Adopt-A-Trailhead 2024 Newsletter
Volume 6 - November 19th, 2024
Beginnings
AATM Kiosk at Spring Meadow Lake Park in Helena, MT
Adopt a Trailhead Montana or (AATM) is a cooperative volunteer program to help protect Montana’s trails from further spread of noxious weeds. The AATM program was started in 2015 with the intent to increase awareness of site specific weeds and to gain volunteer involvement at trailheads. Noxious weeds can be a problem at trailheads because these invasive plants thrive in disturbed areas. Repetitive disturbance at trailheads provides the perfect habitat for noxious weeds to become established and increases their ability to spread. Noxious weeds can slowly make their way up that trail system, often hitchhiking as seeds in treads of mountain bike tires, ATVs or other motorized vehicles; in the socks, shoelaces or gear of hikers and hunters, or in the hair or fur of pack animals. The AATM program works to prevent the spread of noxious weeds by installing boot brush kiosks and involving local community groups in weed management!
Volunteer Highlights
This year, AATM volunteer groups worked to remove noxious weeds at trailheads across Montana. All together, this year AATM volunteers pulled 3,490 gallons and 280 lbs of noxious weeds, in addition to 6 acres of managed area!
Blackfoot Challenge
Thank you to Karen and the Blackfoot Challenge volunteers for another successful year with the AATM Program! This year they hosted two weed pulls at the Russel Gates Fishing Access site pulling knapweed and leafy spurge. In total they pulled 550 gallons of weeds at the site!
MSU Student Services
MSU Student Services volunteer group kicked off their first AATM weed pull event this year! The group hosted two events this year, where they worked to pull a tough patch of Canada thistle at the Bozeman M Trail. The events were a success with a total of 1,080 gallons of weeds pulled. Thank you to all involved for a strong start!
Mountain Sky Guest Ranch
This year volunteers at the Mountain Sky Guest Ranch pulled 350 gallons of weeds at the Big Creek Trailhead. Thank you to MSGR staff and volunteers for making this happen!
Glacier View 4H
The Glacier View 4H crew headed back up to Stanton Creek Trailhead this July, with members pulling 100 gallons of weeds from the trailhead! The group tackled the rainy weather and worked to pull oxeye daisy, hawkweed, and Canada thistle. Another highlight from this year was the backcountry trip the group took to Sun River Canyon, where they were kind enough to invite AgCorps members to join in their efforts to pull and treat houndstongue in the area.
New Kiosks
Great Burn Conservation Alliance
This year the Great Burn Conservation Alliance worked to install eight new AATM kiosks this year!
- Heart Lake Trailhead
- Hoodoo Trailhead
- Diamond/Cliff Lake Trailhead
- Ward Lake Trailhead
- Missoula Lake Trailhead
- St. Regis Lakes Trailhead
- Bonanza Lake Trailhead
- Oregon Lake Trailhead
The Heart Lake trail has been adopted by the Bonner-Clinton Girl Scout troop, who pulled 150 gallons of weeds at the site this year!
The Ecology International Project have also started as a new AATM group this year by adopting the Missoula Lake Trailhead.
Thank you to the Great Burn Conservation Alliance, USFS, and other partners for making this exciting project happen!
Grow Wild
This year Grow Wild installed their first AATM kiosk at Porcupine Creek in Big Sky, MT. The team was joined by the students of Ophir Elementary’s Fourth Grade Class. Students participated in noxious weed games and activities while the kiosk was installed at the trailhead. While everyone was on the lookout for noxious weeds, the most exciting sighting of the day was a moose walking right through the parking lot!
Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation
Thank you to the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation for installing four new kiosks with the AATM program! Crews installed new kiosks at the North Fork Blackfoot TH, Monture TH, Dunham TH, and Pyramid TH. The kiosks will educate recreators about a variety of different weeds throughout the area, including yellow toadflax, spotted knapweed, leafy spurge, oxeye daisy, and sulfur cinquefoil.
Buckthorn Bandits
The Buckthorn Bandits were back again this year with a second AATM Kiosk! This November, volunteers and staff took care of cutting down buckthorn in a 6 acre plot the in the days leading up to the public event where volunteers from the public were involved with revegetation and trash clean-up of the park. The event was a success with 70 volunteers putting in 330 hours of work total.
Bridger Canyon Men's Group
Thank you to the Bridger Canyon Men's group for adopting the Ross Pass trailhead! The group installed the kiosk this past August. Despite the heat, morale stayed high, and the day was a success! The kiosk shares information to recreators about houndstounge, Common tansy, Canada thistle, and Musk thistle.
The U.S. Forest Service staff has provided vital support for the Adopt-A Trailhead program this year. With their help, the program was able to successfully complete these new AATM projects and kiosk installations!
More Photos
Thank you to all partners, groups, and volunteers who have made this year with Adopt-A-Trailhead a success!
