BOB MARSHALL WILDERNESS FOUNDATION
Trails Newsletter Winter 2018 Letter from the Executive Director
Trails are the veins of our communities and connect us to our American heritage. For over 20 years, The Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation has cleared and maintained trails in the Bob for hikers, backpackers, horse riders, and other traditional uses. BMWF volunteers come from across the US and give their time to clear trails in the Bob because they value Wilderness, the solitude it provides, and access to places that can only be Trail Dogs of the Year: reached by horse or foot travel. They use their boots to express their voice. That number is not insignificant; it represents thousands of voices. Join the BMWF in 2018 to become a part of this wilderness community. It’ll be a boot-stomping, Pulaski-swinging, weed-pulling good time! Celebrate 50 years of the Wild and Scenic Rivers and the Trails Stewardship Acts by participating on a volunteer adventure (dates for Field Season 2018 will be shared online on March 1). You can also attend the Wilderness Speaker Series and/or Mountainfilm on Tour prior to BMWF’s summer programs. Visit bmwf.org/events to learn more. In 2018, BMWF will bring back the Wilderness Conservation Corps and grow the Wilderness Ranger Intern and Packer Apprentice programs. We’ve also added a Stewardship Coordinator to our staff thanks to generous funding from the Patti Hoksenbergen-Hunter Estate. The Coordinator will act as a mentor and skills educator to interns, help with project coordination, and capture the accomplishments of 11 interns and 2 apprentices as they travel in and out of the Wilderness throughout the summer.
Happy Trails in 2018!
Cover photo credit: Chris Peterson Planning a trip into the Bob? Check the trail conditions online map before you go!
There are 1700 miles of trail in the Bob. With so many choices, finding a trail takes careful planning and Mother Nature is full of uncertainties. The BMWF website now hosts an interactive map that displays trail clearing reports. Bi-weekly updates indicate where crews have recently cleared trails. Other helpful features for the public include hazards and fire boundaries. To plan your trip, go to www.bmwf.org/trail-conditions/ MARCH 20 Great Falls on tour MARCH 21 Helena tickets at MARCH 22 Whitefish www.bmwf.org/events Trail Dogs of the Year: Darlene & wayne Thompson Darlene and Wayne are a dynamic duo of dedicated volunteers. Hailing from Great Falls, Montana, Darlene and Wayne have been volunteering with the BMWF since 2009! For them, it’s simply getting away from TV and phones and exploring new landscapes while giving back. For the fellow volunteers and Crew Leaders in the Wilderness with these two, it’s their positive attitudes and hard work that makes them such good company. Plus, they can pick lots of huckleberries! PACKER OF THE YEAR: DEB SCHATZ Deb and her husband Greg joined the Backcountry Horsemen in 1991. Soon after, they realized they needed another horse to use as a pack animal if they wanted to keep up with the older members. Once they got enough animals to constitute ‘a string,’ Deb and Greg began volunteering to pack for the BMWF. Over the years, Deb has contributed to the BMWF in many ways including donating Check the trail conditions goods to fundraisers, crunching numbers at auctions, or packing tools and supplies into online map before you go! the Wilderness for volunteer work groups. Her real passion lies in helping girls and women get out in the backcountry, learn skills that will help them be strong, confident and independent young women. Because of this passion, Deb has lead an all-women packing group who packs in tools and gear for our all-girl volunteer trips! 2017
