28

Thank You to Our Sponsors

Contact the Montana Watershed Coordination Council Erin Farris-Olsen

(406) 475-1420 erin@mtwatersheds.org

mtwatersheds.org

Missouri Headwaters

Watershed Tour September 11-13th, 2019

Co-Hosted with the Missouri Headwaters

Partnership

2

Schedule

10:00 Drought Panel, Copper King Hotel, Butte

12:00 Depart for Tour (Day 1)

Lunch

1:30 Big Hole Watershed, Big Hole Watershed Committee

Oregon Creek Project

French Gulch Project

4:30 Beaverhead Watershed, Beaverhead Watershed Committee

Poindexter Slough Project

September 11

27

Notes

26

Notes

3

9:00 Depart for Tour (Day 2), Dillon

9:55 Ruby Watershed,

Presentation, The Nature Conservancy

Clear Creek Project, Ruby Habitat Foundation

12:00 Nevada City

Lunch

Presentation, Gallatin River Task Force

Presentation, Big Sky Watershed Corps

2:30 Madison Watershed, Madison Conservation District

Endecott Ranch

5:00 Ennis

Dinner

9:00 Depart for Tour (Day 3), Ennis

9:30 Jefferson Watershed, Jefferson River Watershed Council

Jefferson Slough Project

Groundwater Investigation Project

11:00 The Gallatin Watershed, Greater Gallatin Watershed Council

WRP Inventory Project

Dry Creek Project

12:30 Closing Remarks

September 12

6:15 Bannack State Park

Dinner

7:30 Presentation, Centennial Valley Association

September 13

4

Missouri Headwaters Partnership The Missouri Headwaters Partnership is a coalition of local watershed

organizations across the basin: Beaverhead Watershed Committee,

Centennial Valley Association, Gallatin River Task Force, Greater Gal-

latin Watershed Council, Jefferson River Watershed Council, Madison

Watershed Partnership, Ruby Valley Conservation District/Ruby Water-

shed Council, Big Hole Watershed Committee, and Jefferson River Wa-

tershed Council.

Montana Watershed Coordination Council The Montana Watershed Coordination Council unites and supports

Montana’s watershed communities to promote healthy and productive

landscapes. MWCC has been cultivating broad-based support for com-

munity-driven approaches to managing complex land and water issues

for over 20 years as the statewide organization representing each of

more than 60 watershed groups, including those in the Missouri Head-

waters Partnership.

As a supporter of organizations with a wide range of goals and or-

ganizational structures, MWCC recognizes a set of shared principles

within these groups that are tenets of the Watershed Approach to con-

servation. The Watershed Approach is tied to a distinct land area, en-

sures broad stakeholder involvement and inclusivity, is community-

based and driven, relies on local leadership, encourages collaboration,

and strives for consensus.

25

Dry Creek Restoration

Dry Creek is a tributary of the East Gallatin River draining the

northern portion of the Gallatin Valley from the Horseshoe Hills and

the west slope of the Bridger Mountains. Dry Creek was originally

listed in 1992 as impaired for sediment due to channel realignment

associated with transportation, reduced riparian vegetation, and silta-

tion and streambank failure associated with poor agricultural practic-

es. To help achieve sediment load reductions, the Lower Gallatin Wa-

tershed Restoration Plan recommended restoring creeks whose chan-

nels had become entrenched — the intent of the Dry Creek Restora-

tion Project. During the fall of 2018 and early winter of 2019, project

partners, including Trout Unlimited and GGWC, restored a total of

5,595 feet of bankline and created inset floodplain along the newly

restored banklines. Funding from MWCC’s Watershed Fund enabled

riparian enhancements that will help minimize erosion, stabilize

streambanks, and reduce sediment and nutrient inputs.

Watershed Stewards Program

The goal of the Gallatin Community Watershed Stewards Program

is to harness the power of collaborative community action to improve

watershed health. GGWC is working to incentivize, challenge, and in-

spire individuals, businesses, and youth to become “Watershed Stew-

ards” by engaging in watershed-related

trainings, workshops, activities, and events

organized by GGWC and partners; making

changes in their daily behaviors; and active-

ly educating and motivating their neighbors

to care for our waterways.

