Summer 2020 Newsletter

The Confluence Summer 2020

From The Director Dear Friends,

In 1997 Swan Ecosystem Center began sharing responsibility for the Condon Work Center with the United States Forest Service (USFS) Swan Lake Ranger District and began providing visitor services on their behalf. On average, more than 2,000 visitors from as close as our local area to as far as other countries, stop throughout the year to get information on the Swan Valley and surrounding areas. Now Swan Valley Connections (SVC) maintains that connection between visitors, the landscape, and our public land management agencies.

The Swan River Watershed is approximately 410,000 acres (671 square miles) of wild country, comprised of 93% public lands (predominantly USFS lands), and is the wettest spot in the state of Montana with approximately 16% surface water; this includes rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, potholes, and marshes! The Swan Valley is flanked by the famous Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex to the east, and the Mission Mountains Wilderness Complex to the west, which includes the first Tribal Wilderness Area in the nation.

This connected landscape and critical habitat provides a unique opportunity for rare plants, fish, amphibians, birds, and mammals to thrive, and for humans to have high quality drinking water and truly incredible recreational opportunities. Whether it’s hiking, birding, bicycling, horseback riding, fishing, floating, or any number of other outdoor activities, the Swan is an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise. And, SVC is here to help you have the best experience, with the stewardship of our incredible home in mind. Whether you’re buying maps or wildflower identification guides, looking for the best places to camp or local accommodation recommendations, or needing to purchase a can of bear spray (and learn how and when to use it), we’ve got you covered.

With all of these opportunities in mind, we’re focusing on a “connecting to recreation” theme for our summer issue of The Confluence. You’ll meet our Office Manager, who doubles as our Visitor Services Ambassador. You’ll learn about how maps help connect us to our incredible landscape. You’ll hear about our recreational trails program, and the hearty trail stewards who provide the great service of clearing the trails we use to access these public lands. And, you’ll hear a different perspective on the historical use of trails from the view of the first people to inhabit the lands we enjoy today. Additionally, you’ll learn about opportunities to better appreciate your outdoor adventures through experiential education, which is SVC’s favorite form of recreation.

At SVC we are all students of the land, waters, wildlife, and humans in this valuable location. As we’ve had to postpone most of our experiential education this year, we hope you’ll learn a little something valuable in the pages to come and consider investing in the future of this last-remaining truly wild place, and the work we do within it.

Summertime is magical in Montana. Getting outdoors and experiencing nature is something we can all look forward to, especially after the time we’ve all spent sheltered in place this year. While it’s still important to practice extra good hygiene and keep physical distance, it’s also important to nourish your mind, body, and spirit with fresh air, sunshine, and movement.

The sweet scent of flowers blooming across the forest floor, the trees and grasses dripping in 100 shades of green, the sound of birds singing in the branches above you, the stream rushing beside you, the feeling of the soft loam trail beneath your feet, the taste of a ripe huckleberry picked fresh from a bush…all your senses will be stimulated as you step outdoors in the Swan this summer.

Warm regards during our warmest season,

Rebecca Ramsey, Executive Director

Swan Valley Connections 6887 MT Highway 83 Condon, MT 59826 p: (406) 754-3137 f: (406) 754-2965 info@svconnections.org

Board of Directors Barbara Hill Raible, Chair Helene Michael, Vice Chair Rich Thomason, Treasurer Kathy DeMaster Larry Garlick Pam Hamilton Alex Metcalf Casey Ryan Mary Shaw Scott Tomson Tina Zenzola

Emeritus Russ Abolt Anne Dahl Steve Ellis Neil Meyer

Advisory Council Kvande Anderson Steve Bell Jim Burchfield Mark Schiltz Andrea Stephens Mark Vander Meer

Staff Rebecca Ramsey, Executive Director Laura Cannon Andrea DiNino Leanna Grubaugh Sara Halm Luke Lamar Mike Mayernik Rob Rich Uwe Schaefer The Confluence is published by Swan Valley Connections, a non-profit organization situated in Montana’s scenic Swan Valley.

