Swan Valley Connections

Education:swan valley connections' (svc) education programs aim to strengthen the relationship between people and landscapes through placed-based experiences. Svc teaches ecological literacy to people of all ages and backgrounds, cultivating compassion and enthusiasm for the natural world in children, challenging young adults to understand the complexities of land and resource management, and providing residents with opportunities to engage with the place where they live, work, and play.during 2024, svc continued to support the mission mountain youth crew (mmyc), which is a conservation youth corps of high school students from the confederated salish and kootenai tribal reservation. The mmyc assisted in a variety of stewardship projects, including invasive weed control and trail and cultural site maintenance.our experiential college field programs hosted over 34 students in 2024. Svc promotes a place-based, case-study approach to conservation and studies process and collaboration to make these lessons applicable in other geographic locations. Students in our programs study wildlife tracking, ecology, natural resource management, and community-based conservation. Our college programs are interdisciplinary in nature and offer a balance of learning through field work, academic readings, presentations by staff and speakers, problem solving activities, and personal reflection. We believe that a deep understanding of ecological processes combined with empathy for human communities leads to innovative and thoughtful stewardship of public and private landscapes. Our natural resource speaker series brought 4 different presenters to condon montana, sharing information about ecology, biology and conservation. Attendance to these presentations ranges from 20 to over 70 attendees. In addition to college field programs and our natural resource speaker series, we led several workshops and courses ranging in topics from forest ecology to carnivore coexistence. We hosted a total of 38 education and volunteer events, engaging over 700 people.svc is committed to maintaining partnerships that promote education to a broader audience. In 2024, svc partnered with the montana natural history center, the blackfoot challenge, clearwater resource council, the university of montana, the united states forest service, montana fish, wildlife and parks, montana deq, trout unlimited, backcountry hunters and anglers, the united state geologic survey, and others to promote state-wide and out of state education programs to a diverse audience. These partnerships build trust, enhance collaboration, and extend the reach of any individual organization.

Public information/visitor center:swan valley connections (svc) has partnered with the u.s. Forest service to provide year-round visitor and community services monday friday between 9am 4:30pm. Svc staffs a visitor center located in the usfs condon work center that is the primary point of contact for visitors to the swan valley. We provided information and education to 889 visitors who came to the visitor center to get information regarding trails/hiking, camping, fishing, recreation, lodging and wildlife in the valley. We recorded 2,610 minutes of information given to 99 visitors specifically regarding recreation in bear country. Besides being the main source of natural resource-based information for the public, svc has created wildlife and habitat exhibits, developed a resource library focused on local natural resources, wildlife and history, and a small retail shop selling bear spray, maps, firewood permits, and books related to enjoying and understanding the natural beauty of the swan valley. Visitors can also enjoy an interpretive trail adjacent to the visitor center.svc's visitor center is an informational hub for visitors and residents alike and a critical resource for professionals working in the swan valley. Svc hosts partner meetings and provides a forum for all resource conservation practitioners and professionals in the valley. Svc facilitates workshops and educational opportunities year-round for residents and professionals, including a quarterly publication "the confluence" with a print distribution of over 1,300 as well as digital distribution of over 4,200 via email. In addition, the swan valley connections website provides a wealth of public information and outreach material. In 2024, the website received 26,000 unique viewers and served as a jumping off point to our social pages, facebook and instagram, which have 17,000 and 3,300 followers respectively, bringing together a confluence of conservation and education material. In addition, svc has over 7,200 youtube subscribers. Svc partners with government agency stakeholders and acts as the liaison for communication between these agencies (90% of the valley is under federal and state ownership) and the private landowners/residents of the valley. Svc hosts informational meetings for citizens to be aware of agency activity and allows citizens to provide input and feedback to the federal and state agencies on projects happening in the valley. This critical communication link builds relationships that allow for productive outcomes that benefit all.