Watershed Restoration Inventory

The Watershed Restoration Inventory serves as a database and

visual tool to capture information about stream restoration projects

throughout the watershed, helps identify progress toward goals in the

Lower Gallatin Watershed Restoration Plan, and informs future resto-

rations and land-use planning efforts.

24

Residents of the Gallatin Watershed

enjoy the privilege of being the first peo-

ple to touch the water in the Missouri

River on its journey to the Gulf of Mexico.

Even as a headwaters watershed, stream

health and water quality is a concern.

Fifteen streams in the Lower Gallatin do

not meet state water quality standards

for nutrients, sediments, and E. Coli. Additional-

ly, Gallatin County is the fastest growing in

Montana. With the conversion of land from ag-

ricultural to residential uses and increasing cli-

matic variability including drought, pressure on

the water resources of the Gallatin is intensify-

ing. As water quantity and quality issues in-

crease, the Greater Gallatin Watershed Council

(GGWC), based in Bozeman, is helping plan for

the future of the watershed.

In 2014, GGWC worked with Gallatin Valley

residents to create the Lower Gallatin Watershed Restoration Plan as a

way to identify the community’s priorities for watershed health. The

plan specifically identifies 33 potential projects to improve area

streams and water quality, on which GGWC and its board of directors

continue to work, with help from landowners and partner organiza-

tions. Projects include reducing nutrients, sediment, and E. coli by en-

couraging people throughout the Gallatin to manage fertilizer use, pick

up pet waste, fence livestock out of

streams, maintain septic systems, and

enhance riparian vegetation and wet-

lands.

The Lower Gallatin

Contact the GGWC Holly Hill

(406) 560-4425 greatergallatininfo@gmail.com

greatergallatin.org

5

The Watershed Fund: Building Capacity in the Missouri Headwaters

The MWCC Watershed Fund provides

direct support to partner watershed or-

ganizations for on-the-ground projects on

private lands, capacity-building, and pro-

fessional development. Since 2015, the

Fund has generated more than $540,000

to help our local partners coordinate and

implement natural resource management

efforts. Many of the contributions are year

-to-year or limited to specific resource concerns, and MWCC staff are

working to sustain fund resources from year to year.

Understanding that organizational capacity is critical to delivering

conservation outcomes, MWCC is tracking the conservation impact of

our watershed organizations and the Fund specifically. MWCC current-

ly tracks Watershed Fund success through stream miles improved,

acres made more resilient, stakeholders engaged, and conservation

practices implemented.

In the Missouri Headwaters, the Watershed Fund is supporting on-

the-ground conservation projects in the Big Hole, Gallatin, and Madi-

son watersheds and capacity-building efforts in the Big Hole, Gallatin,

and Ruby watersheds.

The Watershed Fund is administered by Watershed Fund Com-

mittee members Robyn Boyle,

Jessica Makus, and Erin Farris-

Olsen. Watch the MWCC web

page, mtwatersheds.org/app,

and Watershed News for up-

coming grant opportunities.

6

Big Sky Watershed Corps (BSWC)

is an AmeriCorps program that places

young professionals in Montana’s wa-

tershed communities to make a meas-

urable difference in local conservation

initiatives. Since its inception in 2011,

BSWC has become a statewide suc-

cess, with members making strides in

watershed research, project planning

and implementation, education and

outreach, and community engage-

ment. BSWC has engaged 184 members who have contributed nearly

267,000 hours of service. Twenty-five BSWC members currently serve

23 conservation organizations statewide, working on projects including

monitoring and restoring streams, teaching in schools and at public

events, creating GIS maps, and preventing Aquatic Invasive Species. In

the Missouri Headwaters, BSWC members currently serve in the Gal-

latin, Ruby, and Madison watersheds, and BSWC alumni work in the

Madison, Ruby, Gallatin, and Jefferson watersheds.

MWCC partners with the Montana Conservation Corps and the Soil

and Water Conservation Districts of Montana to ensure the success of

the BSWC program. MWCC’s role in this partnership includes providing

host site support, coordination, and access to funding for BSWC host

sites.

