Yaak resident takes on public outreach role

A grant procured by the Montana Wilderness Association, in collaboration with the Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness, has helped create a new outreach position in the Libby area.

Ashley South grew up in Troy and now resides in the Yaak and stepped into the one-of-a-kind position with the Montana Wilderness Association last month. She looks forward to taking people outside, protecting wild places and building bridges between diverse groups that utilize forested lands. “I found out they had a job opening in Libby and I applied right away. I want to work for Montana Wilderness Association because the organization and the people who are involved share the same passion for wilderness designation as I do,” South said.

Before she landed the outreach position, South had volunteered for both of the groups who worked together for the grant. Amy Robinson, northwest field coordinator for the Montana Wilderness Association, said it makes good resource sense to work in concert with Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness and it also made them more attractive candidates for the grant. “We overlap on several projects, so we streamline our resources and try to get the biggest bang for our buck,” Robinson said.   

South’s interest in wilderness areas is the result of spending time in the great outdoors. “It all started with hiking in the Cabinets a couple of years ago. And the more time I spent out there, I began to realize I love this beautiful area,” South said. “Now I have a chance to protect these wild places and bring people outside. My goals are to work with communities to protect Montana’s Wilderness heritage and outdoor traditions for future generations,” South said.

As part of her outreach work, South will be talking with diverse partners such as snowmobilers, businesses and loggers to identify how various groups can share forest resources and space. “Not everyone has the same ideas about how the forest should be utilized, but I think there is room for everybody to have their needs met,” South said.

“It’s important to work with the community to make people aware of the necessity and function wilderness areas provide,” she said. South acknowledged the term “wilderness area” tends to draw ire from some people in the community, which is something she will try to address. “The hardest part is just getting through to people as to why we’re doing what we’re doing. We want to get the most out of our forests also, but we all have different ideas on how we can make that happen,” she said. She stressed that open communication amongst different groups is fundamental to that endeavor.

“I will identify outreach opportunities and support our partnerships and projects with the Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness as well as connect people, ideas, and opportunities to create positive results in the community,” South said.

To that end, the Montana Wilderness Association and Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness have actively promoted the Lincoln County Community Prosperity Forums as well as monthly Common Ground meetings. “It’s really cool to see various groups come together and try to reach agreement on complex issues, you can get a lot more done that way,” South said. “The people I have talked to have been great in trying to work to find common ground.”

South said the monthly meetings bring together diverse stakeholders who formulate plans for projects they would like to see carried out on forest service lands and take them to the agency for feedback and gauge the likelihood they could reach fruition.

One of the activities South is excited to be involved with is the Wilderness Walks offered by the Montana Wilderness Association. “Offering these walks allows people to become involved with a place and have them understand why wild places are so important to protect for future generations and for ourselves. The wilderness walks program is to build grassroots support for wilderness by taking people to a special place that needs protection,” South said.

She said she’ll be working with Brian Baxter to take people on scenic jaunts and share information on plants and animals. South will be leading hikes to Upper Cedar Lake on June 13 and to St. Paul Lake on August 8.

Part of South’s job as an outreach coordinator is to learn the culture in her assigned area and make connections. Since she’s a local, South is already ahead of the curve. “I’m really excited to live and work in such a beautiful area. I’m very happy to be working with Amy Robinson and the Montana Wilderness Association,” South said.