderness Institute Staff gave the board members and another volunteer joining the trip an orientation to weed identification, removal techniques, monitoring protocol, and an introduction and practice time with the GPS units to be used for mapping locations of all weeds. We then headed up the Big Creek Trail at a snails pace eyes glued to the ground in attempts to spot those awful weeds. We found tall buttercup, ox-eyed daisy, sulfur cinquefoil, and of course knapweed along the trailsides but luckily none were found far from the edge of the trail. After a few hours of locating, mapping, and some removal it was decided if we were to make camp at Big Creek Lake that evening we had better get a move on it. 4
We made it to the lake in time to have dinner as dusk was approaching. The Wilderness Institute folks know how to treat their volunteers; we had awesome food and great conversation. The next morning as we were munching on breakfast one of the team decided to take a celebratory twentysomething Birthday dip into the chilly lake. Those of us that had seen many more moons sat back with grins on our faces remembering those days. I unfortunately had to leave our crew late that morning to get back to my reality. The rest of the crew divided into two teams; one to map weeds along Big Creek Lake, and the other to map along the South Fork Trail. All met back at the campsite for I m sure another great wilderness meal. The last day of the trip was spent hiking back down Big Creek Trail mapping the weeds of the upper portion of the trail. This trip was a great experience for me; it was the first backpacking trip I had been on since the birth of my daughter Lisa Gerloff - Big Creek Trail and the first night I spent away from my daughter. I learned that this ex-backcountry ranger is sorely out of shape, that Lisa can hike you into the ground, and Sarah is a walking encyclopedia of natural history. This trip also helped me to remember why we spend countless hours writing grants, creating mission statements, making meeting agendas, putting on fundraisers, etc.; it s the Wilderness! Thank you Laurie, Jodie, and Eli for a great trip! -Beth Bonham, Board Member Smokejumper Project Where? Hidden Lake, no Colt Killed Creek, no Lolo Motorway???? At the spring fundraiser in Lewiston, Idaho, Jon McBride announced The National Smokejumper Association Trail Maintenance Program was generously donating a trail project to the Selway-Bitterroot Foundation. This donation equaled an 8-10 person crew for five days doing trail work in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness as well as the cost of food and mileage for the crew. ( FYI: the first fire jump from an airplane was in the Selway-Bitterroot at Marten Creek, in the Moose Creek District of the Nez Perce National Forest in 1940). The Project was coordinated with the Forest Service and scheduled to be a bridge project near Hidden lake starting July 23 rd. Fires burning in the area had different plans, so the project was changed to trail maintenance up Colt Killed Creek. Jim Renshaw and a crew of five other Backcountry Horsemen packed in 16 head of stock with necessary food and supplies and set up camp. The NSA trail crew was made up of nine ex-smokejumpers from across the country, including myself. We started clearing trail on July 24 th, cutting brush and downed trees until 6:00 that evening when we cached our tools and hustled on up the trail to camp for a wonderful late supper. The next morning we hiked back down the trail to where we had left off and started clearing the trail back up to the camp and two miles beyond. We had cleared a total of about 10 miles of trail when we observed lots of smoke over the ridge to the south. The Bridge Fire was making a run toward 5
our location and we were told to evacuate. After a long hike out we arrive at the Powell Ranger Station at about 11:00 that night. New plan: The packers took their stock down river to Kooskia while we waited for a helicopter to sling-load the rest of camp out of Colt Killed Creek. After conferring with the Forest Service about new work assignments, we broke into two teams. One team repaired and re-stained interpretive signs and kiosks up the Lolo Motorway. The other team went to work remodeling a log cabin near Wendover that had been relocated from Lolo Pass. Meanwhile the Backcountry Horsemen returned from Kooskia and re-setup camp at Wendover Campground where we spent the next three nights. The two teams traded work locations for a little variety. On Sunday, the last day of work we ended the day at Jerry Johnson hot springs for a warm and well-deserved soak. On Monday July 30 th we broke camp and headed back home. Although the week did not go as planned we accomplished a lot of good, needed work and had a rewarding experience. -Bob Schumaker, Board Member Upcoming Events Planning is underway for the Annual Winter Gatherings and Fundraisers, one in Montana and one in Idaho. Times and locations will be announced in the near future. We look forward to spending the evening with others that care deeply about the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. Looking to the 2008 Field Season Bob Schumaker - Lolo Motorway The SBF s goal for 2008 is to complete 2-3 projects on each of the forests (Bitterroot, Clearwater and Nez Perce) that manage the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness and surrounding wildlands. Although we are still in the process of identifying projects with the Forest Service and securing funding, here are some examples of projects that are being considered: Rehabilitation/restoration work in the following areas at Wind Lakes (Clearwater) and Big Creek (Bitterroot) Assist in backlog of Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) inventory (Nez Perce) Cabin Steward Program establishing partners that will help FS take care of cabins and provide logistical support for volunteer wilderness rangers working out of those facilities. St. Mary s Lookout, Meadow Creek Cabin, Shear St. Mary s Lookout Cabin, Fish Lake Cabin, Gold Meadow Cabin Fire rehabilitation on trails affected by the Bridge Creek Fire Trail condition surveys Artist in Residence Program 6
You are Needed People like you are the reason the Selway-Bitterroot Foundation had a successful 2007 field season. We need your continued support for future successes! What we need: Financial Support Board activity (Board Members, Advisory Members, Committee Members) Executive Director Help with events and fundraisers Grant writers Volunteers (field work, shuttles, drivers, hikers, etc.) Pack Support for future projects Project Ideas If you would like to share a project idea, news for the next newsletter, volunteer your time, or find out more information, please contact us at:selway-bitterroot Foundation PO Box 8103 Missoula, MT 59807 Phone: 406-777-1653 Email: SelwayBitterroot@gmail.com 7
SUPPORT THE SBF! The Selway-Bitterroot Foundation depends upon donations to make projects happen. Please support the work of the Selway-Bitterroot Foundation by making a donation. $25 Whitecap Creek $50 Wylies Peak $100 Moose Creek $250 El Capitan $500 Selway River Please make your check out to Bitterroot RC&D (our fiscal sponsor) and write Selway- Bitterroot Foundation in the subject line. $1000 Trapper Peak $ SBF Benefactor Name: Address: City: State: Zip: Phone: Email: Please check here if you would like to receive volunteer information. Please Mail Form To: Selway-Bitterrroot Foundation PO Box 8103 Missoula, MT 59807 8
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