The Peaks to Creeks Initiative brought PPLT’s work from the mountains into the Helena Valley, which was fertile ground for conservation. In 2016, PPLT partnered with the National Guard to purchase 205 acres of pasturelands adjacent to Fort Harrison and Tenmile Creek.
Over the following weeks, I watched the ponds expand as water slowly flooded the surrounding land. Still, I had yet to find a lodge where beavers lived with their colony, a small family group made up of an adult pair and their young.
As anyone who enjoys a road trip through Montana will attest, undeveloped viewsheds can soothe the nervous system.
Few seasonal changes in Helena are as recognizable as the blooming of balsamroot in the South Hills. The dry brown hillsides of winter suddenly give way to waves of yellow, turning trails like Rocky Road and Ambrose, gold for a few short weeks each May and early June.
