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John D. Grove Papers, 1971-2016

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Grove, John D. (b. 1930)
Title
John D. Grove Papers
Dates
1971-2016 (inclusive)
Quantity
42.5 linear feet
Collection Number
Mss 898
Summary
This collection contains John Grove's project files from his work as a technical reviewer for Friends of the Bitterroot, a conservation organization located in Montana's Bitterroot Valley. Leveraging the National Environmental Protection Act, the National Forest Management Act and other regulatory measures, the Friends of the Bitterroot reviewed hundreds of public land timber sale projects, grazing allotments, road building ventures, and other measures on public lands of the Intermountain West. This collection is a representative example of the organization’s work from the 1970s through 2016.
Repository
University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library
University of Montana
32 Campus Dr. #9936
59812-9936
Missoula, MT
Telephone: 406-243-2053
library.archives@umontana.edu
Access Restrictions

Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and The University of Montana-Missoula.

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

John D. Grove was born in Ketchikan, Alaska, in 1930 to Christopher C. and Phyllis Hill Grove. He grew up exploring the outdoors. His first job was in the commercial fishing industry at the age of sixteen, working on a fish trap for Nakat Packing Company. Grove enrolled in the Oregon State College School of Forestry in Corvallis in 1948 and earned his bachelor's degree in Science and Forest Management in 1954. Following his graduation, the U.S. Army drafted Grove and stationed him at Ladd Air Force Base in Fairbanks, Alaska. Grove then worked as a forester for the U.S. Forest Service in Juneau starting in 1955. He married Darlene Lowry, a teacher, in 1957. Shortly thereafter he was promoted to District Ranger on the Chugach National Forest at Cordova, Alaska. In 1962, Grove was promoted to Assistant Timber Management Officer on the Bitterroot National Forest and moved with his wife and three children to Hamilton, Montana. Between 1962 and 1984 Grove worked on the Bitterroot, Helena, and Lolo National Forests, including as the timber and fire management officer for the Helena National Forest. He retired in 1984 and moved with his family to Stevensville, Montana, in the Bitterroot Valley.

Grove's career with the Forest Service informed his opinions of both wilderness conservation and the role that Forest Service policy played in preservation of forestlands and wildlife. As a professional forester he witnessed the tumultuous decades of the 1960s-1990s, when the Forest Service was beset by controversy over the management of forests and other public lands. As a district ranger he felt the extreme pressure to "get out the cut" and felt that harvesting practices were not sustainable. In retirement, Grove teamed up with four other conservation-minded citizens and formed the Bitterroot Timber Sale Review Committee. The group eventually evolved into the Friends of the Bitterroot (FOB), whose fundamental purpose was to systematically review proposed National Forest timber sales and other projects for compliance with federal laws and regulations. Grove and another member, Jerry Nichols, provided technical review of timber sale documents to determine if FOB should get involved in litigation.

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Content Description

This collection, the John D. Grove Papers, is primarily comprised of project files associated with the Friends of the Bitterroot (FOB), a conservation organization based in western Montana, and specifically with John Grove's efforts as a technical reviewer for the organization. Organized as the Bitterroot Timber Sale Review Committee, the group that became known as the Friends of the Bitterroot in 1988 utilized the National Environmental Policy Act, the National Forest Management Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act and other regulatory measures to review hundreds of Forest Service projects for compliance with environmental laws and regulations. While Friends of the Bitterroot is based in Montana's Bitterroot Valley, the organization reviewed and continues to review Forest Service and other public land development projects in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and more broadly the Northern Rocky Mountains.

This collection has been organized in to eight series. Five series are organized by national forest and then by district or project type. Other series include publications, wildlife projects, and FOB administrative documents. Individual project files in this collection contain correspondence, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, environmental assessments (EA), draft environmental impact statements (DEIS), and final environmental impact statements (FEIS). Also included are photographs, comments, scoping documents, and other related materials maintained by the Friends of the Bitterroot. Additional materials housed in the collection include various conservation-focused publications, photographs, and newspaper clippings, many annotated, detailing the activities of the organization. A large quantity of the materials contain hand-written notes and annotations from John Grove and other members of Friends of the Bitterroot.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. Non-exclusive copyright to John Grove's material in this collection is held by the University of Montana.

Preferred Citation

John D. Grove Papers, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

This collection is divided in to eight series.

