Jackson Fence Pull Event Recap

On a ridgeline at 8,000 feet in the west Pioneer mountains outside of Jackson, Montana, 13 volunteers from Montana BHA spent their summer solstice rolling up barbed wire and hauling it out of the forest, camping out on a mountaintop, and repeating the process over the next day. Oh yeah, and all of this was done in a straight up blizzard!

This shining example of Type II fun was completed as part of a partnership between BHA and the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) in their joint effort to improve habitat connectivity for big game species. This mighty workforce of volunteers removed 1.7 miles of dilapidated 5- to 7- strand barbed wire fencing from a US Forest Service-private land boundary. The old fence impeded movement of elk, mule deer, and moose, and posed the risk of injury and entrapment for big game. The malaise of barbed wire zig-zagged its way through sagebrush and into lodgepole forest, and was strung up along trees and old t-posts and buried under deadfall. Volunteers dealt with this chaos and tenaciously removed every last strand of rusty wire from the landscape. After removing the old fence, a new "wildlife-friendlier" fence will be installed on this boundary, which is designed to allow the passage of wildlife while effectively containing livestock, offering a win-win solution for wildlife and livestock producers.

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Adding to the fun, temperatures hovered between 28 and 35 degrees (Fahrenheit) the whole of the weekend. We spent two-nights camping, and awoke to a fresh coating of 1 or 2 inches of wet snow each morning. With the comfort of a campfire, cheap coffee, and elk burgers, we couldn't help but smile at the absurdity of the whole endeavor. And a soak in Jackson hot springs when the work was done helped, too! Gazing out over the Big Hole Valley and the snow-capped Beaverhead Range, we left with a sense of satisfaction of knowing our efforts improved habitat for the wildlife we cherish and hunt. Thank you to the volunteers and to NWF for facilitating this important stewardship of our lands and wildlife!

Watch a video recap of the event here: https://youtube.com/shorts/xhGKQrZatqo?si=H4VD_EGBY5JJ9iPo