BSWC is currently accepting applications to host members for

2020. Applications are due September 13th and can be found on the

MWCC website, mtwatersheds.org/app/big-sky-watershed-corps/. Talk

with MWCC Watershed Programs Coordinator Terri Nichols for more

information.

Big Sky Watershed Corps: Growing the Conservation Field

23

Jefferson Slough Project

In 2011, an outbreak of the

aquatic invasive species Eura-

sian milfoil occurred on the

Jefferson Slough, a 13-mile long

side channel of the Jefferson

River. It was estimated that the

slough contributed about

17,000 pounds of fragments of the noxious weed to the Jefferson River

each year. JRWC began work to manage the weed, as well as examine

flow regimes and address excessive sedimentation and aquatic habitat

degradation. Working with its partners, JWRC has repositioned the

channel, buried the milfoil, and applied an herbicide to the site. The

slough is now a pilot site for automated self-funded flow gages.

Big Pipestone Creek Project

Extensive human activities, including the removal of beaver and

straightening of the stream, changed the character of Big Pipestone

Creek. Some sections of the creek cut 15 to 20 feet deep, creating the

second highest sediment loads of any Montana stream. Flooding in

Whitehall, MT and a loss of agricultural land and access to permitted

irrigation water also caused problems. The creek now hosts a handful

of completed and ongoing projects focusing on protecting Whitehall

from inundation during high runoff periods as well as improving ranch-

ing and farming land through infrastructure replacements and river

management methods.

Drought Resiliency Project

JRWC recently completed a Drought Resiliency Document for the

Upper Jefferson River Watershed. This document highlights vulnerabili-

ties, adaptation strategies, and actions moving forward, driven by local

stakeholder involvement. This project ultimately drew attention to the

priorities of JRWC and its partners, how the landscape is changing,

how to more effectively plan for drought, and project implementation

strategies.

Jefferson Slough, pre-treatment

22

The Jefferson River Watershed

Council (JRWC) grew out of concern by

local irrigators to solve ongoing water

shortage problems in the Upper Jeffer-

son River area, as well as a strong inter-

est among anglers about a decline in

fish populations. Realizing that they

shared a common interest in the health

and vitality of the river, a small group of

residents met in the spring of 1999 to

begin a series of informal discussions

about natural resource issues affecting

the Jefferson Watershed. The group

quickly evolved into a dynamic local watershed group.

The Upper Jefferson River Watershed encompasses approximately

734 square miles of land in Jefferson and Madison counties and in-

cludes a number of tributary streams which drain into portions of the

Tobacco Root Mountains to the south and the Highland Mountains to

the north.

JRWC seeks to be a positive voice for the management and en-

hancement of the basin’s resources. For example, by developing a

Drought Management Plan and serving as a forum for communication,

JRWC was crucial during the drought of 2000, helping both irrigators

and the fishery survive the crisis. JRWC is made up of representatives

from local agriculture, conservation, business, recreation, and commu-

nity interests, as well as representatives

from local municipalities and advisors

from government agencies and nonprofit

organizations.

The Jefferson

Contact JRWC Evan Norman (406) 533-5945

jeffersonriverwc@gmail.com jeffersonriverwc.com

7

Improving Water Quality BSWC members are a key part of reducing nonpoint source pollu-

tion through implementing local Watershed Restoration Plans, and the

MWCC Watershed Fund provides support to BSWC host sites to ac-

complish this work. Members are improving water quality in their

communities through projects including: leading volunteers in restora-

tion monitoring, restoration maintenance, and other pollution reduc-

tion efforts; restoring, stabilizing, and revegetating stream banks; edu-

cating community members about ways to reduce nonpoint source

pollution; collecting post-restoration monitoring data; creating GIS

maps and databases related to stream restoration efforts; helping

landowners reduce erosion on private lands; and coordinating stream

restoration projects.

Protecting Watersheds from Aquatic Invasive Species

Watershed organizations are a

front-line defense against the spread

of aquatic invasive species (AIS), in-

cluding zebra and quagga mussels,

Eurasian watermilfoil, and New Zea-

land mud snails. They also work to

raise community awareness of the

potential harm of AIS introduction.