Wildlife & aquatics:located in the heart of one of the last remaining wild and intact landscapes in north america hosting its full complement of native fish and wildlife species, svc's vision is that through exemplary stewardship, the swan watershed and adjacent landscapes will remain wild, resilient places where all people are connected to the natural world. Swan valley bear resources:svc is a collaborative partner in swan valley bear resources (svbr), whose mission is to offer community resources to promote coexistence between people and bears. Svc partners with the u.s. Forest service (usfs), montana fish wildlife & parks (fwp), u.s. Fish & wildlife service (usfws), montana department of natural resources and conservation (dnrc), volunteers, and community members in pursuit of its mission. Svbr staff help reduce bear conflicts by offering private property consultations, advice for landowners to minimize bear attractants, a bear-resistant container loaner program, assistance with temporary and permanent electric fencing projects to contain bear attractants, educational events, and outreach. Since its inception, svbr has distributed 495 bear resistant trash containers and built 52 permanent electric fences for local businesses and residents. In 2024, svbr hosted or attended 15 educational outreach events to promote bear awareness and ways to reduce human/bear conflicts in the swan valley, reaching over 1,100 people. Svbr publishes swan valley bear news, an annual community newsletter article that highlights current events relating to bears, as well as a monthly bear awareness column in the bigfork eagle, reaching over 5,000 readers.svc is the point of contact locally to report bear incidents, problems, and conflicts and works to help resolve issues or relay information to appropriate management experts. Visitors at the condon work center can purchase bear pepper spray and obtain a variety of printed information and educational materials about living and recreating safely in bear country. The visitor center provides information about living with all species of wildlife.rare carnivore monitoring:svc, in partnership with the u.s. Forest service, rocky mountain research station, and bureau of land management worked to systematically survey parts the southwest crown of the continent ecosystem (sw crown) for rare forest carnivores, particularly focusing on lynx, and wolverine in 2024 as part of a long-term monitoring and research effort that began in 2012. Maintaining or restoring a healthy landscape that supports these species is a primary focus of national forest management in the sw crown and the endangered species act. As such, forest managers consider the impacts to these species before implementing any major forest management, including building or removing roads, fuels reduction, and forest restoration projects. The primary objective of monitoring forest carnivores in the sw crown is to facilitate and coordinate the adaptive management of wolverines and canada lynx by agency managers across the landscape. This monitoring project was designed to provide a baseline of the current distribution of the focal species in the sw crown and to allow for tracking changes in that distribution over time. The sw crown carnivore project utilizes non-invasive survey methods to maximize the ability to detect multiple species across a large landscape in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Svc conducts snow track surveys and used dna collection methods (hair snares and bait stations) developed by researchers with the usfs rocky mountain research station.native fish:svc coordinates and hosts an annual swan valley native fish committee meeting, which is a collaborative group of partners from montana fwp, u.s. Geological survey, montana dnrc, u.s. Forest service, the university of montana, flathead biological station, u.s. Fish and wildlife service, mpg ranch, and private citizens. The native fish subcommittee works to inform the conservation strategies which will best protect and restore westslope cutthroat trout in the swan river basin. In 2024, svc worked with these partners to survey certain swan headwater creeks to collect genetic samples from rainbow and westslope cutthroat trout as part of a research study to better understand distribution of non-native rainbow trout and their potential impacts on native westslope cutthroat trout populations. Svc is also a member of the swan valley bull trout working group, which works to protect and restore bull trout populations in the swan valley.recreational trails:from may through november, swan valley connections (svc), in partnership with the u.s. Forest service (usfs), hires a contractor to provide extensive trail and campsite maintenance and restoration, recreational user monitoring, wilderness character monitoring, and visitor education on approximately 95 miles of trail in the mission mountains wilderness and swan front of northwest montana. The trails stewards clean up garbage and maintain over 300 campsites as well as 10 restoration campsites. Each spring trails are opened and then maintained throughout the visitor season in partnership with the u.s. Forest service. In 2024, trail stewards supervised nine volunteers, providing 532 hours of service. Conservation:swan valley connections (svc) coordinates annual updates from the swan lands coordinating network (slcn) consisting of members from various stakeholders in the swan valley. The mission of the slcn is to coordinate stakeholder activity in the valley and leverage organizational resources to more productively accomplish common goals and objectives. Svc is a member of the southwestern crown collaborative (swcc), which brings together residents, interested citizens, business enterprises, and conservation organizations to consider creative solutions in the management of national forests in the blackfoot, clearwater, and swan river valleys. It is an open, independent, volunteer organization that encourages broad participation by all interested parties. The swcc promotes sustainable forest management, the restoration of watersheds, science-based evaluation of management activities, and opportunities for nearby rural communities to benefit from these lands and waters. Swcc's mission is to work towards a healthy and sustainable landscape in this region taking into account everything from local ecosystems to local economies.elk creek conservation area:swan valley connections (svc) and the confederated salish and kootenai tribes (cskt) each own half of the elk creek conservation area (ecca), a 640-acre parcel of critical bull trout spawning habitat along elk creek. Together, svc and cskt co-manage the conservation area and meet at least once annually to discuss stewardship priorities for the year. A management committee and management plan guide any stewardship actions on the property. The ecca is a demonstration area for best management practices, public tours, and educational opportunities for students, residents, and natural resource professionals.in addition, in 2024 svc worked with the mission mountain youth crew to pile brush along elk flats road to help reduce wildfire risk and hand-pull invasive weeds across the property. A shaded fuel break was completed in 2024 along svc's portion of the ecca, reducing wildfire risk on 18 acres along elk flats road while increasing firefighter effectiveness and safety. Swan legacy forest:svc also owns and manages the 160-acre swan legacy forest. A management committee comprised of svc staff, board members, and volunteers meet at least annually to make decisions regarding annual work activities. The property is utilized as an outdoor classroom for students and private landowners during workshops and demonstrations that promote exemplary forest stewardship and restoration techniques. In 2024, svc completed a 10 acre thinning project that showcases a local contractor's mechanical thinning equipment and reduces wildfire risk to the property and adjacent landowners.

