Attach to Form 990 or Form 990-EZ.
Go to
www.irs.gov/Form990 for instructions and the latest information.
| (i) Name of supported organization | (ii) EIN | (iii) Type of organization (described on lines 1- 10 above (see instructions)) | (iv) Is the organization listed in your governing document? | (v) Amount of monetary support (see instructions) | (vi) Amount of other support (see instructions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | |||||
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Total |
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Calendar year
(or fiscal year beginning in)
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(a) 2018 | (b) 2019 | (c) 2020 | (d) 2021 | (e) 2022 | (f) Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gifts, grants, contributions, and membership fees received. (Do not include any "unusual grant.") .. | 1,064,995 | 1,201,808 | 1,612,114 | 1,603,003 | 2,257,094 | 7,739,014 |
| 2 | Tax revenues levied for the organization's benefit and either paid to or expended on its behalf.... | ||||||
| 3 | The value of services or facilities furnished by a governmental unit to the organization without charge.. | ||||||
| 4 | Total. Add lines 1 through 3 | 1,064,995 | 1,201,808 | 1,612,114 | 1,603,003 | 2,257,094 | 7,739,014 |
| 5 | The portion of total contributions by each person (other than a governmental unit or publicly supported organization) included on line 1 that exceeds 2% of the amount shown on line 11, column (f) .. | 338,864 | |||||
| 6 | Public support. Subtract line 5 from line 4. | 7,400,150 | |||||
Calendar year
(or fiscal year beginning in)
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(a) 2018 | (b) 2019 | (c) 2020 | (d) 2021 | (e) 2022 | (f) Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Amounts from line 4.. | 1,064,995 | 1,201,808 | 1,612,114 | 1,603,003 | 2,257,094 | 7,739,014 |
| 8 | Gross income from interest, dividends, payments received on securities loans, rents, royalties and income from similar sources... | 34,048 | 39,490 | 34,077 | 39,110 | 54,398 | 201,123 |
| 9 | Net income from unrelated business activities, whether or not the business is regularly carried on.. | ||||||
| 10 | Other income. Do not include gain or loss from the sale of capital assets (Explain in Part VI.).. | 29,669 | 610 | 20 | 30,299 | ||
| 11 | Total support. Add lines 7 through 10 | 7,970,436 | |||||
Calendar year (or fiscal year beginning in) ![]() |
(a) 2018 | (b) 2019 | (c) 2020 | (d) 2021 | (e) 2022 | (f) Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gifts, grants, contributions, and membership fees received. (Do not include any "unusual grants.") . | ||||||
| 2 | Gross receipts from admissions, merchandise sold or services performed, or facilities furnished in any activity that is related to the organization's tax-exempt purpose | ||||||
| 3 | Gross receipts from activities that are not an unrelated trade or business under section 513 ..... | ||||||
| 4 | Tax revenues levied for the organization's benefit and either paid to or expended on its behalf... | ||||||
| 5 | The value of services or facilities furnished by a governmental unit to the organization without charge | ||||||
| 6 | Total. Add lines 1 through 5 | ||||||
| 7a | Amounts included on lines 1, 2, and 3 received from disqualified persons | ||||||
| b | Amounts included on lines 2 and 3 received from other than disqualified persons that exceed the greater of $5,000 or 1% of the amount on line 13 for the year. | ||||||
| c | Add lines 7a and 7b.. | ||||||
| 8 | Public support. (Subtract line 7c from line 6.) | ||||||
Calendar year (or fiscal year beginning in) ![]() |
(a) 2018 | (b) 2019 | (c) 2020 | (d) 2021 | (e) 2022 | (f) Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Amounts from line 6... | ||||||
| 10a | Gross income from interest, dividends, payments received on securities loans, rents, royalties and income from similar sources.. | ||||||
| b | Unrelated business taxable income (less section 511 taxes) from businesses acquired after June 30, 1975. | ||||||
| c | Add lines 10a and 10b. | ||||||
| 11 | Net income from unrelated business activities not included on line 10b, whether or not the business is regularly carried on. | ||||||
| 12 | Other income. Do not include gain or loss from the sale of capital assets (Explain in Part VI.) .. | ||||||
| 13 | Total support. (Add lines 9, 10c, 11, and 12.).. | ||||||
| Section A - Adjusted Net Income | (A) Prior Year |
(B) Current Year (optional) |
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| 1 | Net short-term capital gain | 1 | ||||
| 2 | Recoveries of prior-year distributions | 2 | ||||
| 3 | Other gross income (see instructions) | 3 | ||||
| 4 | Add lines 1 through 3 | 4 | ||||
| 5 | Depreciation and depletion | 5 | ||||
| 6 | Portion of operating expenses paid or incurred for production or collection of gross income or for management, conservation, or maintenance of property held for production of income (see instructions) | 6 | ||||
