Mission

Our flyover examined the striking region to collect media for the development of the Crazy Mountain Oral History Project, an endeavor to discover and share the voices of individuals who have diverse, deep connections to the Crazies.

The Crazy Mountains are an island range and remote alpine ecosystem in southwest Montana. Surrounded by large working ranches, the Crazies remain relatively undeveloped compared to other ranges in the region. The Awaxaawippíia, as the Crow Tribe refers to this landscape, are the sacred lands of the Apsáalooke. This beloved, iconic landscape houses a checkerboard of private land parcels within the Forest Service boundary. National Forest lands interspersed with private lands are challenging to manage and for the public to access, and this has led to significant conflict between landowners, hunters and other recreationists. Our partners are working to protect the wild character of the Crazy Mountains through collaboration with the Forest Service and private landowners to enact best-management practices that dissolve access issues and benefit the community, visitors, wildlife, and the Crow Tribe. This land holds great ecological, cultural and recreational value and should be managed accordingly.

The Crazy Mountain Oral History Project will record the stories of Indigenous Peoples, ranchers, hunters, recreationists, scientists, and others to deepen our historical context and understanding of the layered connections between the people, the land, and wild nature.

Thank you for your work to steward Montana’s lands and develop this oral history project!

Click for photos, geo-referenced photos, GoPro footage, or the audio recording from the flight.