BSWC members across the state are working on AIS education, preven-

tion, and response plans, and the MWCC Watershed Fund provides

support to BSWC host sites to accomplish this work, which includes:

inspecting and decontaminating watercraft; recruiting and leading vol-

unteers for AIS sampling in local lakes; planning and organizing AIS

stakeholder workshops; engaging agricultural producers in AIS issues;

providing capacity for regional AIS coordination organizations; working

with marinas to prevent the spread of AIS; and providing AIS education

to schools, communities and, businesses.

8

Watershed Organizations and Montana Water Policy

In 2017, MWCC added “represent” as a tenet of our strategic plan

with the intent to track watershed-related legislation and support our

agency partners’ budgets, including critical grant programs. In explor-

ing this new role, MWCC produced a legislative bulletin, engaged in the

2017-2018 Water Policy Interim Committee (WPIC), and assisted WPIC

and watershed groups in advancing two bills in the 2019 Legislature.

Our direct engagement resulted in an increased awareness of the State

Water Plan and the passing of a bill to coordinate stream gage infor-

mation including locations, objectives, and partners that support our

stream gage infrastructure statewide. Watershed groups have also

engaged on issues such as aquatic invasive species, livestock loss, sep-

tic leaching, and a wide array of issues pertaining to natural resource

management. Watershed organizations are uniquely situated to offer

local perspectives on state natural resource management issues.

MWCC is excited to have WPIC in attendance at the 2019 Watershed

Tour and plans to continue to assist in getting local watershed voices

to the Capitol.

21

Endecott Ranch

Maintaining viable agricultural operations is one of the most bene-

ficial ways of sustaining healthy land and water resources, while also

protecting open spaces for the future.

MCD began working with

the Endecott family in 2010 to

identify strategies to protect

their cattle from sometimes

hazardous winter conditions

along South Meadow Creek.

While discussing riparian fenc-

ing as a tool, a conversation also

began around the topic of work-

ing to enhance conditions on the creek and its riparian corridor. What

resulted, in 2012, was a “passive restoration” technique that included

a half mile of riparian fencing along the entirety of South Meadow

Creek through the Endecott Ranch. Supplemental stock water sources

were created to provide livestock with year-round access to clean wa-

ter.

Over the past 7 years, this stretch of South Meadow Creek has

been greatly transformed as a result of limited short-term grazing in

the riparian area around the stream. Many of the previously over-

widened sections of the stream channel are now narrower and deep-

er, providing improved habitat for fish, and water quality is improving.

In 2015, the ranch partnered once again with MCD to make further

improvements by relocating a large section of South Meadow Creek

back to its historic channel. This re-routing offered improved riparian

shade to the stream and also created better pool habitat for fish. More

work will begin on South Meadow Creek in the fall of 2019 to make

further instream channel habitat improvements. The work on the En-

decott Ranch was an instrumental step toward strengthening relation-

ships between the ranching and conservation communities in the

Madison Valley.

20

The Madison With its headwaters in Yellowstone

National Park, the Madison River sys-

tem, and the landscape surrounding it,

make up one of the state’s most iconic

regions. Each year, mountain snowpack

feeds nearly 3,000 miles of tributary

streams that support agricultural lands, distinc-

tive fish and wildlife populations, and vibrant

communities throughout the Madison Valley.

Of the 1.2 million acres of land in the Mad-

ison Valley within Montana’s borders, nearly

60 percent is in public ownership. Of the re-

maining, private land, nearly 88 percent is in

agricultural production, leaving the rest to resi-

dential development. Agricultural irrigators

have long been some of the biggest water us-

ers in the valley, but as Madison County’s pop-

ulation grows (it saw the second-highest level

of population growth among Montana counties from 2010-2019), new

residents are building alongside these farms and ranches, creating a

need for individual, domestic-use wells. The Madison Conservation

District (MCD) is dedicated to finding a balance between all water us-

ers and utilizes multiple approaches to find collaborative solutions, like

stream monitoring with the volunteers of the Madison Stream

Team, or working with local landowners.