Our mission is to conserve the intact ecosystems within and surrounding the Swan Valley and to strengthen the connection between people and the natural world through collaboration and experiential learning. Images by Swan Valley Connections’ staff, students, or volunteers unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved to Swan Valley Connections.

Change service requested.

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Cover Image: Snorkeling the Swan River by Andrea DiNino

Visitor Services in the Times of COVID

By Leanna Grubaugh

Working in the Visitor Center these past few years has become a real joy for me. From sharing my favorite places to camp and hike to giving fishermen a “Fishing Waters of the Swan Valley” brochure and watching their faces light up, I have had so much fun visiting with folks from all around the world and providing information to help them enjoy their trip and our beautiful landscape. Being tucked between the Swan Mountains, which border the Bob Marshall Wilderness, and the Mission Mountains Wilderness provides countless opportunities to experience and enjoy many facets of nature. We have hiking, biking, fishing, floating, swimming, huckleberry and mushroom picking, birdwatching, wildlife and wildflower viewing, and so much more to see and do. I realize every day how fortunate I am to call this beautiful place home.

As we begin to enter our busiest time of the season, it all looks and feels quite different this year. I will still visit with folks, although it will be less frequently and outside of the office for now. To provide more easily accessible information, we’ve updated our kiosk with new maps and lists of facilities, and we’ve created a resource center in the front door alcove area, where you can grab free maps, trail reports, bear aware information, and more. Visitors may come around to the back door to get more information and to request our items for sale, such as the book Day Hikes of the Seeley Swan (an amazing resource!) or a canister of bear spray.

There have been a lot of changes for all of us during this pandemic, and I believe this is a time to reflect on all the good we have, to really cherish our family and friends, and to move forward with new ideas and new ways of conducting business and our lives. While I already miss the close camaraderie with my local folks and the relationships built with the ones traveling through, I realize that for now, it’s for the good of all to change the way information is shared. We are still here to help, and there are even some upsides to our “new normal” — like lots of information being available to you (outside the office) after hours and on weekends.

So, if you have any questions, if you need a burn permit, a firewood cutting permit, or a fishing license, or if you’re wondering about smoke you’re seeing, why a big helicopter landed at the airstrip, or how to acquire a bear resistant garbage container…oh, so many things…just give us a call!

Enhance your recreational experiences by taking our Montana Master Naturalist course (or creating your own custom experience with us)

Montana Master Naturalist • Gain a better understanding of insects for when you’re out paddling or fishing.

• Make hikes and hunting more memorable by honing your track and sign skills.

• Practice nature journaling techniques that will allow you to better remember your observations for years to come!

Full week course: September 18-24, 2020 Two three-day weekends course: September 11-13 & October 16-18, 2020 To register, please e-mail info@svconnections.org

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Walking in the Footsteps of our Ancestors

By Casey Ryan, CSKT Hydrologist and SVC Board Member

As the snow begins to retreat into the high country and recede from the foothills, the two-legged animals of the valley begin to quickly move in. Those of us who rush into the mountains as the weather warms are welcomed with lush green grasses, budding wildflowers, and the playful songs of birds who welcome visitors back to springtime in the mountains.

Our individual reflections during these moments are strongly affected by our history, our families, and our cultures. We all bring unique backgrounds, perspectives, and insights into these recreational experiences. For some of us, this may be memories of pack trips into the Bob with our parents or grandparents. For others, it may be contemplation of family members who took their last steps down these trails long before we took our first.

As a Séliš (Bitterroot Salish) person who belongs to the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes, my personal reflections on wilderness and recreation are largely colored by the teachings of my Elders. Our Tribal Elders remind us that the natural world is important, and that we must take care of it. For our tribes, this connection to the natural landscape is contained within the finest threads of the fabric of our collective worldview. The Salish word for an Indigenous person is sqélixw, a combination of the words sqeltč - meat, and stbulixw - land. Literally translated, our word for ourselves means “flesh of the Earth.” When I am asked in Salish “kw skbwnš smxwop?” (How old are you?), I respond “čn čezgupn ez mus smxwop” – I am thirty-four snows old.

Our Salish language reminds us that we are inseparable from the land upon which we rely so completely.

