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| Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest | |
|---|---|
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| Location | Montana, U.S. |
| Nearest city | Great Falls, Montana |
| Coordinates | 47°11′N111°27′W / 47.183°N 111.450°W /47.183; -111.450 |
| Area | 2,800,000 acres (11,000 km2)[1] |
| Established | February 22, 1897; 128 years ago (February 22, 1897)[2] |
| Governing body | U.S. Forest Service |
| Website | Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest |
Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest is located in west-centralMontana, United States. Spanning 2.8-million acres.[3] The region was inhabited by various cultures of Native Americans for a period of at least 8,000–10,000 years. When theLewis and Clark Expedition came to this area, different areas of the large forest territory were used by members of theBlackfeet,Sioux,Cheyenne,Flathead andCrow nations for hunting and as an area for their seasonal winter camps. The forests provided shelter from the winter.
The forest lands were defined and established by the federal government in 1897, following itsTreaty of 1896 with the Blackfeet forced to cede lands and move to a reservation adjacent to the national forest. The forest is one of the oldest forest preserves in the U.S. The forest is named in honor of the members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which passed through the forest between 1804 and 1806 while exploring theLouisiana Purchase for PresidentThomas Jefferson.
The forest is managed as two separate zones. The eastern sections, under the Jefferson Division, is a mixture ofgrass andshrublands dotted with island pockets of forested areas.Cattle leases to local ranchers as well astimber harvesting are the norm. The western Rocky Mountain Division, which straddles theContinental divide, is managed chiefly forenvironmental preservation, as much of the land has been designated aswilderness. Forest headquarters are located inGreat Falls, Montana. Localranger district offices have been established inChoteau,Harlowton,Neihart,Stanford, andWhite Sulphur Springs.[4]
The forest is broken into several separate sections. The eastern regions are dominated by theBig Belt Mountains, and are the location of theGates of the Mountains Wilderness, which remains much as it did when theLewis and Clark Expedition passed through the region. The western sections have both thecontinental divide and theScapegoat Wilderness area, which is part of theBob Marshall Wilderness complex. The southern region includes theElkhorn Mountains. The forest is composed of a mixture ofgrass andsagebrush covered lowlands with "island" pockets oflodgepole pine and more mountainous areas whereDouglas fir,spruce andlarch can be found. TheRocky Mountains in the region do not exceed 10,000 feet (3,000 m).
Altitudes range from 4,500 feet (1,400 m) to the top of Rocky Mountain Peak at 9,362 feet (2,900 m). The forest is divided into seven separate sections and encompasses eightmountain ranges; theJudith,Big Snowy,Little Snowy,Crazy,Castle,Little Belt andHighwood Mountains. The westernmost section includes portions of theScapegoat and theBob Marshall wildernesses, and bordersGlacier National Park to the north.
The western Rocky Mountain Division, informally called the Rocky Mountain Front, consists of a denseconiferous forest and has numerous species ofspruce,fir, andpine. The Jefferson Division is dominated byponderosa andlodgepole pine which prefer a drier climate. Thegrizzly bear andtimber wolf are found in the western sections of the forest, and are especially dense in the designated wilderness areas.[5] In addition, the western section contains much of the wildlife present at the time of the Lewis and Clark Expedition through the region.[6]Mountain goats,bighorn sheep,elk,cougars,Canadian lynxes,wolverines andblack bears are most common nearest theContinental Divide. In other sections of the forest, black bears,mule deer andwhite-tailed deer are the largest mammals found.Coyotes,raccoons,beavers,minks,muskrats,river otters andColumbian white-tailed deer inhabit the up-stream inlands. Throughout the forest,bald eagles,grouse,peregrine falcon andred tailed hawks are increasing in numbers. Lakes and streams are more numerous in the western section due to a higher altitude and more precipitation, and are home to the nativewestslope cutthroat trout. In the 1,600 miles (2,600 km) of rivers and streams in the forest,rainbow trout,brook trout andnorthern pike are relatively common. Excellentfly fishing opportunities are plentiful, especially in the Smith River.
The National Forest has 29 vehicle-accessiblecampgrounds. Twoski areas also operate within the forest. Almost 1,500 miles (2,400 km) ofhiking trails provide access to remote locations in the seven different mountain ranges within the Forest. Solitude is most common in the Crazy Mountains and in the wilderness areas near the Continental divide. Summertime average high temperatures are in the 70s °F (20s °C), but the winter can be very cold, especially in the more exposed eastern sections. Snow can linger for up to 10 months of the year along the Continental divide.
