The Great Burn Conservation Alliance is celebrating another successful field season on the Idaho-Montana border

(Kamiah, ID) The alpine country of the Hoodoo Roadless Area, also known as The Great Burn, is one of the most breathtakingly rugged places in northern Idaho and western Montana. Winter comes early to the landscape and snowstorms can (and do) occur any month of the year. Although it is only a few hours from Spokane, Missoula and Coeur d’Alene, this area is a world unto itself, filled with unique ecosystems that were heavily shaped by the Great Fire of 1910, one of America’s most destructive wildfires to the natural world dramatically changed landscape. The boundaries of three national forests—the Idaho Panhandle, the Lolo, and the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests—meet in its highlands, which span six different ranger districts. And operating across the more than 1.8 million acres of this larger ecosystem is the Great Burn Conservation Alliance (GBCA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to managing its resources and educating the public about this special place.

Joelle Gallaugher, Stewardship Coordinator, began working in the area as part of a Forest Service Trail Crew but has been working with the GBCA for three years and enthuses, “I fell in love with this area and it is so special to me.” During her busy year, Joelle tackled trail maintenance, biological surveys, environmental education, and helped create a program that took young people from the Idaho Youth Challenge Academy on their first-ever backpacking trips: “These trips take kids out all of Idaho there.” the backcountry. So many of them come from urban areas and have never seen mountains and valleys that stretch on forever. It was so rewarding to see her eyes light up in this wild place. During one trip, they were happy to be able to watch a bear for hours on a neighboring mountain ridge. It was so great to take her with me and see how it inspired her. And it’s enlightening to see what future generations are interested in.”

Photo Caption: Idaho Youth Challenge Academy students during their backpacking trip with the GBCA in Kelly Creek

The landscape itself is equally impressive. Joelle is drawn to the large cedar groves where the trees have survived so many fires and thrived. You can really feel the stories when you walk into a place like this.” This inspiration is why the GBCA exists: “Our organization was founded after a group of students from the University of Montana took a backpacking trip here and fell in love. The dozens of high-altitude lakes and endemic species such as pika and mountain goats attract people to the country and make them fall in love with the country. I came as a seasonal worker and I don’t want to leave!”

The GBCA contributes to trail maintenance with a mix of paid trail crews and volunteers who work to improve wilderness access. A particularly impressive project this year was the Hanson Ridge Trail Improvement Project, which brought together volunteers from the Idaho Trails Association and GBCA staff to restore a long-overgrown trail that is part of the larger Idaho Centennial Trail. Joelle explained: “Last year I spent ten hours scouting 2.5 miles of the former trail because it was so overgrown. This year we were able to strip and log the entire route to get to the ridgeline. When volunteers make the effort, it’s impressive to see what they can accomplish. At the end of the week it felt great to walk along a trail that we had brought back to life with volunteers.”

Also important to the GBCA is education about ecological restoration and stewardship to ensure that the Great Burn’s ecosystems are healthy and treated with the respect they deserve. Joelle described how: “We visit classrooms in satellite cities like Superior and Pierce. We introduce Leave No Trace (LNT) and invasive species awareness programs. It was our first year offering both classroom and backcountry activities with local youth who now support our invasive surveillance program. This program uses chemical treatments, biological treatments (beetles placed in the area to eat invasive plants), and hand pulling. Our monitoring program compares different chemical treatments and their effectiveness in soil. You can visually tell the difference between a treated area where there are few weeds and a control area that just looks like a patch of weeds.”

Over the course of a field season, the impact the GBCA leaves behind is enormous. In 2024 alone, their staff and volunteers spent 822 days (1,265 volunteer hours) in the field, removing 1,254 fallen trees from area trails, removing 258 pounds of weeds, releasing 4,400 biocontrol beetles, removing 189 pounds of trash, and inventorying weeds 243 trail miles, interacted with 822 students and hiked 618 Ranger Miles. Reflecting on the impact of her work on the three forests where she operates, Joelle said, “We recognize the challenges facing the Forest Service, and we are able to adapt and thrive.” Our partnership is positive and we use our strengths to fill any gaps and serve the public and the country itself.”

Photo Caption: Idaho Trails Association and GBCA at Hanson Ridge during the trail improvement project