Dave Meehan of Whitefish spends about 229 days a year on the road and has visited all 50 states talking about—and showcasing—what is apparently his favorite topic: Elk.

     Dave drives the truck and trailer for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation’s Great Elk Tour. Dave and the Elk Tour are featured in a Kalispell Daily Inter Lake article, and Dave not only drives the truck for the Elk Tour, he has also built three of the Elk Tour trailers.

     Here are some excerpts from the article:

      While many may want Meehan’s job and may think they could do it, he possesses some skills that make him a perfect fit.

     Meehan came to the Flathead Valley in 1997 from Troy, Pennsylvania, and worked as a cabinet maker for a local wood shop. His woodworking skills have been valuable as the manager of the Great Elk Tour.

     The tour’s theme is “Great Elk Need Great Habitat,” and Meehan spends a lot of time talking about that, as well as many other subjects.

     “I love it,” he said. “I get to go all over the country, talk to like-minded people about elk, hunting, politics, various things.”

     Meehan has two shows left this year. He’ll be at the Jackson Hole Elk Fest on Oct. 2 and at the foundation’s Hunter and Outdoor Christmas Expo in Las Vegas from Dec. 1 to Dec. 11. It will be part of the foundation’s Calcutta Cowboy Revival Show and the Junior World Finals in the Wrangler Rodeo Arena.

Montana land trusts are invited to participate in discussions about a Soil Health Initiative, and here’s more info about the project. A very short survey about participation is available here. A working list of upcoming meetings is available here. For more information contact Cole Mannix. The project asks farmers, ranchers, and other soil stakeholders across the state how a Montana soil initiative could help increase the pace and scale at which land stewards implement voluntary soil health practices.

Congratulations to the Iverson Ranch!

Denny and Charlotte Iverson, Denny’s brother Les and sister-in-law Sue, the next generation of Iversons…Denny’s daughter, Courtney, son-in-law Jeff, and Les’ son Justin and his wife Jennifer, were named 2021 recipients of the Missoula County Land Stewardship Award. The Iverson family was nominated for the award by Five Valleys Land Trust.

The Iverson Ranch is located in the Potomac Valley and the Iverson family has been active and innovative in agricultural production and agricultural conservation for many years.

“As a family operation, the Iversons have shown leadership in water and soil management for generations,” said Juniper Davis, manager of Missoula County’s Parks, Trails and Open Lands division. “Their work sets an example in sustainable agricultural production, reducing conflict between livestock and predators, and forest stewardship. Their diligent efforts also improve the lands for their neighbors and other families who make a living by working the land.”

Read more on the Missoula County website.

The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking comments on the proposed Bad Rock Canyon conservation and recreation project near Columbia Falls.

From a Flathead Beacon news article:

Known as the Bad Rock Canyon project, the property is located off U.S. Highway 2 and would be preserved as a Wildlife Management Area (WMA). FWP has detailed the proposal in a draft environmental assessment that is open for public comment until 5 p.m. on Sept. 8. A virtual public hearing is scheduled for Aug. 26 at 6 p.m. to provide information on the project and answer questions from the public. The online meeting will be streamed via Zoom online at https://fwp.mt.gov/aboutfwp/regions/region1.

FWP’s purchase of the property would “safeguard vital habitat and a travel corridor for wildlife species such as grizzly bears and bull trout,” according to agency officials. The property is located at a geographic pinch point where the Flathead River flows through the narrow Bad Rock Canyon corridor. The land is adjacent to a sizable block of public land and would add to a 12,000-acre network of conserved land along a 43-mile stretch of the Flathead River between Columbia Falls and Flathead Lake.

“This project creates a unique opportunity to protect wildlife habitat and public access on the doorstep of the Gateway to Glacier and along the Flathead River,” FWP Regional Supervisor Jim Williams said. “We appreciate our partners, CFAC and the Flathead Land Trust, for working towards a common goal of land stewardship that will benefit everyone into the future.”

MALT strongly supports the proposed project.

