BHA Habitat Stewards Rendezvous in Missoula for Fencing Project and Seminar
Stewardship in Action: Fence Removal, Field Education, and Sweat Equity
On the Thursday leading into Rende 2025, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers and the Missoula BLM field office kicked off the weekend with a boots on the ground stewardship project. Twenty-five volunteers and four BLM staff headed up the Blackfoot River, just east of Missoula, to remove half a mile of old fencing along Belmont Creek.
Over coffee and a light breakfast, the BLM's Assistant Field Manager gave a historical background of the project site and explained the importance of removing submerged fence along this riparian area. BHA's Habitat Stewardship Coordinators, Bard Edrington and Andrew Hahne, briefed the plan of the day; Montana's Stewardship Board Volunteer, Micah Fields, spoke on safety then volunteers split into two crews and got to work. Volunteers spent the day unclipping or sometimes having to cut barbed wire, rolling it up by hand before prying t-posts out of knee-deep mud. In some areas, volunteers waded through thigh-deep water to get the job done. The work was messy, rewarding, and necessary.
Work wrapped up just after noon - muck covered boots came off, sandals went, on and folks dried their clothes in the June sun with sandwiches and snacks in hand.
Belmont Creek, is a drainage previously privately owned and logged, is now in public trust through the BLM. This area has transformed drastically over the past 30 years due to successful beaver reintroduction through the creation of dam analogs. It serves as critical winter range for all manner of big game species north of the Blackfoot River. Removing defunct fencing from this area enhances wildlife movement and supports long-term habitat health.
Thank you to all the volunteers for your efforts and Missoula BLM staff for allowing BHA to assist on such a high-priority and impactful project. Thank you also to Kinco Gloves for providing the protective gloves used during this project and Dometic for the electric coolers that allowed us to share sandwiches and cold beverages after a hot and sweaty days work improving habitat.
Bringing the Field to Rende
Through the rest of the North American Rendezvous weekend, BHA’s Stewardship Team hosted an interactive booth on the University of Montana's outdoor Oval. Designed to mirror a typical project site and camp, the setup included many of the tools used in the field to accomplish stewardship work, interpretive signage, and a mock fence-line demonstrating both problematic fencing and wildlife-friendly alternatives.
Visitors could see the types of barriers wildlife face: loose top wires (including one section with an actual elk leg from a prior project entangled), outdated netwire (sheep fence, mesh fence), and, by contrast, a properly built wildlife-spec fence with smooth bottom wire and correct wire spacing as recommended by the state biologists. It served as a powerful visual to show why this work matters.
During our stewardship seminar, we outlined the mission and scope of BHA’s stewardship program—fencing and beyond—while discussing how it's funded and how members can support or lead future projects. Chapter leaders and volunteers from around the region shared stories from their local efforts, underscoring the real impact this work has had on landscapes and communities.
Roughly 20 attendees joined the seminar and stayed engaged in thoughtful conversation. Many walked away with BHA stewardship stickers and shirts—a small but proud way to represent the work being done on the ground.
Fires, Music, and Meaningful Conversation
Evenings at Rende felt like classic post-project campfire debriefs. With fires burning in our Cowboy Cauldron, we cooked brats and acoustic guitar provided background music to the booth; the space welcomed the kind of authentic conversation that often occurs after a group of people have spent the day working side by side in the field. Discussions ranged from the future of virtual fencing to plans of upcoming hunting and fishing adventures.
Looking Ahead
The Rendezvous weekend wasn’t just about celebrating past success—it was about building momentum. The Stewardship Team connected with BHA members, agency partners, and volunteers to reflect on what’s working and how we can do even better. Ideas flowed, and plans began to take shape for funding opportunities, potential projects and improved ways to provide outreach and education. Stewardship isn’t a one-off project—it’s a community, a commitment, and a continuous conversation.
Andrew Hahne
BHA Habitat Stewardship Coordinator based out of Missoula, MT.
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BHA Habitat Stewardship Coordinator based out of Missoula, MT.
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