700 MILES HIKED
328 HORSE & MULE LOADS Income Expenses
18% KIDS Worked a total of 336 1824 volunteers SERVICE DAYS ON > 46 PROJECTS
FROM 19 STATES 3061 TREES CLEARED Totaling 17 $440,128 ACRES OF in Wilderness WEEDS TREATED Stewardship Value 180
MILES OF TRAIL MAINTAINED 80 360 MILES 14,977 DRAINAGES BRUSHED YARDS OF TREAD MAINTAINED MAINTAINED $322,553 $301,500 Annual Report
700 MILES HIKED
328 HORSE & MULE LOADS Income Expenses
18% KIDS Worked a total of 336 1824 volunteers SERVICE DAYS ON > 46 PROJECTS
FROM 19 STATES 3061 TREES CLEARED Totaling 17 $440,128 ACRES OF in Wilderness WEEDS TREATED Stewardship Value 180
MILES OF TRAIL MAINTAINED 80 360 MILES 14,977 DRAINAGES BRUSHED YARDS OF TREAD MAINTAINED MAINTAINED $322,553 $301,500 INTERNSIN THE BOB WhErE DO THEY GO FROM HERE? Over the past 5 years, BMWF has provided internships and apprentices to 17 young folks looking for meaningful summer employment in the outdoors and career building opportunities. All of these interns have gone on to work for the Forest Service the summer following their internship or worked for other trails and Wilderness Stewardship organizations. Packer Apprentices have returned to assist BMWF as a volunteer packer or gone on to be a USFS packer, as well. The BMWF “weeds internship” launched in 2012 with one high school intern. (A few years later we decided to rename the position, a much more holistic “Wilderness Conservation Intern”). By 2015, the intern program had grown into a four-member crew tackling trail projects across the Bob Complex. That year, one Whitefish High School kid, Che Rousell, joined two University of Montana and one University of Wisconsin student for a summer of work in the wilderness. They forged a bond so deep that Che would later reflect, “I am not sure how many crews I will be on throughout my life, I hope many. Regardless, I will always remember Courtney, Mike, Claire, and AJ as the people who were there as I grew up in the woods, as the people who guided me and nudged me, both in building trail and building myself into the person I wanted to be.” In 2016, the local from Whitefish High was Cassidy Grady and the crew was Alex, Abby, To read the entire letter, visit www.bmwf.org/dispataches Trevor (UM), and Evan (UW). They began the season with a big, Bob Marshall-style backpack from Big Salmon Lake to the trailhead, a 20-mile day. Cassidy said, “My experience as a BMWF intern has been unforgettable. The Bob is forever imprinted in my mind as a place of laughter, beauty, challenge, and friendships.” In 2017, Wilderness Ranger Interns worked alongside FS crews. Jack Michael from UMW interned at Schafer Meadows and gained experience with Wilderness character monitoring, campsite inventory, and weeds sup- pression. After reemerging to the front country in August, he said, “Wilderness is an essential part of the American trail Blazer identity. It ensures that our mountains and headwaters remain pristine and allows ordinary citizens to experience the spirit of adventure.” He also shared these wise words to live by: “You can eat a lot of candy and still lose weight if you’re hiking every day.” “In wilderness, it isn’t that you find yourself more than it is that you choose who you want to be. I chose to become the person I am now. Accepting