Recreational trails:from may through november, swan valley connections (svc), in partnership with the u.s. Forest service (usfs), hires a contractor to provide extensive trail and campsite maintenance and restoration, recreational user monitoring, wilderness character monitoring, and visitor education on approximately 95 miles of trail in the mission mountains wilderness and swan front of northwest montana. The trails stewards clean up garbage and maintain over 300 campsites as well as 10 restoration campsites. Each spring trails are opened and then maintained throughout the visitor season in partnership with the u.s. Forest service. In 2024, trail stewards supervised nine volunteers, providing 532 hours of service. Svc's trails program is funded by grants from the usfs, montana fish, wildlife & parks, and by private donations.

Conservation:swan valley connections (svc) coordinates annual updates from the swan lands coordinating network (slcn) consisting of members from all the various stakeholders in the swan valley, including the u.s. Forest service, u.s. Fish and wildlife service, montana department of natural resources and conservation, montana fish, wildlife & parks, various non-governmental agencies, swan valley civic organizations, and private citizens. The mission of the slcn is to coordinate stakeholder activity in the valley and leverage organizational resources to more productively accomplish common goals and objectives. The slcn provides a forum for dialogue among vested stakeholders in pursuit of strengthening relationships and facilitating cooperative stewardship of the natural resources in the swan valley for the common good. The swan valley native fish subcommittee is a collaborative group of representatives from swan valley connections, montana fwp, us geological survey, montana dnrc, us forest service, the university of montana, flathead biological station, u.s. Fish and wildlife service, mpg ranch, and private citizens. It works to identify the conservation strategies which will best protect and restore westslope cutthroat trout in the swan basin. Svc has worked to monitor known conservation populations and collect samples for genetic study to address knowledge gaps about the distribution, abundance, and genetic status of cutthroat trout in the swan. Svc is also a member of the swan valley bull trout working group, which works to protect and restore bull trout populations in the swan valley.svc also connects local landowners with a missoula county-funded cost share noxious weed treatment grant program.svc is a member of the southwestern crown collaborative (swcc), which brings together residents, interested citizens, business enterprises, and conservation organizations to consider creative solutions in the management of national forests in the blackfoot, clearwater, and swan river valleys. It is an open, independent, volunteer organization that encourages broad participation by all interested parties. The swcc promotes sustainable forest management, the restoration of watersheds, science-based evaluation of management activities, and opportunities for nearby rural communities to benefit from these lands and waters. Swcc's mission is to work towards a healthy and sustainable landscape in this region taking into account everything from local ecosystems to local economies.

Elk creek conservation area:swan valley connections (svc) and the confederated salish and kootenai tribes (cskt) each own half of the elk creek conservation area (ecca), a 640-acre parcel of critical bull trout spawning habitat along elk creek. Together, svc and cskt co-manage the conservation area and meet at least once annually to discuss stewardship priorities for the year. A management committee and management plan guide any stewardship actions on the property. Svc supervises volunteers and provides funding for restoring riparian habitat along the creek as well as maintenance of access roads, weed control, tree planting and forest health management. The elk creek conservation area is a demonstration area for best management practices, public tours, and educational opportunities for students, residents, and natural resource professionals.svc uses this conservation area as an outdoor classroom for students who learn through involvement in stream monitoring, wildlife habitat management, and forest assessment. In 2013, svc partnered with the us fish and wildlife service, the confederated salish and kootenai tribes, and the missoula county conservation district to obtain various grants to replant 43 acres along elk creek and the swan river within the conservation area. The project work was implemented in 2015, planting over 5,800 spruce and 500 alder seedlings. Annual monitoring of seedling survival continued in 2023.svc also released biocontrol knapweed flower and root weevils in 2021 on the conservation area, which will reproduce over time and help reduce the infestation of the invasive plant. In addition, herbicides were used to treat weeds on various roads throughout the property. In 2023, svc and usfws partnered with the cskt, missoula county, and the elk flats road coop to upgrade undersized culverts in the floodplain along elk creek on the elk creek conservation area. The previous undersized culverts were unable to handle the high flows during spring runoff events and had resulted in large quantities of sediment from elk flats road washing into elk creek, negatively impacting bull trout spawning and rearing habitat as well as water quality.in addition, in 2024 svc worked with the mission mountain youth crew to pile brush along elk flats road to help reduce wildfire risk and hand-pull invasive weeds across the property. A shaded fuel break was completed in 2024 along svc's portion of the ecca, reducing wildfire risk on 18 acres along elk flats road while increasing firefighter effectiveness and safety. Swan legacy forest:svc also owns and manages the 160-acre swan legacy forest. A management committee comprised of svc staff and board members meet at least annually to make decisions regarding annual work activities. The property is utilized as an outdoor classroom for students and private landowners during workshops and demonstrations that promote exemplary forest stewardship and restoration techniques. In 2024, svc completed a 10 acre thinning project that showcases a local contractor's mechanical thinning equipment and reduces wildfire risk to the property and adjacent landowners.