The forest lies in parts of thirteen counties. In descending order of land area, they areLewis and Clark,Meagher,Judith Basin,Teton,Cascade,Pondera,Fergus,Wheatland,Chouteau,Glacier,Golden Valley,Sweet Grass, andPark counties.[7]
Thegrizzly bear has a sustained population in the northwestern section of the forest,[5] especially in the Scapegoat Wilderness. Other predators such aswolves,bobcats,wolverines,mountain lions, andCanadian lynx are also present[8]Black bears are numerous as areelk,moose,mule deer, andantelope. There are also small populations ofbighorn sheep andmountain goats. Alongstreams andlakes, sightings of nestingbald eagles and otherraptors are becoming more common due to protection of thesespecies and their vitally important waterways.
Seven hundred miles (1,100 km)ofhikingtrails are located in the forest along with numeroustroutstreams and severallakes. There are over a dozen improvedcampgrounds.Snowmobile use is common in the winter months as iscross-country skiing.
Interstate 15 runs north–south andU.S. Route 12 runs east–west through the area. The largest nearby city isHelena, Montana, which is the headquarters location for the forest.
The forest was the site of the 1949Mann Gulch fire, which claimed the lives of 13 firefighters and which was the subject of bothNorman Maclean's bookYoung Men and Fire andJames Keelaghan's folk song "Cold Missouri Waters."
In descending order of land area the forest is located in parts ofLewis and Clark,Broadwater,Powell,Jefferson, andMeagher counties.[9] There are localranger district offices in Helena,Lincoln, andTownsend.[10]
In the late 19th century, after the end of theIndian Wars, the federal government worked to move Native American tribes on toIndian reservations, requiring them to cede land and extinguish their land claims to large areas of territory. The United States wanted to open the West to settlement and development by European Americans. TheBlackfeet Indian Reservation, with members mostly of thePiegan Blackfeet branch, was established by Treaty of 1896 to the east of this forest area andGlacier National Park, bordering the province ofAlberta, Canada, to the north.
The forest was established on February 22, 1897, as the Lewis and Clarke Forest Reserve under the management of theUnited States General Land Office. On June 9, 1903, theFlathead Forest Reserve was added, and on March 2, 1907, the spelling was changed to Lewis and Clark, and land was added. The forest territory had been transferred to theU.S. Forest Service in 1906, and was designated by the government as a National Forest.
On April 8, 1932 the entireJefferson National Forest was added, which itself comprised the formerLittle Belt,Crazy Mountain,Snowy Mountains,Little Rockies andHighwood Mountains National Forests. Finally, on July 1, 1945, part ofAbsaroka National Forest was added as the last portion of this forest.[11] The Helena and Lewis and Clark National forests consolidated their administrations in 2014.
TheAlice Creek Fire was started by a lightning strike in July 2017. The fire burned at least 29,252 acres (118 km2), crossed theContinental Divide, and impacted aquatic life.[12]
The Badger-Two Medicine area is a 200 square miles (520 km2) portion of the Lewis and Clark Forest that is adjacent to theBlackfeet Reservation andGlacier National Park. It issacred ground for the Blackfeet tribe. The Treaty of 1896 gives Blackfeet tribal members the right to hunt and fish the area in accordance with state law and to cut wood for domestic use.[13] The Blackfeet have battled to protect Badger-Two Medicine by keeping the area roadless and by fighting proposed oil and gas drilling all along the Front, which is managed largely by theU.S. Forest Service (USFS) and theBureau of Land Management (BLM).[14] The Blackfeet have been assisted byconservation groups, preservationists (including theNational Trust for Historic Preservation), outdoor sportsmen, ranchers and business owners.[15][16]
Approximately 93,000 acres (38,000 ha) are currently recognized as eligible for theNational Register of Historic Places (NRHP) as a traditional cultural district (TCD), but proponents continue to lobby to have the entire Badger-Two Medicine area recognized as an eligible TCD.[15]
The U.S. Forest Service banned motorized travel on 186 miles (299 km) of trails in 2009.[17] In January 2011, a federal district judge cleared the roadblock on the U.S. Forest Service's Badger-Two Medicine travel plan. The plan allows motorized access on 8 miles (13 km) of established trails and bans allsnowmobile travel.[18][15]
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