The Madison Valley also has a high proportion of private land in

conservation easements, totaling 46.5 per-

cent of private lands. This land is restricted

from future development, providing habitat,

open spaces, and agricultural production

opportunities in perpetuity.

Contact MCD Ethan Kunard (406) 682-7289

ethan@madisoncd.org madisoncd.net

9

Drought Panel The Upper Missouri Headwaters are considered ground zero for

adapting to changing landscape conditions. Watershed organizations

have developed community-based solutions from drought mitigation

and response plans to implementing natural water storage projects. In

this panel, we will hear about the process of watershed organizations

engaging their communities on the subject of drought and what chal-

lenges and opportunities are on the horizon for Upper Missouri water-

sheds.

Our panelists include representatives from:

• Big Hole Watershed Committee

• Beaverhead Watershed Committee

• Centennial Valley Association

• Ruby Valley Conservation District

• Gallatin River Task Force

• Madison Conservation District

• Jefferson River Watershed Council

• Greater Gallatin Watershed Council

• Broadwater Conservation District

10

The Big Hole In the late 1980s and early ‘90s, the

Big Hole River faced severe drought con-

ditions, impacting the fishery, ranching,

and growing recreation economy. In

1994, the USFWS announced Arctic gray-

ling were a candidate for the Endangered

Species Act and the upper Big Hole River

a critical, threatened population strong-

hold. In response, a small group of ranch-

ers began discussing ways to deal with

problems on the river. In 1995, after in-

viting other interests, they formed the

Big Hole Watershed Committee (BHWC). Soon after, the Big Hole River

was proposed to be listed as Chronically Dewatered, a designation that

would have brought regulations and restrictions for river stakeholders.

BHWC responded with the state’s first Drought Management Plan. The

plan used voluntary participation to meet target river flows and is still

in place today. The Big Hole River has not been labeled Chronically De-

watered, and in 2014, the USFWS announced Artic grayling did not

warrant listing under the Endangered Species Act.

BHWC catalyzes stakeholder engagement in watershed health de-

cisions affecting the free-flowing, 156-mile-long river and its 2-million-

acre watershed. BHWC has a diverse, 22-member board that presides

over monthly public meetings, capacity-building, education, and wild-

life conflict programs. The board also has a long track record of suc-

cessful restoration projects.

The Big Hole River Foundation is also an

MWCC watershed partner but not a member of

the Missouri Headwaters Partnership. Infor-

mation about activities of BHRF can be found on

its website: bhrf.org

Contact BHWC Tana Nulph (406) 960-4855 info@bhwc.org

bhwc.org

19

Upper Gallatin River Access Restoration Projects

The Task Force and the Custer Gallatin National Forest have a long-

term partnership to restore streamside vegetation, stabilize stream-

banks, and improve river access in Gallatin Canyon. The first of these

projects at the Moose Creek Flat Campground, north of Big Sky, will

help minimize the effects of increasing river use. The Task Force suc-

cessfully stabilized 723 feet of streambank, completed 8,177 square

feet of floodplain plantings, developed 855 feet of trails, created 4,393

square feet of hardened structures for boat access, and installed 3 ed-

ucational interpretive signs about river ecology and minimizing human

impacts.

Big Sky Sustainable Watershed Stewardship Plan

The Stewardship Plan arose from the Big Sky Sustainable Water

Solutions Forum, a group of diverse watershed stakeholders working

collaboratively to identify and solve water resource issues in the Upper

Gallatin Watershed. The Stewardship Plan provides goals, priorities,

and actions to address community water resource issues that Forum

stakeholders identified through consensus. In 2019, the Task Force

established six working committees to implement priorities outlined in

the Stewardship Plan: ecological health, water supply, the Gallatin

Canyon, the Headwaters Fund, outreach, and Jack Creek.

Upper Gallatin Nutrients and Algae Assessment

In 2018, the Upper Gallatin experienced an unprecedented algae

bloom, likely caused by high water tempera-

tures combined with increased nitrogen and

phosphorus. To better understand the cause

of this large bloom and to prevent future

blooms, the Task Force is conducting an ex-

tensive assessment in 2019-2020 funded by

the Montana DEQ to better understand the

drivers of algae in the Upper Gallatin Water-

shed.

