PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS

The heyday of top-down bureaucracy has faded and government by network has emerged.  Most of the work of accomplishing an agency mission now occurs through complex, interlocked networks of public-private-nonprofit partners.  The government is relying less on public employees in traditional roles and more on a web of partnerships, contracts and alliances to do its work.  Shifting to this new management model, known as Governing by Network, requires federal staff to acquire a new set of core competences.The Governing by Network management model addresses the following:

• Government can’t solve complex horizontal problems with vertical solutions

• The role of government is being transformed from direct service provider to generator of public value

• Public officials won’t get results taxpayers deserve until they figure out how to better manage a government that does less itself and more through third parties

In 2008, the National Landscape Conservation System division of BLM, the National Training Center, and Liz Madison Consulting launched the first Governing by Network distance-learning program in the Department of the Interior.  The course is designed to develop the professional competencies of federal managers needed to foster and sustain Governing by Network.  This one-day workshop will introduce the best management practices of Governing by Network to federal resource managers and their nonprofit, public and private partners.


Tread Lightly!®’s Tread Trainer™ course is an 8 hour course designed to provide a “crash course” on outdoor ethics focusing on motorized and mechanized or water recreation. Participation in the course qualifies individuals to present the Tread Lightly! message to others in their state or region. Participants will work with Master Trainers or Tread Lightly! staff on understanding the role outdoor ethics play in the recreation community, learn the Tread Lightly! principles of responsible recreation, and be provided with the tools to conduct workshops and coordinate community outreach.

The Tread Trainer Course is designed to help volunteers promote the message of responsible recreation where lands and waters are protected, safety is a top priority, and everyone enjoys the experience of being outdoors. The course focuses on the Tread Lightly! principles that are designed to minimize impacts on roads, trails and the wildlands they access. The course discusses different communication strategies to spread the message in situations from one-on-one trail meetings to presentations and promotions at events.

---

CONFERENCE FIELD TRIPS

This expedition will follow the flight of the Nez Perce through the Bitterroot Valley to the Big Hole National Battlefield.  First stop is the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge, and then we’ll continue on to Fort Owen and St. Mary Mission, the site of the first permanent European-American settlement in Montana, and Ross’s Hole at Sula, notable for being the place of Lewis and Clark’s meeting with the Flathead Indians.  Then visit Chief Joseph Pass, Crossroads of the Lewis and Clark, Continental Divide and Nez Perce Trails.  Finish your tour at the Big Hole National Battlefield.

Field Trip intensity:  Walking tour at Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge, 1/2 mile, Walking tour at Big Hole varies from 3/4 mile to 1 1/2 miles. 

Join us on this full-day float trip of the beautiful Blackfoot River. Our outfitter will pick us up at the hotel and transport us by bus to our put-in point. Once on the water, guides will steer you through thrilling rapids and deep trout-filled pools.

Midway through the trip we will stop to examine the recently rediscovered ancient trail tread of the “Road to the Buffalo.” This component of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail was used by American Indians for thousands of years as a main travel corridor to the buffalo hunting grounds on the plains. Captain Lewis also travelled this route on his return trip in 1806. Throughout the trip we will discuss the partnerships and management challenges associated with a National Historic Trail paralleling a heavily used river. At the conclusion of our trip, outfitter buses will return us to our hotel. Come dressed to get wet! No previous experience necessary.

Join archaeologists and trail experts for a day of hiking and exploration on the historic routes followed by Lewis and Clark in 1805 and Chief Joseph in 1877. This field trip will visit sections of the historic Lolo Trail which includes segments of both the Lewis and Clark and Nez Perce National Historic Trails. Discuss what it takes to balance recreational needs with cultural preservation and how to integrate the interpretation of two historic trails on the same route. 

Participants will hike segments of the historic Lolo Trail and visit the Lolo Pass Visitor Center on the Idaho/Montana Border on Highway 12 where we will view the exhibits and enjoy a presentation and native lunch prepared by Nez Perce speakers. 

