On August 10th, eight Montana BHA members from Regions 1 and 2 joined forces with the Montana Conservation Corps and the US Forest Service to rebuild a bridge at the West Fork of the Swamp Creek trailhead creek crossing.
To get the project off the ground, the Montana Chapter of BHA donated $1,500 as a match for a grant to purchase the rigging system the USFS needed to complete this - and many other projects around the region. The new rigging system was crucial in bringing larger rocks in from the upslope scree field, which, combined with the hundreds of pounds of rocks gathered by the volunteers, created the approaches to the new log stringer bridge that won’t wash out during seasonal high water.
Volunteers also helped build the handrails and finish the new bridge structure. And we couldn’t ignore the garbage we found at the trailhead, so we removed all of that and the three illegally created campfire rings that were packed with burnt rubbish, cans and glass. Leave it better than you found it!
All in all, it was a fantastic day dedicating some sweat and hard labor to the public lands and access we cherish. The cold Public Land Owner Pale Ale at the end of the day was well deserved.
Huge thanks to our friends at MCC and USFS for working with us!
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Montana Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers