On a recent trail run on Painted Hills trail, which weaves through grasslands and agricultural fields on the south edge of Bozeman, I stopped to take in the view. Across the ravine from me, a mountain biker wove gracefully down switchbacks that snaked through the golden grass. Below me, cattails in a swath of green wetland swayed in the breeze. To the north, the Bridger Mountains rose dramatically from the Gallatin Valley floor, with 9,181-foot Baldy Mountain white capped with one of the first snows of fall. To the south were the rolling green foothills of the Gallatin Range. If I continued along this trail, I could reach these foothills in half an hour’s time. From there, I could connect to Triple Tree trail and run beneath the aspens and pines.

People move to Bozeman for views and experiences like this. The mountain views, vast open spaces, and endless recreational opportunities draw in hundreds, if not thousands of new residents every year. Bozeman’s population grew 43% from 2010 to 2020, as evidenced by the creeping city limits and the new neighborhoods that seem to appear overnight.

That keeps things interesting at Gallatin Valley Land Trust (GVLT), where I’ve served as an AmeriCorps member through the Big Sky Watershed Corps program since May. The land around Bozeman is some of the most wild in the Lower 48, adjacent to Yellowstone National Park and critical for wildlife movement. How do we grow as a welcoming community for all who want to live here – without losing what makes it so special in the process? 

GVLT has a somewhat unusual tagline as a land trust: “Trails and Conservation.” While many land trusts solely focus on land conservation, GVLT also has a team dedicated to the development and stewardship of trails across the community. 

Trails are the primary place where people and wild lands come into contact – and the way we design and manage them determines whether that contact is for better or for worse. Trails planned properly are spaces for transportation, exercise, and enjoyment of the company we hike with and the nature around us. They steer people toward adventure and natural beauty while minimizing disturbance to habitat and sensitive native species. When we prioritize proper maintenance of our trails, we prevent problems with erosion, trail widening, and social trail formation. All of these things can damage habitat and make for a less safe and enjoyable trail experience. When we commit to outdoor education and outreach, we create a well-informed trail community that leaves sites better than how they were found. When we invest in the future of trail development, we get to enjoy more of our mountains and meadows – without blaring a horn at our neighbors over the last parking spot on a Saturday morning. 

These things don’t just happen on their own. Trails everywhere get neglected. Slopes erode, dog poop is left behind, and outdated infrastructure leaves recreationists frustrated by crowds, rather than refreshed by time spent outside. It takes leaders and a community committed to its trails – building and maintaining them the right way and recognizing that it takes money and time to do so – for trails to become part of the conservation story.

I was reminded of this on my recent trail run through Painted Hills. The trail tread beneath my feet was not put there by chance. It is part of a vision by GVLT to connect Main Street in downtown Bozeman to the mountains that encircle the city. This vision took decades of working with private landowners and government entities to patch together a connected trail. My view at the top of the ravine revealed carefully designed switchbacks, providing trail users with a pleasant journey up and down the steep hillside without causing the slope to erode into the fragile wetland below. In that wetland, a boardwalk spans a trickling stream and spongy ground. The boardwalk was built this past fall to replace a culvert that constricted the flow of groundwater through the wetland, therefore re-naturalizing the area and making for a less damp trail experience for trail users like me. 

Bozeman is going to keep growing, and as it does, so will demand on our trail network. This influx does not, by any means, require an inverse relationship with the quality of the natural resources around us. Just like the land around us demands care, respect, and a plan for growth, so do our trails require stewardship and intentionality. For many people, trails are the thread that ties them to Montana’s wild places. They cannot be an afterthought. Rather, when we center trails in our vision of a sustainable community, both the land and the people who love the land win.

I stare through the glass in disbelief. They seem to stare right back: the sun shade, the hardware kits, the key card that is my only method of entry into the building from which I’ve inadvertently exiled myself. Our first rain barrel workshop of the year starts in 45 minutes, and I have somehow managed to lock all of them inside. Once I’ve processed through the denial phase of grief, I spring into action, unleashing a flurry of unsuccessful calls and texts until AT LAST! My dear coworker Elissa comes to my rescue, I retrieve all my supplies, and the rest of the day goes as planned. This harrowing moment was just one of many that made up a vibrant, challenging, and rewarding year of workshops.