applications! Intern deadline: Feb 17 Calluses on my hands are more important than Apprentice deadline: Mar 15 the calluses on my ego.” -BMWF Intern Che Rousel www.bmwf.org/jobs Preserving INTERNS Wilderness Va lu es WhErE DO THEY GO FROM HERE? You’d have to be buried under a big rock in the middle of the deepest valley in the Bob not to cringe at the news coming out of Washington D.C. While the BMWF is a politically neutral organization, the Board of Directors felt we could not remain silent on the “Wheels over Wilderness” bill (HR 1349) because it threatens the very heart of the Wilderness Act and the untrammeled nature of the landscape within the Bob. The BMWF BoD wrote the Montana Congressman and Senators to say, “The framers of the Wilderness Act intended to preserve vestiges of primitive America that shaped our national identity. Like many others, they did not want the trappings of civilization to intrude on every acre of our nation.” Furthermore, “Wilderness, as is, has true economic value as well; the tourists it draws enjoy these pristine areas away from the distractions of civilization. Only 2% of America is designated, protected Wilderness. We need to remain committed to safeguarding these destinations and experi- ences”… and, finally, “there is a real safety concern with mixing mountain bikes and horses on wilderness trails that are often narrow and on steep terrain…” BMWF remains committed to its apolitcal mission, however, with appropriate Board discussion, we may be compelled to speak out when the institution of Wilderness or the Wilderness Act of 1964 is threatened. To read the entire letter, visit www.bmwf.org/dispataches
to these members, donors, and sponsors who Thank You so generously supported wilderness stewardship in 2017
trail Blazer golden pulaski Cadeau Foundation Cotswold Foundation AGL Foundation at WCF DAA Northwest Bayne Family Fund at WCF Patagonia Inc. The Patricia Hoksbergen-Hunter Estate BNSF Railways Richard and Jeanne Williams Franchini Family Foundation Bob Wards Rocky Mountain Outfitter Mike Patterson Bur-Bash DAF at WCF Foundation Rory and Nancy Albert National Forest Foundation Cinnabar Foundation in memory of Linze Brockmeyer Recreational Trails Program CREAG Foundation Sarah Rada-Scott Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Glacier Guides- Montana Raft Co. Sarah Ryerson Swan Mountain Outfitters James and Wanda Hollensteiner Schwab Charitable Trust The Nature Conservancy in honor of Andrew Hollensteiner Susan Siddal Castleberry Intern deadline: Feb 17 Whitefish Community Foundation Jane and Steve Kleinschmidt Taylor’s Automotive Apprentice deadline: Mar 15 Wilderness River Outfitters Kelly Castleberry Whisler Family Foundation www.bmwf.org/jobs Larry and Helen Cates Zach Ware cross cut saw Eric Greene Brian Green & Elizabeth Skinner in memory of Linze Brockmeyer Bruce Benedict Fred and Nancy Flint Bruce Boody Landscape Architect in honor of Kraig Lang Buckskin Clothier Alan Stacey Fun Beverage Carol Bibler and Jim Watson Ann Clary Gordon Greater Douglas United Way Carolyn Babcock Bob and Winifred Crawford Hugh Jones Carolyn Koch Chris Eyer John Allen in memory of Gene Koch Clay Bradley John and Janet Bali Ceres Bakery Craig and Victoria McVicker John and Kristen Vandenburgh Chris Buslee and Marcy Maddox David Gordon John Ashley Fine Art Photography Christine Dye David Hoffman John Goroski Chuck and Nancy Manning Dean Robbins Kalispell Brewing Co. Compass Group Insurance Deb Mucklow-Starling Kevin O’Bryan and Emily Murphee Courtney Stone and Bob Starling Kramer Family Fund at WFC in memory of Howard Stone Edward Callaghan Lary’s Fly Shop Curtis Jackson Edward Jones: Joel Pemberton Fred and Lynne Vanhorn Dan and Kathleen Hedigan First Interstate Bank Margaret Parodi Dan and Kim Short Flathead Electric Coop Mark Cunnane Dana Damron Glacier Raft Company Montana Homestead Emporium Daniel Harper Lila Bahin Montana Liquor and Wine Danine and Michael Jasumback Maggie Doherty & Cole Schneider Salena and Mark Beckwith Danna Quinn Mary and Pete Carparelli Sallie and Alan Gratch in honor of Mackey Quinn in honor of Marlys and Joe Boddy Family Fund at WFC Donald Stolte Michael Metzmaker Sam Mix Doug Berglund & Cathy Calloway Mindful Designs Inc Sara Boilen Earline Prescott, Victoria Presscott, Montana Treehouse Retreat Seth Carbonari and the Wall Family National Wilderness Shannon Walden in memory of Bernard Lionberger, Jr. Stewardship Alliance Smoke and Thelma Elser Ernest and Jane Rouse Richard Gordon and Cheryl Watkins Steeps Tea Fleur Bakery River Design Group Terry Smiley Frances Galvin Robert Schroer Tim Strand and Sukey Pfirman Franscesca Droll and John Webster in memory of Bernard Lionberger, Jr. Todd Harwell and Elana Flanagan Franklin and Sun Schroeter Steve and Anne Busch Whitefish Mountain Resort Fred and Sara Jones T-Bird Leather William and Laura Boyd Gary Danczyk Terry Knupp George Kolb The Base Camp Glacier Bank The Weddington Center Great Burn Brewing in honor of Tom Coston swinging pick Hash, O’Brien, Biby and Murray PLLP Whitefish Credit Union Heather’s Choice Whitney Beatty Heaton Electric Inc. in memory of Linze Brockmeyer Heidi Owen and Scott Snelson Jan and Christopher Moore double bit Advanced Rehabilitation Services Janice Haller Alexander Gray & Cameron Blake Jean Dickey axe Amanda Mansfield Jeff and Jan Martin in memory of Gary Looney Jenni and Conrad Anker American Bank Jewel Basin Yurt Amy Kafer Joan Johnston Amanda DeTour Arnold Fujioka John and Rosemary McKinnon Backslop Brewing Barb and Steve Penner John and Sue Pearson Chris Peterson Barb Brandt John and Carol Santa Cossit Law Barbara and Ronald Moreland John and Fischer Gangemi DA Davidson Beth Hodder and Al Koss John and Melissa Phelps Dick and Dulcy Zoellner Bob and Donna Sims John and Susan O’Donnell Don Hauth Bob and Fran Flint John McIntosh Ellen and Marcus Childress Bob and Sue Padelford John Zinn Eric and Elisha Belanger Bradley and Barbara Massam Jon Baum Blazing bow Jill and Russ Owen Brian Green & Elizabeth Skinner Joseph and Katy Krezowski Jim Fortson Bruce Benedict Karen Perser Jim Murphy Bruce Boody Landscape Architect Kathy Kessler-York John and Kathi Hartlieb Buckskin Clothier Kathy Lucke Addy Wygmans John Bostick Carol Bibler and Jim Watson Keith Alltucker Amanda Hipp Jonna Mihalic-Hoag Carolyn Babcock Kim and Jan Richards Andrea Silverman Josh Kroll Carolyn Koch Leo and Katie McAvoy Anne and Jim Beeman Judith Harwell in memory of Gene Koch Linda Caricaburu Applied Materials Foundation Julie McLaughlin Ceres Bakery Linda David and Cassidy Grady Becca Wheeler Karen Crittenden Chris Buslee and Marcy Maddox Loren Pinski Bill Adams Karen Snow Christine Dye Made of Mountains Bill Schultz Karen Williams Chuck and Nancy Manning Marty Corette Braun and Margaret Lowry Karin Connelly Compass Group Insurance Mary Blake Brian and Marty McCully Keni, Ralph, and Taylor Hopkins Courtney Stone Matt and Suzanne Franco Carol Barnes and John Larson Kim Lehman in memory of Howard Stone in honor of