WildWest Institute
P.O. Box 7998
Missoula, MT 59807
P: 406.542.7343
F: 406.728.5779
info@wildwestinstitute.org

Our Watershed and Wildland Fire Restoration Program gets our organization, volunteers and other conservationists involved with on-the-ground restoration and/or community fuel reduction projects in the Northern Rockies. At the WildWest Institute we believe the sooner that we can help move bona-fide, ecologically beneficial restoration and/or community fuel reduction work forward, the better off our forests, wildlife, watersheds and communities will be.  We are currently involved in a number of collaborative efforts in the region to help build some trust and find solutions. Our goal is to work together with diverse interests to help be a catalyst for the establishment of a new, sustainable restoration economy in our region for the 21st Century and beyond.

For more information, contact Jake Kreilick, WildWest Institute's Restoration Coordinator at 406.542.7343 or jkreilick@wildrockies.org.

Examples of WildWest Institute's Solutions at Work

Montana Restoration Principles
The WildWest Institute was a key participant in the development of a set of thirteen restoration principles for national forests in Montana. As stated in the preamble, "Through restoration principles we seek to articulate a collective vision of ecologically appropriate, scientifically supported forest restoration. Scientifically credible principles and criteria provide a yardstick with which to evaluate proposed forest restoration policies and projects. And by including social criteria, the restoration principles also help strengthen the connection between what is good for the forest and what is good for the communities and the general public."

WildWest helps establish FireSafe Montana
After several years of planning and coordination by the WildWest Institute and our partners, efforts to establish a statewide FireSafe organization in Montana became a reality in 2007. FireSafe Montana will offer a very important service for the citizens of Montana – statewide coordination of efforts supporting FireSafe programs and firewise activities.

Upper Lolo Watershed Restoration (Pdf)
- Letter of support from Missoula County Commissioners (Pdf)
The WildWest Institute is currently working with the Lolo National Forest, the community-based Lolo Watershed Group, and fellow conservation groups on a road removal and watershed restoration project for the Upper Lolo Creek watershed west of Lolo, MT. Click here for an article about a public field tour of this project that WildWest sponsored with organized labor and the Forest Service.

Working Together to Keep a Community Safe from Wildfire (Pdf)
The past two years, WildWest has teamed up with the West End Volunteer Fire Department to create defensible space on private land around the DeBorgia, MT community through education, action and fellowship. Click here for scenes from our 2006 work weekend and here for scenes from our 2007 work week.

Ecologically-Based Fuel Reduction Pilot Project (Pdf)
WildWest Institute demonstrates the effectiveness of an ecologically-based approach to community fuel reduction on a small pilot project on the Lolo National Forest.

Forest Restoration Principles and Criteria (Pdf)
The Restoration Principles are the result of a 4-year bridge building effort between conservation groups and restoration practitioners to develop agreement on a common sense, scientifically-based framework for restoring our nation's forests.