Cooperative Agreement L25AC00350

THE BLACKFOOT WATERSHED SPANS 1.5 MILLION ACRES AT THE SOUTHERN END OF THE CROWN OF THE CONTINENT ECOSYSTEM. THE WATERSHED INCLUDES NEARLY 100,000 ACRES OF BLM-MANAGED LANDS AND SEVERAL NATIONAL CONSERVATION LANDS, SUCH AS WALES CREEK AND HOODOOS WILDERNESS STUDY AREA, AND THE LEWIS AND CLARK NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAIL. THE AREA IS RENOWNED FOR ITS ECOLOGICAL DIVERSITY, SUPPORTING GRIZZLY BEARS, GRAY WOLVES, CANADA LYNX, WOLVERINES, TRUMPETER SWANS, AND SANDHILL CRANES. THE BLACKFOOT RIVER AND ITS TRIBUTARIES PROVIDE CRITICAL HABITAT FOR BULL TROUT AND WESTSLOPE CUTTHROAT TROUT, REINFORCING THE REGIONS STATUS AS A WORLD-CLASS FLY-FISHING DESTINATION. THE WATERSHED ALSO SUPPORTS AGRICULTURE, RANCHING, AND THE LIVELIHOODS OF MANY RURAL COMMUNITIES.WHILE THE WATERSHED PROVIDES YEAR-ROUND RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES, THE PAST DECADE HAS SEEN A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN RECREATION, PARTICULARLY DISPERSED RECREATION ON BLM LANDS. THIS GROWTH RAISES CONCERNS ABOUT POTENTIAL IMPACTS TO WILDERNESS CHARACTER IN THE WALES CREEK AND HOODOOS WSAS, AS WELL AS TO SENSITIVE WILDLIFE HABITATS AND OTHER RESOURCES THROUGHOUT THE WATERSHED. INCREASING RECREATION USE ALSO HEIGHTENS THE POTENTIAL FOR CONFLICTS OVER ACCESS AND RESOURCE IMPACTS BETWEEN VISITORS AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES.IN RESPONSE, THE BLM, OTHER AGENCIES, NGOS, AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES FACE GROWING CHALLENGES IN BALANCING RECREATION ACCESS WITH RESOURCE AND COMMUNITY PROTECTION AMID CHANGING ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS. WHILE SIGNIFICANT EFFORTS HAVE FOCUSED ON FISHERIES, WILDLIFE, AND RECREATION ALONG THE BLACKFOOT RIVER, THERE REMAINS LIMITED UNDERSTANDING OF THE PATTERNS, IMPACTS, AND MANAGEMENT NEEDS RELATED TO DISPERSED RECREATION ACROSS THE BROADER WATERSHED.TO ADDRESS THIS GAP, THIS PROJECT WILL PILOT A RIGOROUS, INTEGRATED STUDY OF DISPERSED RECREATION USE AND IMPACTS ON BLM LANDS, WITH A FOCUS ON TESTING THE EFFICACY AND RELIABILITY OF CITIZEN SCIENCE AS A RECREATION MONITORING AND MANAGEMENT TOOL. THE PROJECT AIMS TO INFORM THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SYSTEMATIC, REPEATABLE MONITORING APPROACH THAT CAN BE APPLIED CONSISTENTLY ACROSS JURISDICTIONS WITHIN THE BLACKFOOT WATERSHED. GIVEN THE REGIONS COMPLEX LAND OWNERSHIP, THIS EFFORT ALSO SEEKS TO IMPROVE COLLABORATIVE DATA MANAGEMENT AND JOINT DECISION-MAKING AMONG DIVERSE STAKEHOLDERS. IT WILL SERVE AS A POTENTIAL MODEL FOR OTHER LANDSCAPES FACING SIMILAR CHALLENGES IN MANAGING DISPERSED RECREATION IMPACTS.IN CONSULTATION WITH BLM AND OTHER LOCAL PARTNERS, DATA COLLECTION WILL INCLUDE:1. CONTINUOUS MONITORING USING INFRARED TRAIL COUNTERS AND GAME CAMERAS AT HIGH- AND LOW-USE DISPERSED RECREATION SITES IDENTIFIED BY MANAGERS 2. VOLUNTARY CITIZEN SCIENCE DATA, WHERE RECREATIONISTS RECORD THEIR OBSERVATIONS OF RECREATION USE, CROWDING, AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS DURING THEIR VISITS AND,3. SYSTEMATIC FIELD ASSESSMENTS BY TRAINED PRACTITIONERS DOCUMENTING RECREATION USE, CROWDING, AND RESOURCE IMPACTS AT PRIORITY SITES.OBJECTIVES FROM THIS EFFORT WILL EVALUATE THE ACCURACY AND MANAGEMENT UTILITY OF CITIZEN SCIENCE DATA RELATIVE TO OTHER MONITORING APPROACHES. RESULTS WILL INFORM THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTEGRATED, ADAPTIVE MONITORING FRAMEWORK THAT INCORPORATES CITIZEN SCIENCE IN A MEANINGFUL AND RIGOROUS WAY. DATA WILL BE SHARED WITH BLM, U.S. FOREST SERVICE, MONTANA FISH, WILDLIFE PARKS, AND OTHER PARTNERS TO SUPPORT BASELINE ASSESSMENTS OF DISPERSED RECREATION USE AND IMPACTS. RESULTS WILL ALSO BE SHARED PUBLICLY THROUGH THE BLACKFOOT CHALLENGES COLLABORATIVE DATA DASHBOARD.THE EXPECTED DELIVERABLES INCLUDE:1. A TECHNICAL REPORT EVALUATING MONITORING APPROACHES, METHODS, AND FINDINGS, WITH ACTIONABLE MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS 2. A TESTED CITIZEN SCIENCE-BASED RECREATION MONITORING METHODOLOGY THAT CAN BE APPLIED TO OTHER BLM LANDS 3. A PILOT DEMONSTRATION OF INTEGRATED DATA SHARING THROUGH THE BLACKFOOT CHALLENGES COLLABORATIVE DATA DASHBOARD, WITH FEEDBACK FROM MANAGERS AND THE PUBLIC.