October 5, 2009

Landscape & Livelihood Hits the Road
by Cori Stanek

Photo by Colleen Ferris

We took the L&L show on the road this past week with a trip to the Blackfoot Valley, just south and east of the Swan.

We arrived at the junction of the Clearwater and Blackfoot Rivers Tuesday afternoon and thanks to the generous hospitality of a local landowner, we set up camp—and out sweet and cozy wall tent—along the shores of the Blackfoot River.

It was a full week as our Watersheds, Biogeography, and Forest & Communities courses coalesced together to the tune of tours, speakers, and critical thought about modern land management.

Day one brought us into Ovando, Montana where we met with Greg Neudecker of the US Fish & Wildlife service and the Blackfoot Challenge. After a briefing in the community fire hall about the Blackfoot Challenge and their work in the Blackfoot Valley, we headed into the field to take a look at a few wetland and stream restoration projects that the Challenge has facilitated on a number of ranches in the Valley.

On day two we rendezvoused with Juanita Vero (E Bar L Ranch), Hank Goetz (former manager of the Lubrecht Experimental Forest), Land Lindbergh (local land owner), Jim Berkey of The Nature Conservancy, and Pat O’Herren of Missoula County Rural Initiatives at the E Bar L Ranch in Greenough to discuss conservation easements and their affects on land owners and community landscapes.

The crew outside of Juanita Vero’s home on the E Bar L Ranch in Greenough.

Day three, after spending the morning helping Land clear brush from a completed thinning project on his land, we headed for Mountain Creek Taxidermy to meet with Rob Henrekin, a nationally recognized taxidermist. While visiting Rob in his shop we had the opportunity to learn about the art and livelihood of taxidermy, as well as trapping as a means of connecting with a landscape and ecosystem.

The Landscape & Livelihooders after a morning of manual labor on the Lindbergh property.
Rob Henrekin - Mountain Creek Taxidermy	Amelia and Brooke

On day four, our last day in the Blackfoot, we headed for Cottonwood Creek to explore its banks for sign of aquatic mammals.

Cottonwood Creek
Instructor Adam Leiberg explains the hallmarks of a weasel-family track.	While exploring the broad floodplain of Cottonwood Creek we stumbled upon a Beaver skeleton in the grass.

We also took the opportunity to meet with Wayne Slaght, manager of the Two Creek Ranch, to discuss carnivore management on ranchland and take a look at some of the projects their facility has implemented to control wildlife loss of their cattle.

It was a wonderful week spreading out on the sweeping pastureland of the Blackfoot—creating connections between ecosystems, communities, and the L&Lers themselves.

We’re back in the Swan now, just in time to take in the view of newly frosted peaks in the Swan Range, and are digging our heels in to Forests & Communities for the week to come.