Ten Reasons Why Everyone Should do Trail Work

Sean Jansen

Giving Back

Giving is a sensation that many feel deep within the soul. Whether it be Christmas, a birthday, or just a random gift, that sensation makes us feel good. And putting in a few hours on trail will do the same. Clearing brush, removing rocks, or spreading knowledge, giving back to trails that we all play on share a role that make the trails what they are for all of us to enjoy for a while.

Appreciation

It is overwhelming when you begin to learn just how much effort it takes to keep our trails in order. Hours of hard labor is unforeseen when trail running, hiking, horseback riding, or backpacking. But like myself, after hours of play on trail the efforts of trail work make our adventures that much more enjoyable.

Understanding

The parameters with what makes a trail a trail are astounding. Why they are built where they are built can often be defined by a near science. Learning how and why a trail is what it is may be the most important thing learned while doing the work.

Hidden Factors

A trail is far more than just a dirt pathway leading to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that you seek. That dirt took years of shaping by man, nature and weather to look the way it does. Just one of the many levels of hide and seek that trail work uncovers.

Cameraderie

For many of us, trails are shared with friends or family. And that same shared passion gets extended to volunteer trail work with like minded individuals such as yourself. Friends of all ages can be met with the same passion of giving back to trails all of us love and play on.

Outside

I hear it day in and day out that people are unhappy about how much time they spend indoors. Trail work is outside! All day and everyday. Experiencing all climate and terrain that Montana has to offer.

No Gym Necessary

Long story short, trail work is a workout. Not only do you log in miles like you would on a long hike or backpacking trip, but you also lug around hand tools, saw, loppers, and all essentials needed for yourself in order to get the necessary work done. Through the occasional blood followed by definite sweat and possibly a few tears, are the backbone of trails and that just might be the bigger picture that this line of work gets across.

Discovery

In Montana, we are blessed with literally thousands of trails and thousands of miles of them. But with that being said, it is impossible to see all of them in a lifetime. But through trail work, you have the opportunity to not only see new trails, but to also see some you know of in a new light. Through hours of hard gratifying work that mother nature threw aside during her wrath in storms.

Education

Simply put, one can never stop learning. Whether it is the use of a new tool, the name of a flower alongside the trail, or a fun fact from a fellow volunteer, trail work is an eye opening experience that can indeed open doors to many things physically, mentally, and spiritually as well.

Gratitude

The feeling of satisfaction is a wonderful sensation at the end of a hard days work. However the graciousness you receive from recreationalists that see your hard work on trail is the icing on the cake. Everyone I’ve encountered never walked by without expressing their gratitude for the work. A simple shot of joy and newfound energy to get you swinging that pick ace and pulling those weeds.

How to Get Involved

There are numerous areas where one can find info and seek the volunteer project of your likings. However, right off the bat, the Montana Wilderness Association or MWA is the greatest source with regards to projects in our backyard. They live the ethos of trail work and are stewards of our precious public lands. They not only fight for them with pick and axe but also politically throughout the state. But as stewards, they also work side by side with the Continental Divide Trail Association, Montana Fish and Wildlife, Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness Association, Yellowstone Forever, Montana Trout Unlimited, The National and State Parks Systems, and many more organizations. Google your area, passions, and concerns and I can promise there is an organization either working towards or are in the thought process to pull the trigger on a thought you have. Be the voice and act the act as the protection and preservation of our lands are needed now more than ever.

Links:

Montana Wilderness Association

http://wildmontana.org/discover-the-wild/volunteer-trail-crew/vtc

Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness Association

http://www.abwilderness.org/volunteer-and-support.html

Continental Divide Trail Coalition

https://continentaldividetrail.org/explore-by-state/idahomontana/

Yellowstone Forever

https://www.yellowstone.org/

Montana Fish and Wildlife

http://fwp.mt.gov/doingBusiness/employment/volunteers.html

We’re not exactly to the point where the wolves are dwelling with the lambs, but new research indicates that the impact of wolves on elk may be overstated, and the so-called “landscape of fear” may not actually exist.

Under the theory of “landscape of fear,” which first emerged in the 1990s when wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park, elk would avoid risky places where they could be attacked by wolves, living under a perpetual haze of fear.

After a study from Utah State University ecologists Michel Kohl and Dan MacNulty, it turns out that the “landscape of fear” may be a myth, and that elk habitually visit risky areas at times when it’s unlikely wolves are active. In other words, the elks figured out that the wolves were only active at dusk and dawn and pretty lazy the rest of the night, leaving the elk plenty of time to access the risky areas.

“Contrary to popular belief, the wolf is not a round-the-clock threat to elk; it mostly hunts at dawn and dusk, and this allows elk to safely access risky places during nightly lulls in wolf activity,” says Kohl. “Despite their Hollywood portrayal as nighttime prowlers, wolves tend to hunker down at night because their vision is not optimized for nocturnal hunting.”

