Conservation groups, foundation adopt a trailhead

By the Independent Record - July 12, 2018 - Originally published in the Independent Record.

Conservation groups, foundation adopt a trailhead

On Monday, June 25, two public land and conservation orgs adopted a trailhead through Adopt-A-Trail Montana (AATM), a cooperative volunteer program designed to help protect Montana’s trails from further spread of noxious weeds.

The Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation partnered to adopt the Summit Trailhead, the gateway to the Badger-Two Medicine and one of the most popular access points to the Bob. AATM is a program of the Montana Noxious Weed Education Campaign and is supported by several agencies including the Montana Department of Agriculture, the Montana Weed Control Association, and the Montana Department of Transportation.

The Summit Trailhead accesses some of the wildest country in the Crown of the Continent. Noxious weeds are a problem at trailheads because these invasive plants thrive in disturbed areas. Trailheads are ideal for weed establishment because there is frequent concentrated activity in a relatively small area. This repetitive disturbance at trailheads provides the perfect habitat for noxious weeds to become established and increases their ability to spread.