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High Divide Collaborative

WHO WE ARE

The High Divide Collaborative is an effective partnership of public land managers, state wildlife agencies, landowners, local community leaders, scientists, and conservation groups working together to conserve and restore lands of importance for local communities and to protect ecological integrity at the landscape scale.

Where Is the High Divide?

The High Divide is often referred to as the “land in between” two of the West’s iconic landscapes: the Greater Yellowstone and the Crown of the Continent. Its western border straddles the Continental Divide along the Idaho/Montana border, housing headwaters for the great Missouri and Columbia watersheds that flow to opposite oceans. Over 3.7 million acres total, the region a stronghold for wildlife that have disappeared from much of their historic range and is the centerpiece for connectivity between the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the Crown of the Continent, and the great wilderness of Central Idaho.

High Divide Collaborative’s Area of Interest

The High Divide Collaborative’s area of interest is determined by the stakeholders involved in the partnership. This area is a subset of the full High Divide landscape and it brings in some parts of adjacent landscapes, like the GYE, Crown of the Continent, and the central Idaho. Our interest in cultural and ecological connectivity necessarily bleeds into these adjacent systems as we envision our conservation future for the High Divide.

Our map of the High Divide Collaborative Area of Interest is defined loosely as the geography within which we have a high level of engagement among High Divide stakeholders. The area features a great deal of commonality in cultural and resource values and social connections.

The High Divide Collaborative Coordinating Committee

Private Landowners and Ranchers​​

Merrill Beyeler

Beyeler Ranches; Leadore, ID

Zakery Miller

Idaho Farm Bureau; rancher from Rigby, ID

Heath Martinell

Martinell Ranches; Dell, MT

John Crumley

Madison Valley Ranchlands Group; rancher from McAllister, MT

Watershed and Community Groups

Pedro Marques

Big Hole Watershed Committee

Brandon Hoffner

Henry's Fork Foundation and Watershed Council

Toni Ruth

Salmon Valley Stewardship

Zach Owen

Beaverhead Watershed Committee

Land Trusts, Land Conservancies, and Conservation Advocates

Jim Berkey

The Nature Conservancy

Nick Clarke

Trust for Public Land

State and Federal Agencies

Scot Schuler

Dillon District Ranger, Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest

Tracie O'Neil

Rangeland Management Specialist, Division 9 Idaho

Sandi Fisher

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Bill Davis

Dubois District Ranger, Caribou-Targhee National Forest

Sean Finn

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Mary D'Aversa

Bureau of Land Management