According to a Utah State University story on the study, “the researchers revisited data from 27 GPS radio-collared elk that had been collected in the early years after the reintroduction, 2001-2004, but never fully analyzed. These collars recorded the location of each elk every 4-6 hours. This was the first time GPS technology had been used to track Yellowstone elk, and no one imagined that elk might sync their habitat use to the wolf’s 24-hour schedule. Little was known about this schedule until researchers first equipped wolves with GPS collars in 2004.”

“In the days before GPS, when we tracked wolves by sight and with VHF radio-telemetry, we knew they hunted mainly in the morning and evening, but we didn’t know much about what they did at night,” says MacNulty, a veteran Yellowstone wolf researcher and associate professor in USU’s Department of Wildland Resources and the USU Ecology Center. “GPS data showed that wolves were about as inactive in the middle of the night as they were in the middle of the day.”

Kohl used the GPS data to quantify the 24-hour schedule of wolves, and he compared how elk use of risky places — sites where wolves killed elk — differed between periods of high and low wolf activity, says the USU story.

“Elk avoided the riskiest places when wolves were most active, but they had no problem using these same places when wolves were least active,” says Kohl. “An elk’s perception of a place as dangerous or safe, its landscape of fear, was highly dynamic with ‘peaks’ and ‘valleys’ that alternated across the 24-hr cycle in response to the ups and downs of wolf activity.”

“Our results can explain why many other studies found no clear-cut effect of wolf predation risk on elk stress levels, body condition, pregnancy or herbivory,” says MacNulty. “If our results reflect typical elk behavior, then actual killing rather than fear probably drives most, if not all, of the effect of wolves on elk and any cascading effect on the plants that elk eat such as aspen and willow.”

Photo courtesy National Park Service.

Types of Trees Native to Montana

Of all U.S. states, Montana has the fourth largest geographic area. Montana has a rapidly growing tourist industry, with about 13 million visitors each year.

When it comes to natural splendor, Montana is an amazing state. If you are planning on taking a trip to the state, you will want to prep yourself on some of the basics associated with the outdoor beauty that is Montana. For example, you will want to have an understanding about some of the trees that are native to Montana.

Ponderosa Pine

The Ponderosa pine is the Montana state tree. The ponderosa pine is the most widely distributed type of pine tree in the United States. It also grows to being one the largest pine trees in the country as well. The Ponderosa Pine is also known as the Bull Pine, Blackjack Pine, or Western Yellow Pine.

The bark of the Ponderosa Pine sets it apart from other derivations of the pine tree. The bark of the Ponderosa Pine is yellow to orange-red in color.

Douglas Fir

Unlike the Ponderosa Pine, the Douglas Fir has a much smaller area in which this tree can be found growing. The Douglas Fir normally is found in the moist soil on the north facing side of mountains. The Douglas Fir grows at moderate elevations to between 5,000 and a bit over 7,000 feet.

The Douglas Fir is classified as a evergreen conifer species. It grows throughout the Rocky Mountains.

Douglas Firs grow to become medium size to very large evergreen trees. Away from its natural environment like Montana, Douglas Fir trees are widely used as ornamental growths in residential and other types of landscaping.

Lodgepole Pine

Native to Montana, the Lodgepole Pine is also known as the Shore Pine, the Twisted Pine, and the Contorta Pine. The moniker Lodgepole Pine originates from the fact that native people of North America utilizes these trees as poles for their teepees or lodges.

Lodgepole Pines grow in dense stands. They grow at a elevation between 3,000 and 8,500 feet.

Lodgepole Pine trees have a unique interaction with fire. The cone of a Lodgepole Pine may remain opened for years. The moment a Lodgepole Pine is exposed to fire, the cone will open and spread seeds into the burned soil surrounding the tree. Thus, this type of tree is able to rebound following a fire in fairly quick speed.

Western Larch

The Western Larch is another tree native to Montana. The tree grows at elevations between 2,000 and 7,000 feet. The Western Larch prefers moist locations. The Western Larch is a type of conifer that loses its needles in the fall, as is the case with deciduous trees.

The Western Larch is a slow-growing tree. The tree can grow to be quite large. In addition, the Western Larch is capable of living over 500 years.

The Western Larch has an interesting history when it comes to health and human beings. The Western Larch was used by Plateau Indian tribes for medicinal purposes. The drank an infusion made from young shoots of the Western Larch. The infusion was used to treat tuberculosis and laryngitis.

Subalpine Fir

Another tree native to the state of Montana is the Subalpine Fir. The Subalpine Fir grows at any elevation of about 3,500 to the tree line. This is conifer that can grow in a number of different conditions. The tree grows in extremely cold as well as dry climates.

The Subalpine Fir is classified as a medium size tree. The bark on young Subalpine Firs is smooth, gray, and has resin blisters. When the tree grows older, its bark becomes rough and scaly.

Aspen

The Aspen tree is also native to the state of Montana. Aspen trees favor cooler climates across the northern region of the Northern Hemisphere, making Montana an ideal location for this tree.

Aspen trees commonly are found in moist locations. This includes areas near streams or at spring fed groves.

Aspen trees are readily identified in the fall because of their gold leaves. Indeed, people visit Montana in the fall to take in Aspen trees as their leaves change color.

