PHOTO © VERONICA C. WALD IN THE NEWS Blackfoot Challenge rises to the task   BY SONJA LEE, GREAT FALLS TRIBUNE Their name is just two words. Their mission, however, is a mouthful. The Blackfoot Challenge teams about 160 partners on just about as many projects in a valley that winds 132 miles through the northern Rocky Mountains.   SEE FULL STORY >> COLLABORATION STORIES Nisqually River Council Over the last 20 years, the council has implemented most of a management plan to protect the river and its fish. Upon its completion, the council will continue to work to resolve divisive issues surrounding timber harvesting, land use, salmon recovery, and water allocations. The council is also evolving to protect, not only ecosystem health, but also local economic vitality. READ PROFILE >> COLLABORATION STORIES Douglas County Multi Species HCP In Washington, Douglas County citizens are working to draft a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) protecting species from extinction and landowners from some of the regulatory burdens of ESA. The HCP is expected to cover 20 species in Douglas County that are currently protected under the ESA or are candidates for protection, including the greater sage grouse. READ PROFILE >>

THE BLACKFOOT CHALLENGE– A WATERSHED RECLAIMED   Norman Maclean never met Robert Redford, nor for that matter, the ever-energetic Becky Garland, but they all had an intense interest in the Big Blackfoot River, "The River That Runs Through It." Too worn from years of clear- cutting to bank's edge, of mining run-off pollutants to be in the blue-ribbon trout class, the Big Blackfoot flowed past Lincoln, Montana, once a placer mining town, now a town given over to recreation and mining exploration, but more essential to the Blackfoot Challenge story, the home of a goodly number of hard-working, community- driven citizens troubled enough to propose a new Trout Unlimited Chapter.   READ MORE >> IN THE NEWS Blackfoot Challenge garners praise The Blackfoot Challenge presented its story and touted its partnerships at the White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation. At a gathering of 80 people in the Blackfoot in mid-August, Kathleen Clarke, director of the Bureau of Land Management, presented Jim Stone with a certificate in recognition of outstanding leadership and personal stewardship from the Department of Interior. SEE FULL STORY >> CONTACT US Phone: (406) 495-1069 Toll Free: (888) 495-0757 Fax: (406) 495-1074     The Red Lodge Clearinghouse is a program of the Liz Claiborne Art Ortenberg Foundation.

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