Sager Lane Pin & Plank Diversion Removal Restoring Flow and Fish Passage at Sager Lane In September 2024, we began work to remove a century-old “pin and plank” irrigation… Stream Restoration Water Management Adequate Flow Ecosystem Health Vulnerable Wildlife Recreation Upper Clark Fork
Dry Cottonwood Creek Ranch Cattle and Clean Water at Dry Cottonwood Creek Ranch From 2005 to 2021, Clark Fork Coalition and partners ran Dry Cottonwood Creek Ranch (DCCR), a 2,300-acre working cattle ranch in Montana’s Deer Lodge Valley, to be a living classroom for the largest river repair job in the West, located in… Stream Restoration Superfund Vigilance Water Management Research Education Pollution Ecosystem Health Upper Clark Fork
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… Stream Restoration Water Management Wildlife Coexistence Adequate Flow Ecosystem Health Vulnerable Wildlife Upper Clark Fork
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… Stream Restoration Water Management Adequate Flow Climate Change Ecosystem Health Vulnerable Wildlife Recreation Upper Clark Fork
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… Stream Restoration Water Management Adequate Flow Ecosystem Health Upper Clark Fork
Community Science Monitoring Miller Creek On Miller Creek, community science volunteers assessed habitat, noxious weeds, and riparian vegetation species diversity pre- and post stream restoration at two sites. Community science is scientific work undertaken by members of the public in collaboration with professional scientists and scientific institutions. When community members and scientists work together, scientists are… Community Programs Stream Restoration Ecosystem Health Vulnerable Wildlife Growth and Sprawl Bitterroot
Grant Creek Restoration Grant Creek Watershed Restoration Plan As part of our 2024 efforts, we conducted two demonstration shoreline plantings at the Highlander Brewing and Hilton Hotel, showcasing best practices for riparian restoration. The Clark Fork Coalition, with assistance from the Missoula Conservation District and River Design Group, developed… Advocacy Stream Restoration Water Monitoring Adequate Flow Ecosystem Health Growth and Sprawl Middle Clark Fork
West Fork Lee Creek Road Decommissioning and Fish Passage Stream Restoration Wildlife Coexistence Pollution Climate Change Flood and Drought Ecosystem Health Vulnerable Wildlife Bitterroot
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… Stream Restoration Wildlife Coexistence Pollution Adequate Flow Climate Change Flood and Drought Vulnerable Wildlife Bitterroot
East Fork Lolo Creek Restoration On the East Fork Lolo Creek, we installed wood jams into the stream to create complex aquatic habitat and help filter and trap sediment. We also re-naturalized unused forest roads to decrease sources of sediment washing into the stream. Clark Fork Coalition has worked in the Upper Lolo watershed since… Wildlife Coexistence Stream Restoration Pollution Climate Change Ecosystem Health Vulnerable Wildlife Flood and Drought Bitterroot
Lolo Ditch Fish Screen In 2020, CFC completed installation of a fish screen on Lolo Ditch, which, before this project, had trapped 10,000 fish each year, greatly impacting native and wild fish populations. Stream Restoration Wildlife Coexistence Ecosystem Health Vulnerable Wildlife Bitterroot
Milltown Dam Removal For 100 years, Milltown Dam blocked the confluence of the Clark Fork and Blackfoot rivers near Missoula, trapping toxic sediments that washed down from mines in Butte and contaminating local drinking water wells. Now, the dam is out, the mining waste is gone, fish can swim back upstream, and two mighty… Advocacy Stream Restoration Superfund Vigilance Ecosystem Health Recreation Flood and Drought Pollution Bitterroot Middle Clark Fork