Visit Montana

As mentioned previously, tourism is big business in Montana. The state is home to two fantastic national parks. These are Glacier and Yellowstone.

If you want more information about planning a trip to Montana, you can call Visit Montana at (800) 847-4868. The experienced team at Visit Montana can assist you in planning all aspects of your visit to Big Sky Country.

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Jessica Kane is a professional blogger who writes for Scaffold Store, the favorite and trusted scaffold supplier of the largest contractors.

Mission Mountains Wilderness – A Unique Example of Federal-Tribal Cooperation

The Mission Range, or Mission Mountains, are a short, north-south chain of mountains, approximately 50 miles long, and is located in western Montana between the Swan and Flathead Rivers and between Missoula and Kalispell.  It is composed largely of a dark sedimentary-type rock known as "Belt Rock".  The higher peaks are at the south end, with McDonald Peak as the tallest at 9,820 feet.  The range slowly tapers to nothing by Big Fork, where the Swan River turns west to enter Flathead Lake.

The crest of the Mission Range forms the east boundary of the Flathead Reservation, while the east slopes are part of the Flathead National Forest.  This range makes up part of the extensive aboriginal lands used by the Salish, Pend d’Oreille and Kootenai Peoples for millenia for hunting, fishing, berries, medicinal plants and spiritual purposes.

Protection of the Mission Range dates back to the 1930s.  In 1931 67,000 acres of the east side of the range was designated at the “Mission Mountains Primitive Area”.  Over the subsequent years, additional acreage was added to bring that total to 73,207 acres.  In 1975 the Mission Mountain Wilderness was established by Congress under the 1964 National Wilderness Preservation System.

On the west side, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) were as enthusiastic about setting aside these peaks from development.  In 1936, the CSKT Tribal Council proposed setting aside this land in the form of a Native National Park – an idea that seemed to have died later in Washington DC.  However, the next year, 1937,  Chief Forester for the Office of Indian Affairs, Bob Marshall, (yes that Bob Marshall) classified the Reservation side of the Mission Range as a roadless area.  This designation stayed in place until 1959, when at the request of the Tribes, this classification was lifted.  Facing the threat in the 1970s from the Bureau of Indian Affairs to log the tribal side of the Missions, many tribal members helped spearhead an effort to save the mountains in their pristine condition.  Finally, in 1982, Tribal Council passed the Mission Mountains Tribal Wilderness Management Plan, which set aside 91,778 acres of the west side of the Mission Mountains as permanent wilderness.  This was the first tribal wilderness to be formally established.

These two areas now constitute just under 165,000 contiguous wilderness acres encompassing forested slopes at the lower elevations, and high mountain valleys, subalpine and alpine lakes, creeks, cascades and waterfalls, rocky cliffs, rugged rocky peaks and some small (receding) glaciers.  There is a high level of federal-tribal cooperation in the management of this wilderness gem. 

Recreationally, the Missions offer hikers many potential opportunities – some easy, and some more challenging off trail adventures.  The east side definitely receives more visitors than the west.  There are three main reasons for this:  1)  The larger, more fish-filled lakes tend to be on the southeast side.  These are obvious target areas for visitors, with lakes such as Gray Wolf, High Park, Crystal and Turquoise Lakes. 2) There are some easy to reach lakes on the east side for day hikes, such as Glacier Lake and Upper and Lower Cold Lakes. In fact, access is so easy to those lakes that camping is prohibited within ¼ mile of the lake shore.  Finally,  3) for non-tribal members, a nominal permit is required to enter the tribal side.  That alone seems to direct more traffic to the east side.

I live on the Reservation side, so that’s the side I visit the most.  Since more people choose the east, when I head out I have excellent opportunities for a real wilderness experience.  In fact, if I want absolute solitude, I don’t head to the backcountry in Glacier NP, as awe inspiring as that is.  No, I head into the Missions.  There are so many places to get away from anyone and everyone there - on both sides to be sure, but particularly on the west side.  All one needs is a little off-trail savvy.  Once one gets above a certain elevation, the terrain becomes much more open and cross-country travel is not that difficult. That opens up so many more possibilities that just a trail along the valley floor.

One word of caution about the Missions’ 2 main predators.  The Tribes maintain a Grizzly Bear Conservation Zone around McDonald Peak.  No-one is allowed in this zone from July15 – October 1.  There is a healthy grizzly bear population in the Missions so bring bear spray and be smart about odors.  And the other predator? Mosquitoes!  There’s an even healthier population of those in July and August so bring your DEET!  Either way, get out there and enjoy what this corner of Montana has to offer.  We live in such a beautiful state, don’t we?

Happy Trails! - Doug Stevens is the Graytrekker

For further information check out these websites:

https://www.wilderness.net/toolboxes/documents/IFST/Mission%20Mountains%20Tribal%20Wilderness%20Case%20Study%202005.pdf

https://www.wilderness.net/NWPS/wildView?WID=360

https://www.wilderness.net/toolboxes/documents/WC/Mission%20Mountains%20Wilderness,%20Wilderness%20Character%20Monitoring,%20Final%20Report,%202012.pdf