Blackfoot Challenge

Blackfoot Challenge Welcome to the Blackfoot Challenge page! www.blackfootchallenge.org

Our story began in the 1970s when landowners along the Blackfoot River began gathering community support for conservation and using a cooperative, all-inclusive process to guide the management of the river. Since then, Blackfoot landowners and their public and private partners have coordinated a number of conservation successes: Montana's conservation easement legislation and first conservation ea

sement, multi-party river recreation corridor management, block management hunting areas, and the resale of 89,000 acres of corporate timber land into public and private conservation ownership according to a community-driven plan. We hope you'll join us in our current efforts to conserve and enhance the natural resources and rural way of life in the Blackfoot Watershed.

Join Blackfoot Challenge Bird Program Coordinator Elaine Caton for a community birding excursion, next Saturday, June 6....
05/31/2026

Join Blackfoot Challenge Bird Program Coordinator Elaine Caton for a community birding excursion, next Saturday, June 6. Meet at 9 am at the Hi Country Jerky parking lot in Lincoln. Bring your binos and your curiosity for bird life! (We'll have extra binos for those who don't have a set.) Contact Elaine ([email protected]) if you have questions!
Photo ©LeaFrye, LeaF Images

As headgates open up, there's always the risk of fish getting routed down irrigation ditches. The Big Blackfoot Chapter ...
05/21/2026

As headgates open up, there's always the risk of fish getting routed down irrigation ditches. The Big Blackfoot Chapter of Trout Unlimited has installed many fish screens across the watershed -- with a variety of unique mechanisms to keep fish where fish should be -- in the clean, cold tributaries. As part of our partnership with BBCTU, our Land Steward Brad helps keep those fish screens clean and operating throughout the irrigation season.

05/20/2026

The Blackfoot Valley came together to bring back trumpeter swans after 200 years. The swan reintroduction stopped in 2022, but the swans, and those stewarding them, are still flocking in the valley.

Change Your Pace Is On!The Seeley Lake Community Foundation dedicates May to this annual campaign raising support for no...
05/11/2026

Change Your Pace Is On!
The Seeley Lake Community Foundation dedicates May to this annual campaign raising support for nonprofits working across the Blackfoot-Clearwater region. Donations are matched by a generous match fund. Throughout May, you can support the Blackfoot Challenge and many worthy nonprofits by visiting: https://www.seeleylakecommunityfoundation.org/change-your-pace-challenge
THANK YOU!! Seeley Lake Community Foundation

Blackfoot-style bumper to bumper traffic.Moving cows is still a way of life in the Blackfoot -- including along and acro...
05/06/2026

Blackfoot-style bumper to bumper traffic.

Moving cows is still a way of life in the Blackfoot -- including along and across some of our rural highways. Thanks for keeping alert, slowing down and just enjoying the country pace while livestock and ranch crews are on the road!

As we work to improve drought resilience, understanding conditions before and after a wetland enhancement project is cri...
05/05/2026

As we work to improve drought resilience, understanding conditions before and after a wetland enhancement project is critical. The land and water stewardship team was out on the Blackfoot Community Conservation Area recently installing stream flow and temperature monitoring equipment to track progress on their Warren Creek wetlands restoration project.

Seeking part-time, on-call maintenance help in Ovando.The Blackfoot Challenge is seeking an individual to support mainte...
05/03/2026

Seeking part-time, on-call maintenance help in Ovando.

The Blackfoot Challenge is seeking an individual to support maintenance at our Ovando office building complex. This on-call position would be ideal for someone with basic carpentry and handyman skills who resides in the Blackfoot Valley. For more information, please contact [email protected].

While the burn windows were few and far between, TREX prescribed fire workshop participants did  get the chance to get f...
05/02/2026

While the burn windows were few and far between, TREX prescribed fire workshop participants did get the chance to get fire on the ground. They practiced igniting using different firing patterns, monitoring fire effects, taking weather data, and working as a team on a prescribed fire. The 28-acre burn was successful, and a whole lot of fun!

Share a gift with a place that gives back in so many ways. A few more hours to join in caring for the Blackfoot watershe...
05/01/2026

Share a gift with a place that gives back in so many ways. A few more hours to join in caring for the Blackfoot watershed with a donation to the Challenge through Missoula Gives. (photo by Katie Hickman) missoulagives.org

Address

405 Main Street
Ovando, MT
59854

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 3pm
Tuesday 9am - 3pm
Wednesday 9am - 3pm
Thursday 9am - 3pm

Telephone

(406) 793-3900

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Blackfoot Challenge posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Blackfoot Challenge:

Share