July 2015
Adaptive Managemment Initiative 

You can find final summaries of all of the Roundtable's 14 projects conducted in 2014, and review projects selected in 2015, at the Crown Roundtable website AMI page. Watch also for a new Adaptive Management Initiative primer coming out this fall telling the story of the Initiative since its inception. Last months' AMI webinar featured Trout Unlimited's Bruce Farling on the topic of the CSKT Water Compact. You can review Bruce's presentation notes here. To join in on upcoming AMI webinars, conference calls or learn more about the AMI, please contact AMI coordinator, Melly Reuling.

Friends of the Crown
Friends of the Crown is an informal network of people and organizations that support the Statement of Values and Principles. Become a Friend of the Crown and join a network of organizations and individuals working to enhance it here.

Dear Friends,                                                   July 9,  2015

 

Following this letter we feature Badger Two Medicine Days, which recently celebrated the significance of the area not only to the Blackfeet, but the nation. It was an exciting event . . .read on!

 

There are many more upcoming meetings and gatherings to share. Tribal managers from throughout the Crown are invited to a workshop in Polson on August 18 and 19. After you review the Tribal Managers' workshop announcement please contact Lea Whitford to register. 

 

The 6th Annual Roundtable on the Crown of the Continent conference, "New Ideas and Enduring Values: The Next Generation of Leadership in the Crown", is shaping up beautifully for September 16-18, 2015 at the University of Montana's University Center in Missoula. You will hear from many inspirational speakers and panels, and engage in the field trips, poster session, tribal celebration, monitoring workshop and films! Check out the agenda and register here. While at the conference, you are invited to present a poster to share your research, journalism, innovations and other activities in the Crown. Learn more from the
Call for Posters.

To add ideas with the conference planning team, please contact us. You can also watch for updates at www.crownroundtable.org. Meantime, enjoy the following news update from the Crown! 

Sincerely,

The Roundtable on the Crown of the Continent Leadership 
and Support Teams
     __________
FEATURE: 
Badger Two Medicine Days Celebrates Landscape, People
Members of the Blackfeet Tribe embark on a trail ride to explore the Badger Two Medicine landscape on June 27 near Browning, Montana. Photo: Lea Whitford
Elder Earl Old Person, with Paulette Fox and Terry Tatsey, join Rawhide Singers to bless Badger-Two Medicine Day with song. 
Photo: Becca Parsons

The Blackfeet set aside June 27 to invite neighbors and groups to help celebrate a cherished landscape and its protection from oil and gas development. For some time the Blackfeet Tribe has be working with partners to protect the area from oil and gas exploration. The 165,588-acre area abuts the southwestern border of the reservation near its intersection with Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness complex. Badger Two Medicine Days was a day of prayer, presentations, fields trips and story telling. For a full story, please click here, and see the full agenda at the B2M Facebook page. You can also view the Badger Two Medicine while Jack Gladstone offers his thoughts on this Great Falls Tribune Video/Evan Frost.

 


Roundtable Leadership Team:
 
Clayton Matt
Culture Co-Chair, 
Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes 
 
Stephen Legault 
Conservation Co-Chair, 
Crown of the Continent Conservation Initiative
 
Mike Bruised Head
Blood Tribe

Jean Curtiss
Missouia County Commissioner

Ian Dyson 
Crown Managers Partnership,
Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development 
 
Shannon Frank 
Oldman Watershed Council 
 
Maria Mantis
Swan Ecosystem Center 
 
Jeff Mow
Glacier National Park

Matthew McKinney
Roundtable Co-Director,
Center for Natural Resources and Environmental Policy
 
Sheena Pate
Crown of the Continent Geotourism Council 
 
Alan Rollo
Sun River & Teton River Watershed Groups
 
John T. Shannon 
U.S. Forest Service Regions 1 & 4 
 
Jim Stone
Blackfoot Challenge
 
Gary Tabor
Roundtable Co-Director, 
Center for Large Landscape Conservation
 
Paul Travis
Flathead Land Trust 
 
Melissa Weatherwax
Blackfeet Nation
Roundtable Support Team:
 
Mary Sexton, Coordinator
 
Susan Higgins, Communications
Shawn Johnson, Policy
Melly Reuling, Adaptive Management
Lea Whitford, Tribal Liaison
Sam Williams, Intern
Neighborhood News
Blackfeet Tribal Elder Makes Saving the Badger-Two Medicine Region Primary Mission. ABC News, June 29. 

Jeff Ament, Thunder Park named at opening ceremonies.

Group learns of tourism's influence on CSKT reservation. Charkoosta News, July 2. 

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This section features stories and updates from people and groups working around the Crown. If you didn't get a chance to speak at the 2014 conference or weren't able to attend, it's not to late to share -- Submit your story today. Updates and stories will be included on a first come, first serve basis.
Regional News 
Tribe highlights importance of Badger-Two Medicine. Great Falls Tribune, June 26. 

Alberta experiencing one of the worst wildfire seasons in the past five years. Edmonton Sun, June 29.

Keepers of Our Language Run. Pincher Creek Echo, July 5. 

Ag leaders discuss climate change in Great Falls. Great Falls Tribune, June 22. Related story, Montana NPR, June 22. 

B.C. is looking at a new approach to tackling climate change - adaptation. Globe and Mail, June 29.

Southern Alberta's rivers face high threats to overall health. Calgary Herald, July 7. 

There are goldfish the size of dinner plates turning up in Alberta, biologists say. National Post Canada, June 22.
Beyond The Region 
Top 5 Things I Learned at the Canadian Water Summit by Lindsay Kline. Alberta Water Portal, June 30.

Canadian wildfire smoke pushes Colorado smoke advisory into Wednesday. Denver Post, July 8.
Publications and Resources


Learn about the CSKT Water Compact from Trout Unlimited's Bruce Farling in this audio presentation offered on May 21. Learn why CSKT water rights are so important and have ben poorly understood. 

New Adaptive Management Initiative Study: Beaver Restoration Across Boundaries 

Practitioners' Network Summary Report for its National Workshop on Large Landscape Conservation is available 

Announcements

CABIN Field Training. August 11-12, Golden. This Canadian Aquatic Biomonitoring Network field training session requires advance completion of online training modules to gain access to the CABIN database. For more information contact rachel@wildsight.ca
The Roundtable on the Crown of the Continent provides a monthly newsletter to help connect people and organizations to news and events around the Crown. 
 
If you have an event or news item, an update from your group, or just a great picture to share, please send that information to susan@largelandscapes.org by July 31, 2015 for inclusion in the August 2015 newsletter.