Cecil Holley Caryn Rouse Krista Marshall Curtis Jackson Melanie Clark Charles Stambaugh Laura Brieser-Smith and Scott Smith Dan and Kathleen Hedigan Meredith Webster Christina Larsen Laura Law Dan and Kim Short Michael Collier Christine Hauville Lauren Knickrehm Dana Damron Mike Palmer Colleen Moore Lea Morgan Daniel Harper Nancy and Michael Oshier Courtney Nolan Lee Pinski Danine and Michael Jasumback Nancy Cunningham Craig Hurlbut Leonard Castro Danna Quinn Nancy Lundgren Dan and Ann Fagre Lewayen and Marjorie Kroeger in honor of Mackey Quinn Neil and Darlene Horne in memory of Sharon Logan Lindsay Lorang Donald Stolte in memory of Bernard Lionberger, Jr. Dave and Kay Owen Lori Watson Doug Berglund & Cathy Calloway and Bill Maloit David and Samuel Wooten in memory of Linze Brockmeyer Earline Prescott, Victoria Presscott, Ozog Eye Care David Boggs Mandy Mohler and the Wall Family Panhandle Backcountry Horsemen David Hockenberry Margaret Parsons in memory of Bernard Lionberger, Jr. in memory of Bernard Lionberger, Jr. Dennis Kent Mark Haemig Ernest and Jane Rouse Patti Johnston and Tom Olson Donna Shull Matthew Wilson Fleur Bakery in honor of Kraig Lang Dow Powell & Becky Smith-Powell Michael Starmer Frances Galvin Penny Schiefer Earl and Karen Philips Michele, Brian, and Laura Marsh Franscesca Droll and John Webster Pete and Jan Metzmaker Edward Heger Mike Koopal Franklin and Sun Schroeter Peter Block Elaine and Robert Arrington Mike Richter Fred and Sara Jones Ralph and Linda Greiling Eric Levering Molly Miller Gary Danczyk REI Missoula Erika Auth Nancy Taylor George Kolb Richard and Suzanne Hildner Fact & Fiction Bookstore Natalia Mucha Glacier Bank Robert Fisher Gail and John Gillespie Noel Jinings Great Burn Brewing Robert Psurny Gail Leonard Norm and Judy Kamrud Hash, O’Brien, Biby and Murray PLLP Robin Bissell Gail Steele Patrick Bouman Heather’s Choice Rosemary Moukad Gene Sentz Patrick Sheetz Heaton Electric Inc. Russell Meech Gerald and Lynda Osborne Paul Kienker Heidi Owen and Scott Snelson Sage & Cedar Glacier Guides - Montana Raft Co. Phil Albert Jan and Christopher Moore Samsara Duffy Gordon Johnson Philip Johnsrud Janice Haller Sandra Olsen Greg and Deborah Schatz PJ Obermeier Jean Dickey Sarah Dean Greg Dugdale Raven Chavez Jeff and Jan Martin Scott Murphy Harry and Cynthia Poett Rebecca Briber Jenni and Conrad Anker Shawna Noble Harvey and Joan Goldstein Richard and Carolyn Murphy Jewel Basin Yurt Sheila Johansen Heather Mull Richard Haberkern Joan Johnston Sheila Shapiro Howard Jones Rick and Claudia Mathies John and Rosemary McKinnon Step Ahead Foot & Ankle Clinic Hunter and Paulette Love Rick and Mary Schlauderaff John and Sue Pearson Steve and Sandy Kratville Ian and Yve Bardwell Rick Ferguson John and Carol Santa Stonefly Lounge Ira Hanan Robert and Chris Stephens John and Fischer Gangemi Stuart and Helen White Jaakko Puisto Robert Mullin John and Melissa Phelps Tamarack Foundation Jack Stamm Robin Kelson John and Susan O’Donnell The Broadway League Inc. James and Karen Kimball Ron Smith John McIntosh in memory of Linze Brockmeyer in memory of Bernard Lionberger, Jr. in memory of Linze Brockmeyer John Zinn Wayne and Darlene Thompson James Lewish Roscoe Outdoor Jon Baum Western Horseman Jeremy Rossman Rusty and Maureen Redfield Sally Cameron-Russell Gwen Lourie Sam Roslie in memory of Linze Brockmeyer Sarah Schmidt Heather and Marley Sande Sarah Wood Hurraw! Sean Willis Irene Fries Stan Sneath Janet Collins Stephanie Henry Janine McClurg volunteer