Series I: Bitterroot National Forest Project Files, 1994-2004 and Undated, 18 linear feet

Subseries 1: Darby Ranger District, 1991-2014, 3.25 linear feet

Subseries 2: Stevensville Ranger District, 1974-2012, 2.5 linear feet

Subseries 3: Sula Ranger District, 1984-2012, 2.75 linear feet

Subseries 4: West Fork Ranger District, 1987-2010, 1.5 linear feet

Subseries 5: Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, 1989-2004, 1 linear foot

Subseries 6: General Forest Management, 1981-2013, 6.25 linear feet

Subseries 7: Off-Highway Vehicle Projects, 1988-2013, 0.75 linear feet

Series II: Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, 1971-2013, 7.5 linear feet

Subseries 1: Dillon Ranger District, 1994-2004 and undated, 2.5 linear feet

Subseries 2: Wisdom Ranger District, 1971-2008, 3.0 linear feet

Subseries 3: Butte, Phillipsburg, and Wise River Ranger Districts, 1995-2004, 0.25 linear Feet

Subseries 4: General Forest Management, 1985-2013, 1.5 linear feet

Subseries 5: Off-Highway Vehicle Projects, 1996-2004, 0.25 linear feet

Series III: Salmon-Challis National Forest, 1992-2009, 2.5 linear feet

Subseries 1: Salmon-Cobalt Ranger District, 1992-2000, 0.75 linear feet

Subseries 2: North Fork Ranger District, 1993-2004, 0.75 linear feet

Subseries 3: Leadore Ranger District, 1996-2005, 0.5 linear feet

Subseries 4: Challis-Yankee Fork Ranger District, 1993-1999, 3 folders

Subseries 5: General Forest Management, 1992-2009, 0.5 linear feet

Series IV: Lolo National Forest, 1986-2008, 0.5 linear feet

Subseries 1: Missoula Ranger District, 1993-2010 and undated, 0.25 linear feet

Subseries 2: General Forest Management, 1986-2008 and undated, 0.25 linear feet

Series V: Non-National Forest Lands Projects, 1984-2016, 8.75 linear feet

Subseries 1: Bureau of Land Management, 1999-2010, 1.0 linear foot

Subseries 2: Continental Divide Trail, 1996-2003, 0.5 linear feet

Subseries 3: General Forest Management, 1984-2011, 3.5 linear feet

Subseries 4: National Park Service, 1997-2001, 0.25 linear feet

Subseries 5: Off-Highway Vehicle Projects, 1993-2008, 0.5 linear feet

Subseries 6: Plum Creek Timber Company Lands, 2000-2008, 0.25 linear feet

Subseries 7: Ravalli County, Montana, 1989-2008, 0.25 linear feet

Subseries 8: State of Montana, 1985-2016, 2.5 linear feet

Series VI: Wildlife Management Projects, 1984-2010, 1.75 linear feet

Subseries 1: Bison, 1998-2000, 0.25 linear feet

Subseries 2: Endangered Species Act, 1992-1997, 0.25 linear feet

Subseries 3: Grizzly Bear, 1987-2004, 0.25 linear feet

Subseries 4: Native Fish, 1984-2010, 0.75 linear feet

Subseries 5: Wolf and Elk, 1984-1994, 0.25 linear feet

Series VII, Publications, 1980-1998, 2.0 linear feet

Series VIII, Friends of the Bitterroot Administrative Documents, 1987-2010, 1.5 linear feet

Custodial History

The materials in this collection were held by John Grove prior to their transfer to the University of Montana.

Acquisition Information

The materials in this collection were donated to the University of Montana by John D. Grove in 2017.

Processing Note

This collection was housed by John Grove in large envelopes that were mostly identified by project type and project location. The collection was partially organized in 2017, with materials moved from envelopes to acid-free folders while maintaining Grove's project indentifications. Organization was completed by a second processer in 2019. Files were organized into series and subseries, largely based on forest or project. Within series and subseries folders were largely arranged in alphabetical order. The processors did minimial review of the contents of individual folders; a general overview of most folder contents are provided in the notes fields of each folder. Copies of maps that lacked any significant annotations and are available elsewhere were removed from the collection during processing.

Related Materials

The University of Montana's Archives and Special Collections holds an oral history interview with John Grove, largely focused on his work with the Friends of the Bitterroot (OH 462-001).

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Processed by Morgan McCarthy and Patrick Swart. Finding aid prepared by Patrick Swart
2019

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