Lessons from Red Mountain
By Abigail Gans, 2021 WR Intern
Location: Red Mountain, Elevation 9411ft
Date: July 7th 2021
While on hitch number two my crewmate Hannah and I had the opportunity to clear/summit Red Mountain, which is the highest peak in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex. We started off our day at Webb Cabin in the Scapegoat Wilderness, and more specifically the only backcountry cabin in Lincolns’ district. We had to hike down the Mainline Trail a mile before reaching the start of the Red Mountain Trail. Upon reaching the beginning of the trail I started to realize just how hard this day was going to be.
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5 Things to Consider when Camping with Stock
By Nathan Tan, 2021 Wilderness Ranger Intern
Wilderness Ranger Intern Nathan Tan shares the lessons he learned from working with stock animals all summer on the Rocky Mountain Ranger District.
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Hitch 3 Haikus
By Sloan Miles, 2021 WCC Intern
July 6, Day 1:
Rock-skipping at night
Bear roaring? Multiple bears?!?
Sleep with bear spray tight
July 7, Day 2:
We forgot the stove
But, the bears didn’t eat us!
We gon’ be alright.
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WCC Interns as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
by Clare Wirzbicki, 2021 WCC Intern
As the 2021 Wilderness Conservation Corp crew got to know each other better, they each found their role within the crew – eventually realizing that each of them personified a member of the 1980s classic, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. WCC Intern Clare Wirzbicki explains how each of their personalities fit their animated counterpart.
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Stories from the Backcountry: Wilderness 101 Affinity Group trip with Here Montana
By Erynn Castellanos, BMWF Education & Partnership Specialist
The Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation recently partnered with Here Montana to provide an introductory backpacking and stewardship experience for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) individuals. The trip brought eight participants into the 1.5 million acre Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex with the goal of making the wilderness more accessible to those who did not grow up recreating in the outdoors or haven’t traditionally seen themselves as part of the outdoor community.
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We're Hiring! Partnership & Education Specialist
by BMWF Staff
The Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation is excited to announce a new full-time, year-round position beginning in 2021. The objective of this position is to meet an organizational commitment to building Wilderness connections in an equitable and inclusive manner, and to develop new pathways for the Foundation to engage and educate a more diverse set of constituents.
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Meet our Winter Intern: Sloan Miles
By BMWF Staff
This January, we’ve been lucky enough to have some extra help from Sloan Miles, a student at Birmingham-Southern College in Birmingham, AL. We asked Sloan a few questions about his connection to the outdoors and what drew him to volunteering his J-term to the foundation.
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Help us Build a Gear Library!
by BMWF Staff
Calling for gently-used camping gear! Put your gently-used gear to a good cause and help us build a gear library so that we can loan out quality outdoor gear for our volunteer projects to anyone who needs it.
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Video: Historic Airstrip Maintenance at Schafer Meadows
Provided by Fred and Nancy Flint
Watch a Forest Service crew begin maintenance on the Schafer Meadows airstrip in 2020 using a team of mules and vintage tools, a process that had not been completed since 1978.
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2020 Voices of the Wilderness - Virtual Fireside Chats
By BMWF Staff
Thanks to all who joined us for our first virtual Voices of the Wilderness - At Home event! We learned a lot and had a blast in the process, and we hope you enjoyed it too.
View all three of the recorded Fireside Chats here.
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Volunteer and Packer of the Year 2020!
By Meg Killen, BMWF staff
Every season we have the pleasure of selecting a Volunteer of the Year, as well as a Packer of the year. As most of you know, this season was a little different as we didn’t have quite as many volunteers or pack trips as we would have liked. But when we sat down to discuss…two names stood out for us. And there was one theme with both of them. Dedication. These two young ladies were dedicated to BMWF in more ways than one, and we are thrilled to recognize them this year!
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Ten Lessons Horsepacking Taught Me
By Zane Roush, 2020 WR Intern
All summer I wondered what I was going to write about for my final project. Would I talk about backcountry weed management? No, that sounded too much like a school project. Would I do a photo journal? No, it turns out it was too difficult to take pictures while we worked. On my final hitch, Jackson Holte, the Lincoln Ranger District Wilderness Ranger, and I were sitting around camp shooting the breeze. We got onto the topic of horsemanship (as we often did) and he said something that stuck out to me. "Horsepacking makes you a better person."
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Weeds in the Wilderness
By Marty Maddalena, Weeds Crew Leader
The Wilderness is undisturbed, untrammeled and beautiful just the way it is, right? Well, sort of. The Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex as well as every other piece of public and most private land is in a constant battle with noxious/invasive weeds.
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Where Are They Now?
By BMWF Staff
Our Wilderness Internships are designed for young, college-age students to gain the experience they need to continue on with their natural-resource related careers. So sadly, after three months of time with us, they move on. However, we LOVE to keep in touch and hear from them from time to time. Here we check in with a few of our past interns to hear what they’re up to now.
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Nine Tips for a New Trail Crew Member
By Aryn Cummings, 2020 WCC Intern
Dos and don’ts for your first season of trail work in The Bob.
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Wildflowers of The Bob
By Emily Clark, 2020 WCC Intern
Whether it’s hiking through open burned areas or quaint green meadows, I am always able to find a pop of color. Sometimes it’s more obvious than others, like the hillsides covered in arnica or fields full of beargrass. And sometimes, on my way to get water, I find lone wildflowers, often enjoying the shade of a nearby shrub.
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The Food Clock
By Sean Anderson, 2020 WCC Intern
BEEP BEEP BEEP, BEEP BEEP BEEP, echoed throughout our camp at an early 6:30 AM wake up. Groaning at the thought of climbing out of our warm safe spaces and entering the cold harsh Bob Marshall Wilderness made everyone dive deeper into their sleeping bag. Eventually it would be time to emerge from that sanctuary and start the day.
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So you want to build a puncheon?
By Briana Bienusa, 2020 WCC Intern
I hear you are sick of trudging through the mud. Maybe your horse got its shoe plucked right off. Or you even got your shoe plucked right off? It’s time for a structure to be installed.
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Safe River Crossings
By BMWF Staff
The rivers in The Bob are renowned, magical places -- and powerful forces of nature. The recent tragedy on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River is a heartbreaking reminder that river crossings can be the most dangerous thing we do on a trip in the Wilderness. If you're planning a hike that will cross a river, please review safe stream crossing techniques before you head out. We've included some tips here.
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2019 Trip Highlight: Big Prairie
By BMWF Staff
The Bob is always a great place to explore and early summer is particularly grand. On June 30th of 2019 six trail volunteers, three packers and BMWF Crew Leader Ian Bartling set out from the Benchmark trailhead for nine days of Wilderness Stewardship on the most strenuous BMWF volunteer project of the summer.
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