Arrowstone Park
Background Arrowstone Park, located in the Upper Clark Fork River sub-basin in Deer Lodge, MT, was…
Our Work
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Columbia Gold Mine Exploration ProjectBackground With prices of gold at an all-time high, many mining projects that were previously shelved are receiving renewed interest. This includes a potential gold mine project that could present a very real threat to the Blackfoot… -
Sheep Creek Mine ProposalBackground We’ve been tracking the proposed Sheep Creek Mine project – located in the headwaters of the West Fork of the Bitterroot River — since its inception, and we were among the roughly 500 concerned citizens and conservation groups that joined an emergency hearing in front of the Ravalli County Commissioners in… -
Exempt WellsBackground In 1973, the Montana Legislature passed the Water Use Act, which created a process for permitting new water rights. To reduce permitting burdens on small, individual users, it exempted groundwater use for “domestic, agricultural, or livestock purposes.” This meant applicants did not have to prove that the water… -
Sager Lane Pin & Plank Diversion RemovalRestoring Flow and Fish Passage at Sager Lane In September 2024, we began work to remove a century-old “pin and plank” irrigation… -
Cottonwood-Baggs Fish PassageIn 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… -
Valiton Ditch Split Season LeaseIn summer 2024, after years of work toward a diversion reduction agreement and a 20-year split-season water lease agreement with local landowners, we successfully decommissioned the Valiton Ditch and legally protected 13 cfs of new instream flow water in the Clark Fork River which would have been previously diverted… -
Broken Circle Diversion UpgradeHistorically, 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… -
Helen-Johnson Ditch ProjectThe Helen Johnson project reduced irrigation withdrawals from the mainstem of the Upper Clark Fork by over 15 cfs on three ranches. It removed a… -
River AmbassadorsDuring 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… -
Cleaning up the Smurfit-Stone Mill Site near Frenchtown, MTThe 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… -
Stonewall CreekWe 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.