Kevin Ertl, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Helmville. Photo by Eliza Wiley.
When you become part of the community, it changes things.
WHEN KEVIN ERTL came to the Blackfoot watershed as an employee of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service nearly 20 years ago, the community was in the early stages of trying to collectively solve water and other natural resource problems to benefit everyone. This type of work wasn’t part of Kevin’s wildlife management classes at Montana State University, but along with his new neighbors, he dove right in.
Today, Kevin is a passionate proponent of community-based solutions, including the Challenge’s ground-up approach. Why? “Because it works,” he said.
“It’s the community and the people I love the most,” Kevin said. “The health of these waters is the lifeblood of this community.”
The Blackfoot watershed includes vast wilderness, timberlands, private ranch lands, blue ribbon trout streams, and small communities – a mix that carries diverse values.
In the early 1990s, a group of community members and their agency partners decided to put aside their disagreements and focus on what they had in common. A shared concern for the health of the water quickly surfaced. From those conversations arose the Blackfoot Challenge – one of the flagship watershed groups in Montana and beyond.
The Challenge’s ground-up approach attracted its share of naysayers. But Kevin found that the most profound work happened by giving those naysayers a seat at the table. They, too, quickly realized that their commonalities were far greater than their differences.
Ranchers, loggers, anglers, shop owners, state and federal agencies all found their voice around the table – all realizing their interdependence on their shared landscape and ultimately, on each other.
“Being in a small community, I work with folks in so many capacities – from helping them with grazing plans to seeing them at the local basketball game and at funerals,” Kevin said. “When you become part of the community, it changes things.”