The Blackfoot Watershed has a strong history of locally-led conservation and restoration. Beginning in the mid-1970’s, private landowners developed the Blackfoot River Recreation Corridor Agreement and established two Walk-In Hunting areas near the confluence of the Clearwater and Blackfoot Rivers. In that same timeframe, the first conservation easement in Montana was acquired in the Blackfoot Valley.  Thanks to the vision of these landowners, an important foundation was established for public and private partners to work together on restoring and protecting habitat, fish and wildlife populations in the Blackfoot River basin.

The Blackfoot Challenge, Trout Unlimited and The Nature Conservancy began the process of developing a subbasin plan for the Blackfoot watershed in fall 2007.  The purpose of the sub-basin plan is to create a comprehensive strategy for conserving, restoring and enhancing the natural resources and rural lifestyle of the Blackfoot watershed using a community-based approach to conservation.  The process has included coordinating existing plans (i.e. the Basin-Wide Restoration Action Plan for the Blackfoot Watershed, TMDLs, etc.) that have occurred in the watershed to strengthen conservation and restoration partnerships at the landscape scale.

Based on community, agency and partner interest, four technical work groups were formed in early 2008 to address the following conservation targets:  native salmonids, herbaceous wetlands, moist site and riparian vegetation, native grassland/sagebrush communities, low elevation ponderosa pine/western larch forest, mid to high elevation coniferous forest, and grizzly bears.  An additional target that was identified early on in the planning process includes maintenance of the rural way of life in the Blackfoot watershed.  Although a work group did not form to address this target, the Blackfoot Challenge and its partners have been actively trying to define the rural way of life and indicators that might be used to evaluate efforts to preserve what each community in the watershed values about this place.  The reader will find this subject referenced throughout the document. 

The technical work groups have met regularly over the past year to assess the viability of the natural resources and rural way of life in the Blackfoot watershed, design proactive strategies for abating critical threats to these resources and develop monitoring mechanisms and tools for the future.

Please provide comments on the Blackfoot Subbasin Plan by July 15 to ali@blackfootchallenge.org or info@blackfootchallenge.org.

On behalf of the partners, thanks for your participation in this project!