Like our non-tribal neighbors, many of our tribal people enjoy spending time in the local mountains. For our Tribes, these landscapes provide important areas for recreation. They are also an important part of our history, our culture, and our religion. To us, these wilderness areas are sacred places. These are places where countless generations of our people have come to pray, to hunt, to fish, to gather medicines, and to continue to practice traditional ways of life that have been passed down to us for thousands of years. Our Elders remind us that every mountain, every river, and every valley has its own story.

For the Séliš people, our creation story is contained within a set of sacred stories that we refer to as “Sqwllumt.” In the English language they are referred to as “Coyote Stories.”

These stories tell of a time before people came to this land, a time when the land was inhabited by animals. These stories tell of how Coyote traveled the landscape and made this place safe for the people who were to come. For thousands of years, our Tribes have brought out these stories during the cold winter months, when the snow is on the ground. In the springtime, when the thunder wakes the sleeping animals, we put these stories away, and they are not to be told again until winter

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“This spirit of reciprocity continues to guide our Tribes forward, and is foundational to our culture, our world view, and our approach to natural resource management.” comes once more. These stories are not only powerful moral lessons on how to live in a good way (and how not to live), but they also preserve our history and cultural memory, and they tie us to this landscape.

Wilderness is a place where we can go to remember these stories, and remember our history. Throughout many of Coyote’s travels, he left physical landmarks upon the landscapes.

Many of these physical landmarks remain to this day and remind us of Coyote’s deeds. One of our Coyote Stories involves North Crow Canyon, the glacial trough valley on the western side of the Mission Mountains, just west of the 6,857-foot Piper-Crow

Pass. Although the full story cannot be told here, this story is just one of many which contain detailed accounts of valleys filled with ice and snow. These stories tell of the retreat of the Séliš people to the south in order to escape these frigid conditions, and of the eventual retreat of the ice and snow and the return of the Séliš. These older stories contain historical details nearly identical to what geologists now tell us occurred during the last ice age in Montana some 12,000-18,000 years ago.

Recognizing that these lands have played a paramount role in shaping the character of the people and the culture of our tribes, our tribes became the first in the United States to set aside a sizable portion of our lands as protected wilderness.

Tribal Ordinance 79A, passed by the CSKT Tribal Council in 1982, helped to establish the 91,778-acre Mission Mountains Tribal Wilderness Area, which, to this day, remains a place where our tribal members and their families visit to continue our traditions and to connect with our ancestors.

One of the central teachings of our Elders is that of reciprocity. Our Elders teach us that we must take only what we need – that we must never take more than we give back in return. This is true in all things, including what we take from the land. Our Elders remind us that if we take more than we give in return, these resources will go away. Reciprocity is an important lesson deeply woven into our cultural teachings. It is through this spirit of reciprocity that we have survived as a society through harsh winters, through droughts, and through thousands of years of social, political, and environmental challenges. This spirit of reciprocity continues to guide our

Tribes forward, and is foundational to our culture, our world view, and our approach to natural resource management.

Federal, State, and Tribal governments place a focus upon protecting these wild places; however, oftentimes, critical management gaps still exist. Non-profit groups like Swan Valley Connections help by finding creative ways to provide vital services such as educational and volunteer opportunities, trail stewardship, and the fostering of partnerships between local agencies. Supporting organizations like Swan Valley Connections is one way that we may ensure that we are able to participate in a similar spirit of reciprocity with our landscapes. Numerous opportunities exist to become involved, including picking up trash, pulling weeds, volunteering for work days, signing up for educational classes, and of course, through important financial support of these programs.

These landscapes which surround us are places to heal our bodies, minds, and spirits. Those of us who place emphasis on protecting them should rest assured that when we finally hang up our hiking boots and pass on these trails to the next generation, that they will be moved to continue this legacy of conservation. When my nephews grow old, I hope they will teach their children these same lessons that we learned from our Elders. We are on earth for a short period of time. We should live in a good way. It is each generation’s responsibility to care for this landscape and to pass it on to the next generation in a better condition than we found it. This is true for both tribal and non-tribal people alike. This is our collective responsibility given to us by our ancestors.