As a Big Sky Watershed Corps member serving with the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), my role was to manage education and outreach on our Garden for Wildlife® (GFW) program in the Missoula area. Garden for Wildlife® encourages the sustainable creation of habitat for wildlife by providing food, water, cover, and places to raise young. When these elements of habitat have been met, the program certifies a space as a Certified Wildlife Habitat®.

 Anything from a massive property to a tiny city balcony can get certified! Missoula is already doing a pretty good job of making sure our furry, scaly, and feathered neighbors have what they need. It’s known as the “Garden City,” after all, and it’s been certified as a Community Wildlife Habitat since 2018. But, there is always more to be done, and the NWF education team is constantly looking for ways to expand the program’s reach!

Toward this end, past BSWC members in my position have put on an annual training using a framework known as Habitat Stewards. The goal of this training is to essentially turn people into living Certified Wildlife Habitats®, equipping them with a more robust understanding of local ecology and habitat needs. Typically, these trainings consist of four evenings during one month, each focusing on a different topic. But for 2024, we decided to try something a little different. The idea: what if we spread the workshops across the year and centered each one on a tangible project that aligns with one of the four components of habitat? This seemed like a great way to increase interest and accessibility, and we had just the organization in mind to help us bring it to life. 

The Missoula Urban Demonstration Project (MUD) is an amazing community resource that offers memberships for access to over 3000 tools in their tool library! Alongside the physical tools, they offer workshops open to anyone in the community that teach an incredible array of skills (kimchi-making, car maintenance, beekeeping, and more). These workshops provide accessible experiences that help Missoulians become more self-sufficient and implement sustainability in their daily lives. As it turns out, MUD was completely on board with our ideas, and the partnership was a match made in heaven. We hosted six workshops throughout the year – here’s a breakdown of each topic, the corresponding habitat element, and how it went:

Despite the challenges, messiness, and growing pains, this new iteration of the Habitat Stewards program was, overall, a fantastic success. We reached over 70 people across the six workshops: families, couples, homeowners, renters, and enthusiastic conservationists of all sorts! Each workshop provided a touchpoint for access to content about gardening for wildlife, made possible by a hands-on project that would directly contribute to backyard conservation. This meant that each participant left with knowledge, skills, AND something to tangibly improve their habitat space! The experience was also an amazing example of the synergy of community partnerships. Pairing NWF’s ideas & content with MUD’s space & tools resulted in a product far greater than the sum of its parts. 

Conservation matters on such a large scale that it’s easy to forget how it can and should start small. From bird houses to rain gardens, there are a myriad of ways that we can all help, right in our own balconies and backyards. What an honor it’s been to spend the year sharing just a few with the Missoula community!

On January 23rd, several conservation districts and non-profits tabled at the Conservation District Awareness day event. This event, held in the rotunda of the Montana State Capitol, saw state legislators, executive and legislative staff, and other attendees engage with those tabling to learn more about conservation efforts in Montana.

Sheridan County Conservation District, High Plains Conservation District, Lewis & Clark Conservation District, Gallatin Conservation District, and Flathead Conservation District all took the time to table at this event, providing attendees a direct opportunity to engage with and learn from Montana’s conservation districts. Additionally, the event saw a variety of non-profits table at this event, including the Conservation Districts Bureau, the Montana Salinity Control Association, Montana Rural Water Systems, and the Montana Association of Conservation Districts. We thank everyone who took the time to attend this event, as it provided an invaluable opportunity for those promoting conservation in Montana to directly engage with our state government.

That evening MACD also hosted a legislative meet and greet at 05:30PM at The Union in Helena’s downtown walking mall. MACD welcomed partners, conservation districts, state legislators and the general public to share a meal and network.

People enjoyed a gourmet selection of snacks, a generous selection of beverages, and MACD received a number of complements on the event. We would like to thank our partners who helped make this evening so successful.