The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks is recommending approval of a 27,000-acre forest management project in northwest Montana that would “prevent residential and commercial development of the property while allowing the property to continue to be managed as a working forest.” The project is known as the Kootenai Forestlands Phase II Conservation Easement, and is funded by the U.S. Forest Service Forest Legacy Program.

Under the proposal, FWP would hold the conservation easement and Stimson would retain ownership of the land and continue to sustainably manage it for timber production. The easement would preclude development, protect important wildlife habitat and key landscape connectivity, and provide permanent public access and recreational opportunities on the property.

Mike Schaedel, Western Montana Forester for The Nature Conservancy in Montana, explains the benefits of forest thinning and prescribed burning in a video available on the Montana TNC website. The three-minute video, titled “Prescribed Burns: Fighting Fire with Fire,”showcases TNC’s partnerships with other forest managers and cooperators on a controlled burn project. By thinning trees and setting fires that mimic the natural low-intensity burns that historically reduced combustible fuel in our forests, TNC is reducing the risk of far more severe and damaging blazes in the future.

    The Vital Ground Foundation and the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative have partnered to acquire 80 acres of key wildlife habitat near the confluence of the Bull and Clark Fork rivers in northwestern Montana. 

     Vital Ground reports the Bull River-Clark Fork linkage area provides a habitat connection of regional importance for grizzly bears and other wildlife species. In Montana’s northwestern corner, grizzlies exist in much smaller numbers than they do in and around Glacier and Yellowstone national parks. The project conserves a southward pathway from the Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem, home to a recovering population of around 60 grizzlies. Biologists have documented only a handful of movements over the years between that population and neighboring ones but consider connectivity between ecosystems crucial for the species’ long-term survival.

     The key 80-acre parcel was purchased from a conservation-supportive landowner, and the property “will be stewarded to maintain fish and wildlife habitat while preserving the rural character of the state’s northwestern corner.” 

                                                                       PHOTO: The Clark Fork and surrounding mountains near the Bull River-Clark Fork project area. (Randy Beacham)

      Gallatin Valley Land Trust and Bozeman Parks and Recreation are bringing Bumblewood Thicket, a Fairy Village, for a limited magical existence in the Glen Lake Rotary Park August 28 – Sept. 12. In addition to the fairy village, GVLT and partners are producing a “walking-play” titled “A Fairy Adventure in Bumblewood,” with limited performances starting August 28 at Glen Lake Rotary Park. 

     From the GVLT website:

     The fairy village will only be visible to human eyes from August 28th to September 12th. Located amid the winding, wooded paths of the Glen Lake Rotary Park, it will contain twenty different fairy homes and establishments created by local artists.

     The map to the magic will be available for download here starting on August 27th!

     The Fairy Village is a self-guided experience offered for free in partnership with Gallatin Valley Land Trust and Bozeman Parks and Recreation. We are in need of volunteer docents. If you are interested in learning more, email us at hello@randomactsofsilliness.com. 

     Organizations like Prickly Pear Land Trust and Gallatin Valley Land Trust have joined “Outside Kind”, a national campaign to instill respectful and thoughtful best practices for outdoor events and activities. Communities like Bozeman and Helena have wonderful trail systems (thanks in large part to GVLT and PPLT) but the increasing popularity (and conflicts) of those trails is an emerging issue, and Outside Kind is designed to help ensure positive experiences outdoors.    

     From the Outside Kind website: The Outside Kind Alliance, which consists of several local organizations and is facilitated by One Montana, joined forces to protect the people and places we love, and to explore ethical use issues that all recreational users need to know about. We want everyone to have a great experience, understand how to enjoy the outdoors while sharing it with others and treading lightly on the resource.

The Montana Land Reliance Success Stories website page  showcases conservation accomplishments, organizational success and landowner stewardship. The farm and ranch stewardship is exemplified by the Gilman family in the Ruby Valley, and a quote from Les Gilman on the MLR website:

“Because our predecessors toiled and labored not only for their present needs but also for what we currently have. They have left us a legacy and we stand in their presence with the responsibility to honor them by being good stewards today and planning for tomorrow.”

Left to Right – Charlie Gilman and wife Kaycee; and Les’s wife Donna, and Les. Alexis Bonogofsky photo