Our Work

Filter

Anglers

Sub-Basin

What We Do

Challenge

Stakeholder

Status

Cottonwood-Baggs Fish Passage

In the late fall of 2019, the Coalition finished a stream reconnection project on Baggs Creek and Cottonwood Creek in the upper Clark Fork. Eight miles of stream was opened to fish passage for the first time in many decades. Cottonwood Creek also benefited from a large fish screen project…
Valiton Ditch Split Season Lease

Three landowners are working with us to reduce late season water use on the mainstem Clark Fork. They lease CFC their water right from mid-July through August and cease irrigation if flows reach low levels. We also improved a diversion to help fish passage. This project strikes a balance between…
Broken Circle Diversion Upgrade

Historically, Broken Circle Ranch rebuilt their irrigation diversion every summer using broken concrete and streambed material, which resulted in passage issues for fish and recreationists. In 2023, the ranch worked with the Coalition to install an innovative floating fish screen and river pump that requires minimal structure in the river…
Helen-Johnson Ditch Project

The Helen Johnson project reduced irrigation withdrawals from the mainstem of the Upper Clark Fork by over 15 cfs on three ranches. It removed a fish barrier and eliminated entrainment issues. The project replaced a portion of the ditch on the Lampert Ranch with a 2-mile stock water pipeline that…
River Ambassadors

During the summer, Missoula River Ambassadors can be spotted at busy river access sites and community events, on popular day-float stretches, and immersed in conservation and restoration projects dotting Missoula’s urban river corridor. This team of community ambassadors guides the ever-growing river-recreation culture toward stewardship. During peak river season from…
Clean Smurfit Now

The Smurfit-Stone pulp mill operated on the banks of the Clark Fork River near Frenchtown from 1957 to 2010, discharging enormous amounts of wastewater into the river. More than a decade after the mill closed, the 3,200-acre industrial site is still leaching harmful chemicals into the river and our aquifer.
Stonewall Creek

We permanently acquired 5 cfs of water rights that reconnect Stonewall Creek to the Blackfoot River year round. The creek supports native westslope cutthroat and brown trout.
Keep Cool Creek

We permanently acquired 5 cfs of water rights that reconnect Keep Cool Creek to the Blackfoot River year round.
West Fork Lee Creek Road Decommissioning and Fish Passage
Granite Creek Restoration

To improve fish passage and reduce chronic stream sedimentation, we upgraded eight undersized culverts along Granite Creek Road. We also installed wood jams in the creek and reclaimed more than ten miles of unneeded forest roads. These projects decrease sedimentation, improve habitat connectivity, and increase the number of fish living…
Lost Horse Creek Monitoring

Gives us data on flow and temperature. We use flow data to determine when to close irrigation ditches and save water for stream function.