18

The Gallatin River Task Force, based in Big

Sky, MT, is driven by one simple ambition —

to make sure the Gallatin River flows with

clean, cold, abundant water, now and forev-

er. The Task Force’s story began in 2000

when a handful of community members were

concerned about a permit to release treated

wastewater into the Gallatin River as a solu-

tion to a growing Big Sky. Four years later, a

non-profit formed to continue water quality

monitoring of the Upper Gallatin River Water-

shed, which, along with the hard work of

many others, resulted in no wastewater being

released into the Gallatin. Since then, the Task

Force has continued to monitor water quali-

ty in the watershed, and in the process, has

established a valuable database on the health

of the Gallatin and the streams that nourish it.

This long-term data set is used to assess and

track long-term health of the river system, plan restoration projects,

provide critical information for water managers, and identify and mon-

itor unforeseen events.

Recent Task Force projects include restoring streamside vegetation

and stabilizing streambanks along the Big Sky Golf Course, initiating

and managing a water conservation program in the Big Sky Communi-

ty, assisting with watershed curriculum in schools, and recruiting vol-

unteers to help with river monitor-

ing, restoration projects, and a youth

fly-fishing camp, along with many

other projects.

The Upper Gallatin

Contact GRTF Kristin Gardner

(406) 993-2519 kristin@gallatinrivertaskforce.org

gallatinrivertaskforce.org

11

Oregon Creek Natural Water Storage

Extensive placer mining in Oregon

Creek left behind a straightened and

highly incised channel with homoge-

nous and inadequate fish habitat. The

floodplain was left with piles of placer

tailings, large conifers to the north, and

a perched floodplain to the south with

a remnant willow stand and dry channel beds. This project construct-

ed a new channel through 1,000 feet of the willow stand and created a

complex of stepped wetlands mimicking beaver dams to the north.

The channel will overtop and saturate the wetland surfaces through-

out the year except at base flow, accomplishing the project’s multiple

connectivity and habitat goals for fish, riparian vegetation, and hydrol-

ogy. The project is funded by Montana DEQ and is the showcase pro-

ject of BHWC’s grant with the Wildlife Conservation Society to demon-

strate innovations for natural water storage.

French Gulch Restoration

The first gold in the Big Hole was hit in French Gulch in 1864, lead-

ing to a half-century of extensive placer mining over 3 miles of the

drainage. To fix the degradation, BHWC removed 6-foot-tall piles of

tailings from the floodplain, re-established natural stream meanders,

and reconnected the floodplain and wetlands to reduce sedimentation

and jumpstart natural ecological recovery. BHWC and its project part-

ners planted 30,000 willow stakes and whips, removed 30,000 cubic

yards of mine tailings, added 1,800 linear feet to the stream channel,

and created over 17 acres of flood-

plain and wetlands. The project, a

testament to the power of partner-

ships, was completed ahead of

schedule and under budget in 2017

and counted on 9 funding sources at

a cost of $1.3 million.

12

The Beaverhead The landscape plays a critical

role in supporting the local economy,

people, and way of life in rural Bea-

verhead County. Formed by local

landowners and other stakeholders

in 2001 to repair and improve the

environment, the Beaverhead Wa-

tershed Committee (BWC) works on

projects including off-stream cattle

watering, fish habitat improvement,

stream and riparian restoration, and

wet meadow preservation. Its efforts

extend into the Centennial Valley.

The Beaverhead Watershed is

part of the High Divide region, an ar-

ea that acts as a wildlife migration

corridor between the Greater Yellow-

stone Ecosystem and the Crown of the Continent. It also contains the

headwaters of both the Missouri and Columbia rivers.