Opposite page: Grizzly tracks. Photo by Casey Ryan, Above: Mission Mountains Tribal Wilderness. Photo by Casey Ryan

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Hatching a Match:

Why Macroinvertebrates, Water Quality, and Naturalists Belong Together

By Rob Rich

For centuries, fly-fishermen have mimicked insects.

While trout may not be naturally familiar with the synthetic materials and elk hair often used to imitate mayflies, fishermen understand the lure of the insects, who have been around for 300 million years. Throughout their evolution, mayflies have annually taken flight in late spring for the few hours, or mere minutes, they have for adulthood. Over and over and over, their emergence is a fleeting yet timeless event that draws fish, and fishermen, to the water’s surface.

When they look for the artificial lure resembling insects as they emerge into adults, it is said that fishermen try to “match the hatch.” The Pale Morning Dun is one of the most popular artificial flies, and entomologically, a “dun” refers to a mayfly’s last molt before becoming an adult. Mayflies are unique in having wings during this final stage, but they are not fully developed for flight, making them both visible and vulnerable to hungry fish. Photo Credit: Montana River Boats

The mayfly is but one among many benthic macroinvertebrates, a term describing the creatures without backbones (invertebrates) who can be seen without magnification (macro) and dwell for a time on freshwater bottoms (benthos), like streams. We might know dragonflies, water striders, and other examples as adults, but it takes waders, a net, and some patience to appreciate many of their lives as underwater nymphs. The appearance, diet, and mobility of nymphs is wholly distinct from their adult counterparts, because it’s a uniquely cutthroat world down there, and not only due to the fish; torrents of snowmelt, cannibalistic neighbors, jostling cobbles, and clouds of road sediment are among the many hazards of spineless stream life. And yet, as long as the bottom never freezes, streams provide excellent habitats in which to mature. Many macroinvertebrate nymphs molt several times over the course of months or years, and they can hide in all the nooks and crannies of the stream bottom

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(called the interstitial spaces), where each finds unique ways to grow. Some collect and filter vegetation as it floats by. Some scrape algae off rocks. Some shred leaves or larger pieces of debris, and some seek herbivorous prey.

Together, through their sheer abundance and variety of feeding strategies, macroinvertebrates shape the life and structure of streams. Consider the caddisflies, who can not only shred and scrape their food, but can also construct cases of gravel and debris around themselves for protection. By modifying their environment, caddisflies are ecosystem engineers not unlike the beaver, and if you’d add up the efforts of thousands of caddisflies over the course of a stream, you’d see that these tiny grit-movers can make a huge difference. Or consider freshwater mussels, like the western pearlshell, a palm-sized Montana native.

Although not insects, they are benthic macroinvertebrates too, resting on the stream bottom and silently filtering up to a gallon of water per hour. As larvae, these mussels disperse inside the gills of westslope cutthroat trout, whose habitat the adult mussels helped to clarify.

To experience these wonder-critters, and gauge their impacts on water quality, SVC will be taking a closer look at macroinvertebrates in the Elk Creek Conservation Area (ECCA) this summer and fall. Thanks to support from the Montana Watershed Coordination Council and the Natural Resource Conservation Service, we will invite local volunteers and students in our Montana Master Naturalist program to monitor macroinvertebrates in a key reach of Elk Creek throughout August, September, and October. Participants will learn foundational techniques in field sampling, identification, and interpretation, and these

As caddisflies build protective homes around themselves with gravel, sculpins lurk in the shadows of the stones. These bottom-dwelling, carnivorous fish have appetites that defy their size, and nearly 100 percent of their diet consists of benthic macroinvertebrates.

skills will support our understanding of how Elk Creek’s macroinvertebrate population evolves over time. It’s hard to suppress your inner naturalist when observing the adaptations, anatomy, and relationships of these seldom-seen creatures, and whether you fish, raft, paddle, creek-walk, rock-skip or enjoy some other form of aquatic fun, macroinvertebrates are the perfect creatures to empower us with the knowledge, appreciation, and stewardship we need to protect the waters you love.

