A Vision for a Landscape

Standing at the base of the Blackfoot valley, imagine getting a clear, unobstructed view of the Lolo National Forest as the landscape steadily climbs off the valley floor and tapers into the snow-dusted peaks on the horizon.

A view from the Blackfoot valley floor, looking towards the high peaks of the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex. Photo Courtesy of Traci Bignell.

Now imagine the forest areas surrounding the local communities being actively managed for forest health; from thinning projects and prescribed burns to road removal and stream restoration - local people, enriching their rural economy, while making the forest healthier for wildlife and fish, more accessible for recreation, and safer from wildfire in the process. As your gaze travels higher, you notice the human touch on the land becomes lighter. The higher you vision climbs, the lighter the touch on the land becomes, until your gaze finds the higher elevation wilderness, where only horse packers, hikers, and wildlife roam the high-country.

The The Blackfoot Clearwater Landscape Stewardship Project is a legislative proposal that helps realize this vision for the landscape. The glue that holds this vision together is trust. Residents within the Blackfoot and Seeley Swan valleys have a long history of working together and establishing trust. This “culture of cooperation” has created a climate where timber workers and ranchers can sit down with conservation organizations, as well as state and federal agencies to collectively figure out solutions that are appropriate for both the local residents and the integrity of the landscape they live in.

This trust has worked to establish certainty among groups who have tended to be at odds in the past. The proposal offers wilderness proponents the certainty of congressional protection, local community members the assurance of a guaranteed source of timber and economic revitalization, forest service managers receive creative solutions to implement forest plans, and off-road vehicle recreationalists receive expanded winter-use access.

The project will be a cooperative model that can be replicated elsewhere in the country where both forests and communities are in need of revitalization. The ultimate goal of this proposal encourages cooperation and works to conserve wilderness and wildlife while maintaining and enhancing a traditional way of life.