Steve and Patricia Brady Janis Taylor packers Steve and Teri Johnsen Jean Kramer Steve Gniadek and Susan Sindt Jennifer Buls Pat Clanton Steve Kuchera Jerry McGloin Dale Duff Steve Olsen Jesse and Marion Pentelute Chris Eyer Sue and Ed Lieser Jill and Paul Lamb Fred Flint Susan Hawthorne Jim Ruffing Krissy Gilispie and Adel Johnson Joan Sage Ralph Hopkins Ted Olson Joanna Wright Terry and Dennis Divoky John Steitz and Carol Treadwell Roy Jacobs Terry Chute and Jane Kollmeyer Josh Williford 7LazyP Outfitters Terry Rymer June Burgau Snowy Springs Outfitters Tobias Bradley Kassie Haack Bob and Sue Padelford Tom Javins Katie DeGrote Frank Vitale Towne Printer Kiandra Waggoner Lincoln Ranger District Valerie Hedquist Kristine Marvin Rocky Mountain Ranger District Vicki Crnich in honor of Julian Marvin Spotted Bear Ranger District Vincent Rubino Lane Vander Sluis Flathead Backcountry Horsemen: in memory of Janice Goode Larry Epstein Steve and Verna Barker Wendell Beardsley Laura and James Milos Western Cider Lawrence and Kateri Iwersen June Burgau Whistle Creek Photography Lee Jester Ralph Hopkins Whistling Andy Leonard Buls Deborah and Greg Schatz White Loft Libby Mohr Stu Sorenson William Avery Lloyd Jones Last Chance Backcountry Horsemen: William Mede Lyle and Terria Arps Jeff Brandt William Peabody Margosia Jadkowski Neil Horne William Thomas and Garrett Bloom Joe Meek Marianne and John Evenhuis Missoula Backcountry Horsemen: hard hat Marvin Jess Vicki and Robert Doty Matt McDonal Megan Woodham Dan Harper Al Kurki and Kathy Helland NWMT Backcountry Horsemen: Alayna Huskisson Meghan Paugh Amy Pearson Michael Leed Chuck Allen Barbara Boorman Michael McMahon Andy Breland Bill and Ruth Breyfogle Mike and Betsy Wood Matt Farwell Brad Anderson Nancy Herrington Kaumeyer Rick Mathies Brad Hansen Orien Love John Peine Bruce Bartlett Ratzlaff Consulting Selway-Pinter BCH: Carl Hansen Raymond Flaherty and Lisa Larsen Karen Hedges Charles and Diana Miller Renate Buchner Kathy Hundley Charlie Logan Riley McClelland Stacy and Jim Bengtson Packer Apprentices: Chris Holt Tom Bonogofsky Dan and Toni Schultz Steven Durand Daniel Cottrell Steven Fischer Megan McVicker Denise Pengeroth Sue Basta Devrin Weiss Sue Paulson In 2017, these packers Elise Van Valkenburg The Lodge at Whitefish Lake donated services totalling Erin Chester Tim and Hilary Shaw George Weldon Tom and Cindy Roberts Gini and Randy Ogle Varr Heaton $43,800 Grete Gansauer and Zach Miller Zac Barton in value $43,800 in value
Monthly and Annual Subscription Giving Options also available! www.bmwf.org/donate
I WANT TO JOIN THE BOB SQUAD! MEMBERSHIP LEVELS o $3000 Trail Blazer o $120 Swinging Pick o $1200 Golden Pulaski o $60 Blazing Bow Saw o $600 Cross Cut Saw o $30 Hard Hat o $300 Double Bit Axe o $______Other
►To say thank you, we publish an annual donor list in our Trails Newsletter: _____ I would like to remain anonymous. ►With my gift of $100 or more please send me a t-shirt! Size (circle one): Sm Med Lrg XL XXL
Name: ______This is a oGift Membership for someone else or a oMemorial Donation? Name:______
Address: ______City, State:______Zip:______
Phone:______Email: ______Please make checks to BMWF; do not mail cash. Upon receipt of donation, you will receive a letter for tax purposes. Consult your tax advisor. You can also make a donation with your credit card or debit card online at www.bmwf.org > Donate Now. BOB MARSHALL WILDERNESS FOUNDATION PO Box 190688 • Hungry Horse, MT 59919 406.387.3822 • www.bmwf.org