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A waterfall pours into Rimrock Lake in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness. The Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness Foundation will hold a “Spring Fling” event this Sunday at Chico Hot Springs in Pray. Photo by Ben Pierce.

When Steve Caldwell envisioned his new home after making the decision to move away from Denver 13 years ago, he might have imagined a place like the Paradise Valley — a broad landscape with plenty of access to backcountry ski runs, hiking trails and a national park.

What he might not have foreseen when he venture north to join his new neighbors in Livingston was his future role in promoting and protecting those lands.

Caldwell is a board member for the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness Foundation (ABWF). Formed in 2007, the ABWF aims to encourage stewardship of the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, foster support for wilderness values and develop opportunities for volunteer participation in wildland programs and activities.

“I think wilderness is sort of a touchstone for what makes us human in a lot of ways,” Caldwell said on Friday. “It reminds us of where we came from.”

Encompassing nearly one million acres along the Montana-Wyoming border, the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness is a vast tract of untamed land sparkling with over 1,000 mountain lakes, Montana’s highest peaks and the region’s greatest predators. The area, nationally recognized as an integral part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, is revered by backpackers, anglers and hunters for its beauty and solitude.

Caldwell said the foundation was formed of citizens from Livingston to Red Lodge who share a passion for wild places and recognize the importance of volunteer efforts in maintaining the quality and character of the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness. He said dwindling appropriations have left the Forest Service with limited funding for maintenance of wilderness areas.

Ron Archuleta, ABWF board advisor and Forest Service liaison, agrees.

“The Forest Service has experienced flat or declining budget trends (in recent years),” Archuleta said on Monday. “We have a budget deficit and Congress and the president are trying to balance the budget. Everyone has to do their part.”

Caldwell said the ABWF aims to work in cooperation with the Forest Service to bridge those budgetary gaps. He said the ABWF will support and participate in trail maintenance programs, noxious weed pulls and historic preservation and restoration projects, among others.

Funding for projects undertaken by the ABWF — and model organizations such as the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation and the Selway-Bitterroot Frank Church Foundation — come from a variety of sources including grants, membership dues and donations.

The ABWF recently secured an $8,000 National Forest Foundation grant to undertake weed control in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness.

Archuleta said invasive weeds — including spotted knapweed and toadflax — are one of the biggest threats to the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness.

“If noxious weed take hold they affect native plants and animals and can negatively impact watershed health,” Archuleta said. He added that while the area is in “good shape ecologically,” the ABWF’s volunteer support is critical.

“Without these public-private partnerships it is going to be challenging to meet the mission of the Wilderness Act,” Archuleta said. “(The Forest Service) can only do a certain amount of trail work and there is much more that needs to be done. That is where the foundation comes in — to complete some of the work that we do not have the capacity to complete.”

Caldwell said other threats to the Absaroka-Beartooth exist, citing global challenges such as climate change and local ones such as real estate development in sensitive wildlife habitats.

To raise awareness and funding to meet these challenges, the ABWF will hold a “Spring Fling” this Sunday at Chico Hot Springs in Pray. The event, to be held from 4:30-6:30 p.m. will feature a performance by Livingston singer/songwriter Mike Devine and a talk entitled “The Wild Edge of Paradise: Celebrating the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness” by acclaimed adventure writer Gary Ferguson.

Caldwell said the “Spring Fling” is a chance for the community to meet members of the ABWF, learn about the group’s mission and to celebrate a shared a passion for wilderness.

“I always end up going for a wilderness hike with the idea of it being a relaxing exercise, but I always find I come back more energized,” Caldwell said. “I was happy to find really big chunks of wild country in Montana.”

To learn more about the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness Foundation and the “Spring Fling,” visit www.abwilderness.org.

Related posts:

1. The Wilderness Debate: A discussion of the Gallatin Forest’s wild places, access to them and what the future holds
2. Madison River Foundation receives grant from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
3. Wolf debate between Elk Foundation, Defenders of Wildlife turns contentious
4. Pass it on: Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation video on the importance of conservation
5. Jefferson River Canoe Trail Association accepted as Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation Chapter

Tags: Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness Foundation, backpacking, Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation, Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Selway-Bitterroot Frank Church Foundation

This entry was posted by Ben Pierce on Thursday, March 24th, 2011 at 12:01 am and is filed under Conservation, Fishing, Hiking, Hunting, U.S. Forest Service, Yellowstone National Park. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.