This trip will involve hiking 6 miles of trail on a combination of constructed and un-constructed trail. Some segments are very steep. Participants must be able to hike steep up hill and downhill over uneven terrain at @ 5,000-ft elevation.

Both trips are free, but participants will be responsible for their own food, camping gear and transportation. As space is quite limited on these trips, please indicate on your reservation form if you are interested in participating. They will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. In recognition of the impact participation in these trips may have on travel plans, you will be notified either way within a few days of registration. For questions about the post-conference trip itinerary, please contact Mark Schaefer at 406-622-4015. For questions on trip availability, please contact the Partnership for the National Trails at nattrails@aol.com.

Special Considerations: Participants will be required to make their own arrangements for travel from Missoula to the launch point at Coal Banks Landing. Participants are encouraged to “car pool” when possible. The one-way driving distance of 248 miles may seem alarming but by Montana standards it is anything but, and the scenery en-route may be considered an additional treat to the journey. Free camping is available at Coal Banks for those arriving prior to the departure date. A Bed & Breakfast with Camp Cabin accommodations is available at Virgelle, 2 miles down the road from the launch point.

Join the Monument Manager and Park Rangers for a day of boating, hiking and exploring a portion of the historic route followed by Lewis and Clark. This field trip will visit a segment of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail that is visually unchanged from the time the Corps of Discovery walked, poled and boated here during the spring of 1805 and summer of 1806.  Experience for yourself Captain Lewis’ observations and be inspired to record your own revelations of this mesmerizing example of Mother Nature at her finest.

This trip will involve travel via jet boat trip along a remote 14-mile segment of the Upper Missouri River and a recreation/lunch stop at Stonewall (Eagle) Creek, the Corps of Discovery’s actual campsite of May 31, 1805. Hiking opportunities include a visit to the campsite, petroglyphs and a narrow slot canyon concealed deep within the white sandstone cliffs.

Skill Level: This trip will involve a sedentary period of approximately one hour during the jet boat trip to the recreation site and one hour on the return trip. When hiking, participants must be able to travel approximately 3-4 miles on un-constructed dirt trails. Although most segments are relatively level with minimal grades, portions within the slot canyon are very steep with uneven terrain at an elevation of less than 2,800 ft. This trip has a maximum of 15 Participants. 


 Join Monument Park Rangers for a three-day float trip on a 47-mile segment of the Upper Missouri National Wild and Scenic River and the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. This trip will follow a segment of the trail visually unchanged from the time the Corps of Discovery walked, poled and boated here in 1805-1806. The journey begins at Coal Banks Landing and ends at Judith Landing Recreation Area.  Campsites will be at locations where the Corps of Discovery camped. Numerous hiking opportunities are available along the route and at the campsites.  For the adventurer and history buff with a few days to spare, this journey on one of the few unspoiled segments of the Trail is without doubt an opportunity to truly experience “those seens of visionary inchantment” so eloquently described by Captain Meriwether Lewis.

Skill experience: This trip will involve travel by canoe/kayak of just over 47 miles. Participants will be expected to paddle approximately 15 miles the first day, 21 miles the second day and 12 on the final day. Paddling levels from the beginner on up can easily negotiate this river. There are no rapids and the Missouri in this segment is considered Class 1 or below.  However, deceptive currents and wind can impact travel distances at any time during the trip. Although most hiking opportunities are relatively level with minimal grades, portions within the slot canyons and cliff areas are very steep with uneven terrain at elevations of 2,800 ft to 3,000 ft.

Limits: Maximum of 12 Participants in BLM provided watercraft. (Participants choosing to bring or rent their own canoe/kayak are most welcome.) Rangers will accompany the group in two motorized 19’ Grumman canoes capable of hauling extra personal gear and trip-related equipment.

Required Personal Equipment: Dry bag, tent, sleeping bag/pad, comfortable clothing (dress according to weather, pack for 3 river days), hiking boots & river shoes, personal camping items, food (3-days ration) and cooking gear/utensils.