Approximately 2.5 miles of the ECCA’s namesake waterway run through this 640-acre property, which SVC coowns and manages with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT). In 2006, the Swan Ecosystem Center (one of SVC’s parent organizations) and CSKT prioritized and purchased Elk Creek for protection, largely because it is home to some of the Swan Valley’s most productive spawning and migratory habitat for bull trout, the iconic fish protected as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Bull trout who mature in Flathead Lake – including those who could migrate up the Swan River to spawn – lost approximately 40 percent of their habitat in the construction of the Hungry Horse Dam. Mitigation funds from the Bonneville Power Administration supported the strategic acquisition of this section, and it remains a vital link for bull trout recovery. Because the bull trout is a top predator in the stream food web, and also a sensitive beast dependent on water that is cold, clean, complex, and connected, macroinvertebrate monitoring can now help us ensure that these fish have the fundamental conditions they’ll need to survive into the next century.

But the individualized, specialized lives of macroinvertebrates are quick to remind us they are more than mere prey in another big fish story. They have their own struggles too, and in November 2019, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service protected two stoneflies under the Endangered Species Act. The western glacier and meltwater lednian stoneflies exist

These living notes are the foundation of stream health.

As the great world-renowned naturalist E.O. Wilson has described with compelling evidence and urgency, insects are “the little things that run the world.”

only in the frigid trickles released from the edge of glaciers, habitats that are rapidly vanishing. It took more than a decade to get them listed, and today these stoneflies survive only near alpine glaciers of the Northern Rockies, like those found in the remote nooks of Glacier National Park or the Mission Mountains Tribal Wilderness. The stoneflies’ persistence in such refugia suggests the value of protected areas we rarely visit, even as these places also reveal how carbon emissions and other human stressors now alter every inch of the atmosphere. Across the globe, more than 40 percent of all stoneflies are vulnerable to extinction.

To keep tabs on these trends, there’s a measure we will seek as part of this monitoring project, called the EPT Index.

Its defining acronym draws on the scientific names for three of our most sensitive macroinvertebrate orders Ephemeroptera (Mayflies), Plecoptera (Stoneflies), and Trichoptera (Caddisflies). The index sums those observed in these three groups, divides that by the total number of macroinvertebrates found, and voila: It yields a ratio suggesting water quality (the higher the number, the better). Over time, this measure may help us understand the impacts of changes in Elk Creek, such as warming waters, or the pulse of sediment that dumped into the creek with spring runoff this year. But there’s another measure that comes with macroinvertebrate monitoring that is harder to quantify. The measure occurs when participants catch the bug, as it were, showing symptoms that range from dropped jaws to wide eyes to exclamations of “oh my God!” Macroinvertebrates are special because they match parts and provide a sense of how the whole fits together, uniting the science of streams and the art of angling, the fish and the fishermen, a pebble home and the planet. All this, just below the surface.

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A Life of Stewardship: Serving Recreationists and the Land

By Christian Mascho, Nathan Noble, and Kaydee Borchers, Daughter of the Sun Backcountry Services

Who we are:

Daughter of the Sun Backcountry Services (DOTS) is owned by Christian Mascho, Nathan Noble, and Kaydee Borchers. All three of us grew up in the Flathead Valley and draw from our local knowledge of the area. Our combined experience includes wildland firefighting, fuels reduction, and education through the Wilderness Institute and the University of Montana College of Forestry. We are contracted by Swan Valley Connections, who is in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). According to our contract, we are to administer, coordinate, and implement SVC’s Backcountry Trails Opening and Ranger Services Program Mid-April through December 1st.

Summer 2020 is the 6th season that DOTS has had this contract.

For this contract, DOTS is preceded by Kari Gunderson and Luke Lamar.

What we do:

Each year, we clear approximately 76 miles of trails in and out of wilderness areas in the Mission Mountains and Swan Front. We maintain the trails throughout the season by clearing blowdown and debris, providing drainage maintenance, and blocking shortcuts on switchbacks. We share up-to-date information on trail conditions with SVC and USFS, that is then available to the public.

We also provide ranger services, which include cleaning and naturalization of trail heads, trail systems, and backcountry campsites. We interact with recreationists to share the laws and

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best practices for backcountry and wilderness use, such as proper food storage in bear country, hunting and fishing regulations, fire restrictions, motorized vehicle restrictions, and Leave No Trace principles. We report pertinent information to USFS management personnel, such as invasive species observations, backcountry trail use data, wildfires and abandoned campfires, interactions between humans and bears, and illegal activities. If necessary, we will activate EMS response via radio/satellite unit for emergency situations.

Why we do it:

Individually, the reasons we choose this job would be obvious: the unbeatable “office” and the opportunity for truly amazing wilderness experiences. We enjoy sharing our passion with recreationists and having conversations with people about wilderness and our shared passions. We get to witness wild places in a unique way, work hard, and get paid to do it. It’s incredibly fulfilling to do work that is more than just a job and supports your passions while holding meaning.

At the end of each workday, we feel like we are doing the right thing by protecting resources and helping facilitate and improve other people’s recreational experiences.

The knowledge we share helps people connect with their surroundings, and therefore builds a sense of place, which is a great starting point for inspiring stewardship.

Our role is educating on and speaking up for the wilderness and does not include any form of enforcement of

Photos: DOTS participates in the 20th annual Laabs Family Trail Day, a tradition in which the Laabs family and friends come together (from across the northwest) to clear the Glacier Lake trail in honor of Mike Laabs, who passed away in 2000 while climbing McDonald Peak. the rules and regulations, although we do have authority to report illegal activity. We often reference “The Wilderness Act” and “authority of a resource” among other resources that can be found at Wilderness.net, but our goal is to hold meaningful conversations with those we encounter.

What’s next for Wilderness is deeply intertwined with what’s next for society at large. The tangibility of Wilderness is undeniable: mosaics of ecosystems, clean water, priceless solitude, unmatched outdoor recreation, extraordinary habitat, etc. For many in society, this is what really matters about Wilderness. Even those who have never visited Wilderness will benefit from these physical aspects. The conservation of these resources is no accident, and the means to their protection must always be justified in our ever-changing society.

The intangible elements of wilderness all hinge on an agreement we have with each other. This agreement bonds us to an ideology that takes a large amount of virtues to uphold.

We must use restraint when it comes to our tendencies to alter areas of great beauty in order to make our experiences there less challenging. Designated Wilderness is not a park; Let that distinction wash over you like a cool breeze on a wild peak. The Wilderness Act of 1964 explains this:

“A wilderness in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself, is a visitor who does not remain.”

We must cultivate foresight and recognize patterns within ourselves to a sometimes painfully honest degree. The direction our societies travel cannot be fully predicted, but the

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Wilderness Act did a very good job of forecasting the strides needed for conservation of wild places as our technological timeline progresses. Here is how the act eloquently words the balance of this juxtaposition:

“In order to assure that an increasing population, accompanied by expanding settlement and growing mechanization, does not occupy and modify all areas within the United States and its possessions, leaving no lands designated for preservation and protection in their natural condition, it is hereby declared to be the policy of the Congress to secure for the American people of present and future generations the benefits of an enduring resource of wilderness.�

We must tap into our determination to hold Wilderness with a reverence comparable to a religious credence. These places are sanctuaries from ourselves. They allow us to transcend and reflect on the human condition in the same way an astronaut might look upon earth, knowing that every human alive or dead can be viewed from a single perspective. The space between that window and the rest of civilization is where some of the best pieces of inspiration, reflection, and ingenuity can be conceived. We are privileged enough to not have to leave our planet to tap into that golden awareness. That privilege is something that I want for indefinite future generations. That privilege is provided by Wilderness and backed by the people; let’s continue that tradition.

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Above photos: A day of clearing the Beaver Creek trail to Crystal Lake.

Connecting People to Place

Through Hand-Drawn Maps of Treasured Public Spaces

By Shannon Furniss, Xplorer Maps Director of Media & Communications

This year, Xplorer Maps celebrates its 10th anniversary.

Brothers Chris and Greg Robitaille launched the company in 2010 when they created their first maps: the state of Montana and Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks. Since then, the brothers have created more than 50 unique, custom, handdrawn maps of national parks, states, countries, and travel destinations around the world, as well as a number of private commissions.

