Block Party celebrates 26 years of Blackfoot Challenge

The Blackfoot Challenge celebrated their second annual Block Party in Downtown Ovando Wednesday, Aug. 14, marking the collaborative organizations 26th year.

The first block party in 2018, though a low-key affair compared to the 20th anniversary gala at Paws Up in 2013, proved a hit, drawing in locals and guests from throughout the watershed.

"We had a great crowd and great feedback and thought we would try it again," said Sara Schmidt, the communications manager for the Challenge.

This years event included live music by The Huckleberry Pickers of Seeley Lake, a beer garden at the Stray Bullet, two food trucks, a raffle and a live auction featuring a full-day trail ride to Heart Lake with Lincoln's B&C Outfitters, handmade artwork and a fully supported tour of the watershed with Challenge board and staff members.

"Its fabulous, with the awesome live music from Seeley Lake," Schmidt said. "We have two food trucks this year. Since we had such a long line for Lindey's (truck) last year we have the Montana Farm Girls from Helena who came up to join us. They're serving Mexican food. It's an awesome turnout."

Schmidt said they are considering making it an annual event.

"Downtown Ovando is just such a nice scene for throwing this kind of party. Geographically it's centrally located. It's easier for people to come from other communities," she said.

This year's block party also gave people a chance to meet Seth Wilson, the incoming executive director for the Challenge. Wilson, an applied conservation biologist, takes the reins of the organization Sept. 1 and brings with him plenty of experience resolving issues between people and wildlife. He's also no stranger to the Blackfoot Valley or the Blackfoot Challenge, having served as the organizations first wildlife coordinator while he was working toward his PhD in wildlife biology from the University of Montana.

"He really helped develop a lot of the baseline data we rely on and the tools we still use today to reduce conflicts with grizzly bears and wolves," Schmidt said. "He really understands the community-based approach of the Blackfoot Challenge and the process we use to make decisions."

"I'm really honored and humbled to be back with this amazing group of people, with an amazing team, the landowners," Wilson told the BVD "The residents of this watershed are some of the very finest folks I know and I'm really excited to be working with them as the next executive director for the Blackfoot Challenge."

Schmidt said Wilson's selection brings to a close an eight-month long search for a new director and a year without an executive director. Wilson takes over a position last filled by Charles Curtin, who parted company with the Blackfoot Challenge last September, after just seven months on the job, due to a vision for the direction of the organization that differed from that of the board of directors.

Wilson currently lives in Missoula with his family.