The Beaverhead’s community carries on many traditions of the

West. Cattle drives, horses, working dogs, and dirty boots are routine

sights, as the cattle industry serves as the foundation of the local econ-

omy. Farming accounts for 10 percent of the total employment and 14

percent of the total income in the county. The Beaverhead River sup-

ports a thriving recreation scene with multiple outfitting businesses

and is a blue-ribbon trout fishing stream known for producing trophy

brown trout. BWC strives to keep

these working lands working, area

rivers fishable, and soil and water

healthy and productive.

Contact BWC Jamie Cottom (406) 683-3802

beaverheadwatershed@gmail.com beaverheadwatershed.org

17

Ruby Habitat Foundation

The Ruby Habitat Foundation (RHF)

strives to balance agriculture and wild-

life, while providing managed public

access for both educational and recrea-

tional pursuits. Education plays a big role on the Woodson Ranch

where RHF is based, whether it be talking with visitors who are fishing,

birding, or hiking, or joining with local schools to bring kids to an out-

door classroom. RHF partners with RVCD and RWC on events like Kids’

River Resource Day and the Wildlife Speaker Series, as well as on

stream monitoring efforts. RHF has conducted multiple projects con-

cerning cattle grazing, as well as examining soil health and fertilizer

use. The restoration of Clear Creek, which flows through the ranch for

2 .8 of its 11 miles, is one of many projects on the ranch and aims to

improve water quality by reducing sediments and temperature, which

will, in turn, improve fisheries and wildlife habitat.

The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is

dedicated to creating a world where

people and nature can thrive.

Founded in 1951, the nonprofit has

advanced conservation efforts, focusing on climate change, land and

water protection, providing sustainable food and water, and building

healthy cities. In Montana, TNC has spent more than 40 years pro-

tecting and restoring the state's lands and waters, including in the Mis-

souri Headwaters and along the Ruby River. Across the Missouri River

Basin, TNC has worked with local watershed organizations to install

beaver mimicry structures, replant native streamside vegetation, up-

grade culverts, improve irrigation infrastructure, and improve natural

water storage by removing evergreen trees that were invading wet-

lands. With watershed groups and its other partners, TNC has con-

served more than 1 million acres across the state — “one acre for eve-

ry resident."

16

The Ruby Valley Conserva-

tion District (RVCD) and its

subcommittee, the Ruby Wa-

tershed Council (RWC), serve

the community of the Ruby Watershed in southwest

Montana. The Ruby River drains a 623,000-acre wa-

tershed that empties into the Beaverhead River

near Twin Bridges, MT. RVCD and RWC share the

mission of uniting conservation, agriculture, and

restoration; educating the public about watershed

health and protection; and protecting the Ruby Val-

ley landscape and preserving its heritage.

RVCD and RWC have been working to implement the Ruby River

Watershed Restoration Plan since 2015. This plan targets the land-

scape of the Southern Tobacco Root mountains for project work in or-

der to improve water quality, restore stream and floodplain function,

and secure native fish populations. Beginning in 2017, RVCD began

monitoring stream flow and temperatures in tributaries to the Ruby

River originating in the Southern Tobacco Roots. This monitoring net-

work has expanded to include 25 monitoring stations on 7 streams,

including some on the Ruby Habitat Foundation’s Woodson Ranch.

In addition to restoration and monitoring, RVCD has strong part-

nerships with organizations including the Ruby Habitat Foundation and

The Nature Conservancy, as well as the Ruby Valley Strategic Alliance,

the Upper Ruby Weed Management Cooperative, the Wildlife Conser-

vation Society, and state and federal agencies. Through these partner-

ships, RVCD and RWC provide education

and outreach, coordinate landscape-scale

stewardship projects, and increase aware-

ness of natural resource issues throughout

the watershed community.

The Ruby

Contact RVCD/RWC David Stout (406) 842-5741 david@rvcd.org

rvcd.org

13

Poindexter Slough Restoration Project

This unique, 4.7-mile-long wetland bordering Dillon provides the

community and visitors a rare opportunity to fish trout on a publicly

accessible, spring-fed creek. In addition, Poindexter Slough offers wa-

terfowl and big game hunting opportunities. And it’s all accessible

within a 4-minute drive out of town.