Montana’s very own Glacier National Park, with its beauty and mystique – and amazing wildlife, spectacular mountains, and unparalleled recreational opportunities – inspired the brothers to create their first map available to the public.

“We worked hard to capture the spirit of the landscape, the culture, and the history of Glacier National Park,” said Greg, president and co-founder. “We wanted to create a special piece of art that effectively told the story of this stunning national park, and we wanted to help create a lifetime of memories for people to appreciate.”

Creating a hand-drawn map is a very detailed process, with every line, letter, and icon custom and original to each new map. Each map has anywhere between 30-50 unique illustrations on it, including iconic wildlife, destination highlights, and famous landmarks.

For Xplorer Maps, it’s truly the collaborative partnerships that form the foundation of and help facilitate the company’s mission – to connect people to place. Consequently, Greg works closely throughout the artistic process with National Park Service specialists, interpretive staff, and nonprofit organizations to ensure historical and geographic accuracy, educational merit, interpretive engagement, and cultural relevance.

With each original, hand-drawn map they create, the brothers aim to tell a story about treasured public lands.

Through ongoing blogs and social media about the maps in progress, they work to educate, engage, and inspire people to share their memories, their outdoor and travel experiences, and their passion for these amazing places. Along the way, they hope their artwork stirs up more awareness and support for the breathtaking national parks and public lands.

“Xplorer Maps strikes a balance with beautiful art along with experiential information,” shared Laura Rotegard, a retired National Park Service superintendent. “Not only do the maps allow people who love the park to relive their love for it through Chris’ amazing artwork, but Xplorer Maps also works with park staff to get accurate details. To me, that’s integrity.”

Andy Hart, board member of the Public Lands Alliance and executive director of the Southern Nevada Conservancy, agrees with the retired superintendent’s assessment of Xplorer Maps. Andy partnered with Xplorer Maps a couple of years ago to create a hand-drawn map of Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

“So much work went into understanding our place and making sure the details were not only beautiful but also correct,” Andy said. “The map tells a story about Red Rock

Canyon – about the flora, fauna, and significant geologic events.

It’s a reminder of the diversity of the landscape and its wildlife.

It’s not a barren desert – it is alive. It’s a seamless blend of maps and artwork.”

The brothers have a strong philanthropic mission and believe in giving back to the places they love, often donating prints and original artwork to help public land organizations with their fundraising auctions. They have formed many partnerships with national parks and other organizations dedicated to the conservation and preservation of public lands and regularly donate a percentage of map sales to ongoing efforts to protect these precious lands. Xplorer Maps is also a member of 1% For the Planet, an organization dedicated to pairing businesses with like-minded nonprofits in a collaborative effort to solve many environmental issues facing our world.

Artist Chris says he is honored to share his passion for illustrating by featuring so many amazing public spaces around the world. “I’m very much old-school, and I hope these antiquestyle, hand-drawn renderings evoke special connections, engagement, and awareness for people to share with friends and family.”

Going forward, one of Xplorer Maps’ goals is to partner with more Montana nonprofits dedicated to the conservation and preservation of our state’s public lands. Each year, the brothers plan on highlighting one organization and working collaboratively to use what they do best (original, unique, and custom illustrated maps) to educate, engage, inspire - and ultimately raise money - to help foster an increased sense of stewardship and appreciation for our shared spaces.

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NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID CONDON, MT PERMIT #16

6887 MT Hwy 83 Condon, MT 59826-9005

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upcoming events

Due to current circumstances, all in-person gatherings are to be determined based upon most current COVID-19 related information. Please check our website or call (406) 754-3137 for the most up-to-date information. And stay tuned for upcoming videos and online content on Montana butterflies, wildfire adaptability, and more!

August 29*

Swan River Clean-up Day

Aug 31- Nov 7

Landscape & Livelihood - POSTPONED

September 18-24

Montana Master Naturalist Course Full-week option

Sept 11-13 & Oct 16-18

Montana Master Naturalist Course Two three-day weekend option *Volunteer opportunity