| 7 | Other expenses (see instructions) | 7 | ||||
| 8 | Adjusted Net Income (subtract lines 5, 6 and 7 from line 4) | 8 | ||||
| Section B - Minimum Asset Amount | (A) Prior Year |
(B) Current Year (optional) |
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| 1 | Aggregate fair market value of all non-exempt-use assets (see instructions for short tax year or assets held for part of year): | 1 | ||||
| a | Average monthly value of securities | 1a | ||||
| b | Average monthly cash balances | 1b | ||||
| c | Fair market value of other non-exempt-use assets | 1c | ||||
| d | Total (add lines 1a, 1b, and 1c) | 1d | ||||
| e |
Discount claimed for blockage or other factors (explain in detail in Part VI): |
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| 2 | Acquisition indebtedness applicable to non-exempt use assets | 2 | ||||
| 3 | Subtract line 2 from line 1d | 3 | ||||
| 4 | Cash deemed held for exempt use. Enter 0.015 of line 3 (for greater amount, see instructions). | 4 | ||||
| 5 | Net value of non-exempt-use assets (subtract line 4 from line 3) | 5 | ||||
| 6 | Multiply line 5 by 0.035 | 6 | ||||
| 7 | Recoveries of prior-year distributions | 7 | ||||
| 8 | Minimum Asset Amount (add line 7 to line 6) | 8 | ||||
| Section C - Distributable Amount | Current Year | |||||
| 1 | Adjusted net income for prior year (from Section A, line 8, Column A) | 1 | ||||
| 2 | Enter 85% of line 1 | 2 | ||||
| 3 | Minimum asset amount for prior year (from Section B, line 8, Column A) | 3 | ||||
| 4 | Enter greater of line 2 or line 3 | 4 | ||||
| 5 | Income tax imposed in prior year | 5 | ||||
| 6 | Distributable Amount. Subtract line 5 from line 4, unless subject to emergency temporary reduction (see instructions) | 6 | ||||
| Section D - Distributions | Current Year | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Amounts paid to supported organizations to accomplish exempt purposes | 1 | |
|
2
Amounts paid to perform activity that directly furthers exempt purposes of supported organizations, in excess of income from activity |
2 | |
| 3 Administrative expenses paid to accomplish exempt purposes of supported organizations | 3 | |
| 4 Amounts paid to acquire exempt-use assets | 4 | |
| 5 Qualified set-aside amounts (prior IRS approval required - provide details in Part VI) | 5 | |
| 6 Other distributions (describe in Part VI). See instructions | 6 | |
| 7Total annual distributions. Add lines 1 through 6. | 7 | |
|
8
Distributions to attentive supported organizations to which the organization is responsive (provide details in Part VI). See instructions |
8 | |
| 9 Distributable amount for 2022 from Section C, line 6 | 9 | |
| 10 Line 8 amount divided by Line 9 amount | 10 | |
| Section E - Distribution Allocations (see instructions) |
(i) Excess Distributions |
(ii) Underdistributions Pre-2022 |
(iii) Distributable Amount for 2022 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Distributable amount for 2022 from Section C, line 6 | ||||
|
2
Underdistributions, if any, for years prior to 2022 (reasonable cause required-- explain in Part VI).
See instructions. |
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| 3 Excess distributions carryover, if any, to 2022: | ||||
| a From 2017....... | ||||
| b From 2018....... | ||||
| c From 2019....... | ||||
| d From 2020....... | ||||
| e From 2021....... | ||||
| fTotal of lines 3a through e | ||||
| g Applied to underdistributions of prior years | ||||
| h Applied to 2022 distributable amount | ||||
|
i
Carryover from 2017 not applied (see instructions) |
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| j Remainder. Subtract lines 3g, 3h, and 3i from line 3f. | ||||
| 4Distributions for 2022 from Section D, line 7: | ||||
| $ | ||||
| a Applied to underdistributions of prior years | ||||
| b Applied to 2022 distributable amount | ||||
| c Remainder. Subtract lines 4a and 4b from line 4. | ||||
|
5
Remaining underdistributions for years prior to 2022, if any. Subtract lines 3g and 4a from line 2. If the amount is greater than zero, explain in Part VI. See instructions. |
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6
Remaining underdistributions for 2022. Subtract lines 3h and 4b from line 1. If the amount is greater than zero, explain in Part VI. See instructions. |
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7 Excess distributions carryover to 2023. Add lines 3j and 4c. |
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| 8 Breakdown of line 7: | ||||
| a Excess from 2018..... | ||||
| b Excess from 2019..... | ||||
| c Excess from 2020..... | ||||
| d Excess from 2021..... | ||||
| e Excess from 2022..... | ||||
| Facts And Circumstances Test |
|---|
| Return Reference | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Schedule A, Part II, Line 10, Explanation of Other Income: | Other income - 2018 Amount: $ 29,669. 2019 Amount: $ 610. 2020 Amount: $ 20. 2021 Amount: $ 0. 2022 Amount: $ 0. |
| Software ID: | |
| Software Version: |
Attach to Form 990 or 990-EZ.