Historically, the slough was a major draw for locals and tourists,

contributing to the community and economy. Some anglers traveled to

the Beaverhead just to fish Poindexter. For more than a decade in the

early 2000s, however, the number of large fish there decreased as did

the number of users. People weren’t catching big brown trout and

weren’t seeing the insect hatches they once did. BWC sponsored a

project to address these issues, which included installing an upgraded

headgate at the Beaverhead River to provide better flow regulation

and allow fish passage, altering stream channel dimensions, creating

riffles and pools, and removing the accumulated sediment and replac-

ing it with gravel for improved flow and fish habitat. BWC; Montana

Fish, Wildlife & Parks;

Confluence Consulting;

and the Dillon Canal

Company developed a

management plan that

allows occasional

“flushing flows” through

the slough to mimic

spring runoff and clear

accumulated sediment

from the gravel beds in

the channel.

BWC successfully raised more than $1 million, restored 4.73

stream miles (including riparian and instream spawning habitat), and

facilitated the return of large fish and insect hatches to the slough.

BWC completed the project in the spring of 2018.

14

The Centennial Valley, in the Red Rock Wa-

tershed, is one of the few undeveloped land-

scapes in the Upper Missouri and is home to

iconic wildlife species including wolves, grizzly

bears, elk, moose, sage-grouse, and Arctic gray-

ling, all of which use the valley as a

vital migration corridor from the

Greater Yellowstone to protected

landscapes in Idaho and the Crown

of the Continent. The Centennial is

also a productive, working land-

scape that has been ranched by multi-generational families for over

one hundred years and is summer range for over 12,000 cattle. One-

third of the landscape is private land, owned by families who share the

same goal: to conserve the integrity of the land that benefits both

ranching and wildlife. Landowners are stewards of this landscape and

are the reason why much of it still looks like it did a century ago.

The Centennial Valley Association (CVA) formed in 2007 to pre-

serve traditional ranching as a way of life in the valley and to maintain

quality open space, wildlife habitat, water quality ,and wildlife migra-

tion corridors as they exist today for future generations. CVA creates

opportunities and rallies landowners, agencies, and community mem-

bers to unite and support agriculture and conservation by providing a

community forum to successfully establish change in the valley. Along

with its many partners, CVA has made collaborative, community-based

approaches to support invasive weed management, conflict reduction,

drought awareness, edu-

cation and outreach pro-

grams, and community

and visitor safety.

Contact CVA Kara Maplethorpe

(715) 681-0795 communityorg@centennialvalleyassociation.org

centennialvalleyassociation.org

The Centennial Valley

15

Range Rider Program

To preserve the ecological, functional, and traditional values of the

Centennial Valley, amidst the increasing presence of predators on the

landscape, CVA initiated the Range Rider program in 2014. Currently,

six ranches and about 8,000 cattle participate in the program. The pro-

gram’s main goal is to reduce the number of unconfirmed cattle losses

in the Centennial Valley by increasing human presence, reducing pred-

ator attractants on the landscape, identifying landscape hazards that

could create attractants, and monitoring the presence of predators

and understanding how they use the landscape spatially and temporal-

ly. In cases of depredation, or sus-

pected depredation, Range Riders

assist ranchers in taking the ap-

propriate actions. The program is

critical for sustainable, traditional

ranching and large predators

thriving together on a shared land-

scape.

Invasive Species Management Program

The Centennial Valley has a mosaic of healthy, native plant com-

munities and relatively few invasive weeds established on the land-

scape due to years of community efforts. The Invasive Species Man-

agement Program follows the Early Detection, Rapid Response (EDRR)

model, which increases the likelihood that invasive species popula-

tions will be discovered, contained, and eradicated; slows the range of

expansion; and decreases the need for costly long-term control efforts.

CVA coordinates and leads the EDRR practices in a collaborative effort

with The Nature Conservancy, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Ref-

uge, Bureau of Land Management, Beaverhead County, Taft-Nicholson

Center, Forest Service, DNRC, and dedicated landowners. Together,

they work to map weed locations on public lands, organize and assist

in “Spray Days” and “Weed Weeks,” and educate the public on inva-

sive species.

Sarah Malarik, CVA