When hordes of land in Montana’s Seeley-Swan valley were set to be sold off in the early 2000s, locals knew they had to act fast to help raise funds to ensure these parcels of land went into the public trust. The conservation-minded landowner, Plum Creek Timber Company, wanted to see the same end-result. The events that ensued when the community and a handful of conservation organizations partnered up to see the massive project through were heartwarming, and ultimately culminated in numerous real estate transactions that added tens of thousands of public lands to the valley.
One driving force behind this grassroots fundraising effort was the Seeley Lake RMEF chapter, a group of RMEF members and supporters with a deep passion to prevent habitat fragmentation that would affect their beloved elk herds. The chapter and greater community turned out with gusto to help raise funds, and eventually, they were successful. RMEF was able to purchase roughly 3,800 acres within the Blackfoot-Clearwater Game Range in 2004, protecting vital wintering range for elk migrating out of the neighboring Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex.
All of this buzz from the chapter caught the eye of locals Todd and Twyla Johnson, elk-lovers themselves.
“It seemed like a good organization,” Todd says. The mission of the foundation to protect the future of elk and our hunting heritage spoke to him as a longtime elk hunter, so he and Twyla signed up to volunteer. In short time, they came up with an idea for an exciting fundraiser that would keep the buzz going about the Blackfoot-Clearwater Game Range long after Plum Creek’s last parcel had been sold off.
Alongside local outfitter Jack Rich, the Johnsons came up with the idea of a fundraiser horseback ride that takes participants and their steeds through the rolling big game wintering grounds of the WMA.
The very first ride was 23 years ago, and Todd and Twyla haven’t skipped a beat ever since. Todd has laid out the course each year alongside his friend Paul Holmes.
“Todd goes to great lengths each year to make sure the course for the ride is different from the year before, feasible for the weather forecast and enjoyable for everybody that comes out,” says Regional Director Chelsea Porter.
And he rides the course on the day of the event, too, taking up the rear to ensure all riders made it through safely and to pull down the flags.
Twyla, meanwhile, greets riders with a smile as she gets them registered for the ride. She’s ridden some of the years but now mostly ensures the ride, lunch and raffles run smoothly.
“We love to volunteer because we have a lot of elk habitat in our area, and we want to conserve that for generations to come,” says Twyla. “I believe the game range ride is successful because a lot of people come and enjoy the ride and it’s just another way to support RMEF.”
Porter thanks the Johnsons for the contributions they have made to the fundraiser ride and RMEF as a whole.
“Todd & Twyla have given so much time to the Blackfoot-Clearwater Chapter, and the events in that area couldn’t happen without them. I’m so grateful for their dedication and the effort they put in each year to coordinate the big game banquet and then turn right around and organize the game range ride,” she says.
Looking ahead to the future of the fundraiser ride, Todd says they’ll be running it until someone else wants to take the reins.
Editors note:
Twyla Johnson passed away unexpectedly in August. On behalf of RMEF, we send our condolences to Todd and the rest of her family.