Go to www.irs.gov/Form990 for the latest information.
| Return Reference | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Form 990, Part III Line 4a - Program Service Accomplishments | The organization is increasingly focused on diversifying income streams to carry out our mission. In 2021, 18% of income came from Private Foundations; 4% from Corporations; 19% from Individuals; and 4% from Events, Tours, and Specialty License Plates and 13% from investment. The remaining 42% of income is derived from State and Federal Agreements, much of which is used as cost-share in landowner-initiated conservation projects. BLACKFOOT COMMUNITY CONSERVATION AREA * Completed 65 acres of forest treatments to improve forest health and resilience. * Conducted planning and inventory of an additional 380 acres. * Controlled invasive weeds on road systems, forest treatments, and native prairies through integrated approaches across 200 acres. Completed Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Wildlife Habitat Enhancement Program (WHIP) with support from Powell County Weed Coordinator. * Hosted multiple volunteer days with university and hunter groups to remove conifers from aspen stands, collect old wire, pull weeds, and improve the kiosk area. * Hosted multiple presentations on/about the BCCA to visiting groups including local schools, university and international groups. * Participated in educational programs (utilizing the BCCA) with area school groups, reaching more than 150 students. * Provided year-round public access on 5,600 acres, including hiking trails, 6-week motorized use season, and hunting via the Block Management Program. * Expanded walking trails by 2 miles. * Partnered with the US Forest Service and Montana DNRC on road improvements required to open a seasonal, cross-boundary motorized loop in 2023. * Renewed the NRCS Conservation Stewardship Program for an additional 5 years, including four additional resource enhancements. * Assisted with the community forest case study and interviews - facilitated by a graduate student from Oregon State University. CONSERVATION STRATEGIES * sted an in-person annual gathering for more than 30 public and private conservation practitioners to share information and leverage one another's land conservation efforts. The meeting led to the creation of a work group that will coordinate on rapid response needs related to development threats and land conservation priorities. EDUCATION * Provided training on winter safety, gear and survival, and basic avalanche safety to students at Lincoln, Helmville, Ovando, Potomac, and Seeley-Swan schools. * Provided Bear Aware education to classes at Bonner, Potomac, Sunset, Helmville, Ovando, and Lincoln schools. *Hosted all-day Bear Aware event for Lincoln School with stations on bear biology, securing attractants, recreating in bear country, and more. * Offered bird education lessons to students at Bonner and Helmville schools. * Hosted education table at International Wildlife Film Festival event. * Hosted 90 students and teachers from Seeley-Swan High School for a day of watershed education activities on the Blackfoot Community Conservation Area. * Tabled at community Loon and Fish Festival in Seeley Lake. * Provided aquatic ecology activities and monitored stream flows with students from Potomac, Sunset, Ovando and Helmville schools. * On September 15, 125 middle school students from five of our watershed schools attended our annual Youth Field Day on the Blackfoot Community Conservation Area near Ovando. Blackfoot Challenge staff along with partners from the US Forest Service Fire Sciences Lab and Swan Valley Connections provided hands-on activities about forestry and ecology that met science standards and made learning fun. * Ten watershed residents in our citizen science program monitored populations of long-billed curlews and common loons. * More than 80 people attended a Pure Montana Tales program Zoom presentation on Regenerative Ranching by members of the Mannix Brothers Ranch. Hosted an outdoor event on FireWise homes. * Finalized, printed, and distributed approximately 250 copies of the Blackfoot Watershed Stewardship Guide. FORESTRY * Facilitated 438 acres of prescribed burning on private lands and supported public partner burns across more than 1,900 acres. * Completed 144 acres of forest thinning to improve forest health and reduce fire risk. * Conducted six outreach / education tours or events throughout the Blackfoot to showcase prescribed fire effects and efforts. * Staff attended the annual Fire Learning Network workshop in Virginia. * Staff attended a prescribed fire training exchange hosted by the Klamath Tribe and Mid-Klamath Watershed Council. LAND STEWARDSHIP * Partnered with NRCS on development of the North Ovando Fuel Reduction TIP (Targeted Implementation Plan) to provide funding for fuel reduction treatments to mitigate catastrophic wildfires and create resilient forest stands on over 1,000 acres of private forest north of Ovando. Provided outreach to multiple landowners within the TIP boundary to increase awareness and participation in the program. * Assisted Big Blackfoot Chapter of Trout Unlimited, US Fish & Wildlife Service, and landowners with the planning and development of grazing management plan for Nevada Creek stream restoration project (phase 5) including more than 1 mile of riparian fencing and planning off-stream stock water system for 2023. * Implemented the first year of Cottonwood Creek riparian grazing management plan with success. Assisted additional landowners with grazing management