Steve and April Woodhouse, Coopers Lake Landowners. Photo by Lindsey Mulcare.
“Everything we do has effects downstream. It all comes down to cooperation and communication, working together and doing what you can for others. We’re glad to do what we’re doing.”
FOR STEVE AND APRIL WOODHOUSE, wildfire and invasive species threaten two things they most enjoy about living in the Blackfoot – the forests that surround them and the clear, healthy waters of the lake they live on.
Ever since buying their property on Cooper’s Lake, the Woodhouses have been cutting dead, dying, and hazard trees near their house but hadn’t thought much about overall forest health. Then April and a neighbor took a forestry stewardship class together. “We learned so much,” said April. “We realized we needed to get on it, we needed to do more.”
With assistance from the Blackfoot Challenge, the Woodhouses treated the forest surrounding their home to improve its health and reduce wildfire risk. “We feel much better about our surroundings. The ground looks healthier. If a fire comes through, we can likely defend our home and it won’t be as devastating for us or for the lake.”
When the Blackfoot Challenge began monitoring for invasive mussels on Cooper’s Lake a few years ago, the Woodhouses stepped up to volunteer their boat and their time to the effort. When asked why, Steve and April replied, “Why wouldn’t we? How could we not?”
Over the years, the Woodhouses have realized just how important the health of their immediate surroundings is for the health of the entire Blackfoot watershed.