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Meets on the second Monday of the month at the Plains High School
library.
Wildhorse Plains BCH (Plains, Montana) is a reincarnation of the
former Sanders County Chapter from the 1990s. Were centered in the
Plains/Thompson Falls Ranger District of the Lolo National Forest,
with lots of short trails and a few trunk trails all left from the network
built through this heavily-timbered area in the 1920s and 30s. Visitors and
potential new members always welcome. We have trail work and other
activities for experienced livestock users, for novices, and for people who
prefer staying on the ground. Our only requirement for membership is an
interest in keeping forest trails accessible and useable for livestock in
the Lolo National Forest.
After a couple intense years of project work the group decide to scale
things back a bit for 2009. Goals were set to increase membership,
participate in some of the local non-profit activities and clear the Loneman Divide to Big Hole Peak trail that the group
and re-established in 2007. To date we’ve participated in a local
Diabetes awareness activity where Leave No Trace Camping techniques, horse
loading, Dutch-oven cooking and several other activities were
presented. We’ve signed up a few new members and have cleared about
three-fourths of the Loneman to Big Hole
Trail. Coming up the end of July is the Bend Guard Station campout
which features 2 evening barbecues, a trail ride back into the Chippy Creek fire to observe the vegetative recovery
and another trail ride to the scenic Murr Canyon. Currently we have over
30 folks signed up to attend. In late August we’ll be helping the
Forest Service pack out Whitebark pine
cones. In September we’ll pack in Whitebark
pine seedlings to a planting project within the Chippy
Creek Fire.
Work projects for 2008 was clearing and repairing the Spring Creek Trail
and trailhead, approximately 6 miles terminating at Big Hole
Peak. This trail ties
in to the Baldy/Big Hole trail which was cleared in 2007, making a 15-mile
trail across the head of several drainages, with good trailer access at
either end and in the middle. Additionally, the group surveyed over
60 miles of trails within the Chippy Creek Fire
from 2007 for the presences of noxious weeds, documented the locations and
gave the information to the Forest Service for follow-up treatment.
For 2007 the group re-established the
abandoned Loneman Divide to Big
Hole Peak
trail which traverses Forest Service, State of Montana and Plum Creek ownerships.
Additionally, the group surveyed 30 miles of Forest Service Trails for the
presences of noxious weeds. Being the start-up year for the
resurrected chapter the group also completed First Aid/CPR, chainsaw and
defensive horsemanship training in order to complete volunteer training
requirements for the Forest Service.
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