plans/advice. * Assisted BBCTU and USFWS with planning and implementing a stock water system for a landowner in lieu of an inefficient 2-mile irrigation ditch and associated fish screen. * Initiated agreement with The Nature Conservancy to plan and coordinate the application of biochar on private agricultural lands in 2023. * Together with NRCS, continued to plan and coordinate conifer encroachment removal projects on private lands in the Helmville area to conserve grassland/sage habitat and rangeland. Leveraged additional resources to support the overall TIP. * Assisted BBCTU with maintenance and landowner communications for 8 fish screens to mitigate fish entrainment in irrigation ditches. TRUMPETER SWANS * Seven pairs of trumpeter swans hatched 30 and successfully fledged 23 cygnets. At least 30 additional non-nesting swans summered in the watershed. We have now reached our official goal of at least seven successful nests for at least two consecutive years, and the population is considered "restored." Additionally, swans are expanding into the neighboring Swan Valley with two successful nests there in 2022. * One adult swan was fitted with GPS radio collar, allowing us to track summer habitat use, fall migration, and wintering site locations. VEGETATION * Continued to work with landowners to plan and implement integrative noxious weed management practices. * Offered integrated noxious weed management recommendations to landowners including native and exotic plant identification, herbicide application products and rates, biological control with insects, and appropriate reseeding practices. * Hosted two weed pulls at the Russell Gates Fishing Access Site for the 24th consecutive year. * Coordinated noxious weed treatments on the BCCA. * Provided native and invasive plant identification workshops during multiple Blackfoot Challenge youth education field days. WATER * Convened a stakeholder group and began a process to build shared understanding, vision, and capacity to address river recreation pressures in the watershed. * The irrigation scheduling program completed its 13th year, providing weekly irrigation information, tips, drought strategies, and soil health concerns to over 100 irrigators throughout the watershed. * Our soil moisture monitoring program added 3 additional locations this year bringing the total to 17 locations where irrigators can track daily soil moisture information and manage their irrigation accordingly. * Coordinated and supported partner efforts on two hydrologic studies in the watershed - one on the Blackfoot River and one in the Nevada Creek drainage. Results will provide important information which will help guide strategic and targeted implementation of water conservation efforts. * Worked with multiple partners and landowners to explore potential stream and riparian area restoration projects to benefit fisheries, improve drought resiliency, and increase wetland habitats. * Working with the Blackfoot Drought Response Committee, implemented drought response in late summer and monitored flows in several key tributaries all summer. Voluntary conservation slowed the river's decline after a cold and wet spring gave way to a hot and dry summer. |
| Form 990, Part III Line 4a - Program Service Accomplishments | WILDLIFE * In 2022, reached the 10,000+ mark for livestock carcasses removed from ranches and delivered to the composting site since the program began in 2003 to reduce conflicts with grizzly bears and wolves. * Built 6 high-priority permanent electric fences to reduce conflicts with grizzly bears around ranch compounds and calving yards. Also built 16 temporary electric fences to keep grizzly bears out of chickens/feed, bulk livestock feed, barns, shops, grain silos, apples and garbage. * Deployed 21 electric drive-over mats tied into electric fences in the watershed to reduce conflicts with grizzly bears. * Hired 2 seasonal range riders to help ranchers monitor livestock, wolves and grizzly bears on their summer grazing leases. Nearly 3,000 head of livestock were monitored for 13 producers across 59,600 acres. * Employed Elk Hunt Coordinator to respond to information requests from hunters including elk hunting opportunities and scheduled hunts on participating ranches during the elk hunt shoulder seasons. * Conducted winter surveys in the Southwest Crown of the Continent for lynx, wolverine, wolves, mountain lions, marten and bobcat. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 11b | Board of directors are generally emailed a copy of the Form 990 prior to submission to review and ask questions. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 12c | Any potential conflicts of interests are disclosed to the board and recorded in the minutes. The interested director abstains from voting on the matter. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 15a | Regarding compensation, the board seeks out comparable compensation information where it is available for comparable jobs and contacts national organizations for positions such as program coordinators. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Section C, line 18 | The 990 and related documents are made available to the public upon request. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Section C, line 19 | Governing documents and financial statements are made available to the public upon request. |
| Form 990, Part IX, line 11g | Contractors: Program service expenses 449,186. Management and general expenses 100,126. Fundraising expenses 42,853. Total expenses 592,165. |
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