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.
Helena stands apart, where a long-standing “Happy Trails” culture reflects a community built on shared access, respect, and stewardship of its open lands.
In 2025, BCBSMT awarded over $470,000 in grants statewide, including $15,000 to support PPLT’s outdoor recreation and education programs.
Prickly Pear Land Trust has installed Helena’s first outdoor wheelchair charging station at Tenmile Creek Park, expanding accessible recreation and supporting greater independence for people using power wheelchairs.
This National Trails Day, 31 volunteers gathered at Prickly Pear Park to help bring a brand-new loop trail to life.
Our upcoming trail season will be the most uncertain in our 30 years of operation. We need volunteers to swing tools for our local trails and public lands.
In my career as a scientist, the East Helena community is the one place that was always engaged in the work and had a strong vision for positive change in their community.
