Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation looks to future

If you’ve come across a trail cleared in the Bob Marshall Wilderness this summer, you just might want to thank the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation. If you’ve seen where noxious weeds have been pulled and hauled away in the Bob, you just might want to thank the foundation.

For nearly 25 years of service to the 1.5 million-acre Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, the foundation was recently given the “Enduring Service” award by Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen.

The award recognizes public contributions to citizen stewardship and partnerships, cultural diversity, enduring service, and leadership and restoration on behalf of the agency’s mission.

The foundation serves five ranger districts on the Flathead, Lolo, and Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forests. In 2019, Foundation volunteers maintained 750 miles of trail, nearly 40% of all wilderness complex trails. Its 318 volunteers contributed $401,858 in value last year alone, clearing 3,389 trees and brushing 213 miles of trail. They reduced erosion by maintaining 372 trail drainage structures, and worked to improve big game habitat by spraying or hand-pulling invasive weeds on 102 acres.

Established in 1996, the foundation has sustained over 2,000 miles of trail access into the third largest wilderness complex in the lower 48 states for the last 24 years. The foundation was created to save a world class trail network from deterioration and abandonment. In 1996, 600 miles of the original 2,500-mile trail network had already been lost, until the Foundation went to work.

The award “inspires us to build on that legacy,” said director Bill Hodge.

Hodge has been with the foundation for 14 months now. This year has been a bit of a challenge, as the coronavirus crisis forced the organization to cancel out-of-state volunteer groups.

But Montanans have stepped to the plate, and nearly every project planned this summer is filled with volunteers.

Hodge said the plan in the next few years is to encourage more diversity in its volunteer groups.

“We want to make sure the work we do is available to all Americans,” he said. “We want to connect the full suite of the American public to their lands.”

In a typical outing, volunteers provide the labor to clear trails and do other work, while the foundation provides the logistics, such as meals and equipment.

This year, even with coronavirus, the foundation has plans for more than 30 projects. Crew leaders have also been hitting the woods, clearing trails and doing other work when volunteer groups weren’t available early in the season.

Hodge said in the longterm, the foundation is considering creating its own stock program in partnership with the Forest Service and other groups. Stock are used to support most trips and the foundation relies heavily on the generosity of Backcountry Horsemen groups as well as the Forest Service stock.

But availability can be a problem.

“It’s a pinch point,” Hodge acknowledged.

In addition, the folks who provide stock support are aging and it takes financial resources to keep stock fed and taken care of through the year.

Ideally, Hodge said the foundation would like to eventually have its own stock program and recruit more young people to learn the proverbial ropes of pack stock.

That idea will further develop after the coronavirus crisis has passed. In the meantime, the foundation is still seeing significant support, despite the crisis.

“It’s been inspiring that people haven’t shut down philanthropic support of the organization,” he said.

“The Bob” turns 80 this year, having first been designated as wilderness administratively in 1940, the year after Bob Marshall, the champion of wilderness nationwide, died at age 39.

To learn more about the Foundation or to volunteer for a trip, visit its website at www.bmwf.org.