Distinctly Montana Magazine

4 5 Y E A R S O F H A U N T E D W A T E R S 3 0 T HERE IS AN AFRICAN PROVERB THAT SAYS IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO RAISE A CHILD. IT MIGHT ALSO BE TRUE FOR RIVERS. The Blackfoot River extends 132 miles from the Ana- conda Creek near the top of Rogers Pass to the conflu- ence with the Clark Fork River by Missoula, Montana. The watershed encompasses 1.5 million acres where seven communities work, recreate, and have endured the challenges created by years of poor mining practic- es, logging, livestock grazing, and a growing number of recreationalists. As I drove Highway 200 toward Ovando, I crested a hill and the valley below shone brightly in the midday sun. Shadows were casting off the ponderosa pines standing tall and proud, stretching toward the deep blue sky. Off to the north, the jagged peaks of the Scapegoat Wilderness were competing for the clouds that kept playing in between the saddles and ridgeline. I parked along a stretch of dirt road where I could see the valley and the mountains between the trees, turned off the truck, and stepped out to silence and crisp spring air. There was something here I could not put into words, something that felt wild and uninhibited. A coyote did not appreciate my appearance and silently took off up the slope before disappearing into the brush. I could sit there all day taking in the surround- ings, but knew I was pressed for time. I had to meet the Blackfoot Challenge and the Riverkeeper of the Black- foot, so I said goodbye for now and headed back to the pavement and town. Ovando sits in the heart of the Blackfoot watershed and has a population of 64. The Blackfoot Challenge has been running its nonprofit here since 1993. The day I arrived, Sara Schmidt, their communications manager, and Randy Gazda, retired Fish and Wildlife Service and now serving as vice-chair, were giving a group of high school science students from Helena a talk on their conservation efforts. The Blackfoot Challenge united landowners and public agencies, forming a community that would support each other and uphold the values of the area. They wanted to get ahead of the curve on the problems they were facing; the non-profit American T H E C O N S E R VAT I O N O F T H E B L A C K F O O T by HALLIE L. ZOLYNSKI I† Takes a Village USED TO BE A REMOTE, LITTLE-KNOWN WATERWAY BEFORE THE BOOK AND FILM ADAPTATION OF A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT MADE IT LEGENDARY. THE EFFECTS HAVE BEEN BOTH GOOD AND BAD. The Blackfoot River JOHN MACLEAN

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