The Blackfoot Challenge is a grass
roots group organized to coordinate efforts that will enhance,
conserve and protect the natural resources and rural lifestyle
of the Blackfoot River Valley for present and future generations.
The group, which has no formal membership, is comprised of
numerous private landowners, federal and state agency representatives,
local government officials and several corporate landowners.
The Challenge supports environmentally responsible resource
stewardship through the cooperation of public and private
interests. Some of the Blackfoot Challenge's accomplishments
include:
- Removing barriers to over 300 miles of fish passage.
- Restoring 32 miles of stream habitat, 51 miles of riparian
habitat, 2100 acres of wetlands and 2300 acres of native
grasslands.
- Obtaining perpetual conservation easements on 54,500
acres.
- Installing 13 self-cleaning fish screens on irrigation
ditches.
The Big Blackfoot Chapter of Trout Unlimited is one of the partners in the Blackfoot Challenge. The chapter
developed a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service through the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program
to work on restoration of the Blackfoot's fishery. The Chapter's
first project was a two year inventory and status report of
fisheries in the Blackfoot River watershed (completed in 1989).
This effort focused on surveying mainstem trout populations,
sampling juvenile trout populations in tributaries, and establishing
monitoring sites in 19 tributaries. From 1990 to 1998, additional
fishery inventories were completed in 33 tributaries to the
Blackfoot River. These assessments identified significant
degradation in 43 of the 52 tributaries. Habitat degradation
on private lands was identified as a the primary factor impacting
the fishery. Populations of trout in all sampled reaches of
the Blackfoot River were below expected levels; numbers of
native bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout were alarmingly
low. Because of these findings, the legal harvest of bull
trout and cutthroat trout was restricted to catch-and-release
regulations in March of 1990. In 1990 tributary streams were
prioritized for restoration based on their importance to native
trout and potential contributions to the mainstem of the Blackfoot
River. On the- ground restoration projects began in 1990 focusing
on correcting obvious fishery impacts. The five main tools
used for restoration were: instream habitat restoration, improving
stream flows, addressing fish passage problems, irrigation
ditch screening, and riparian grazing management. All projects
were accomplished through "cooperative solutions"
between private landowners and the restoration team composed
of biologists, hydrologists, and range conservationists. |
The success of the Big Spring
Watershed Partnership is due in large part to the efforts
of 47 landowners along Big Spring, East Fork of Big Spring,
Casino, Big Casino, Hanson, Castle, Beaver, Cottonwood and
Pike creeks. The partnership has completed phase two of a
water quality restoration project. The three major project
accomplishments are:
Improved Upland and Riparian Management: Twenty-one landowners improved riparian vegetation by
implementing grazing management plans and installing 15 miles
of riparian and cross fencing. Twenty landowners developed
34 off-stream water sources for livestock. Twenty-nine landowners
restored eroding banks on about 7,000 feet of stream. Fortyseven
landowners protected 23,840 upland acres by implementing resource
management plans.
Information and Education: Lewistown area
residents were informed of the progress of the project through
tours and displays, outdoor classrooms and workshops, a Brewery
Flats video, and a 28-page watershed book. The students at
Lewistown Junior High are actively involved in resource inventory
and ongoing water quality monitoring.
Spin-off Projects: The success of the Big Spring project
encouraged the formation of other watershed groups on Flatwillow,
Warm Springs, and Two Calf creeks. In addition, the school
children prompted an investigation looking for the source
of PCB contamination in the large fish in Big Spring Creek.
Fergus County Conservation District took an active role in
organizing the partnership and serves as the fiscal and administrative
agent for the group. Other cooperating agencies include the
Natural Resource Conservation Service, Fergus County Commission,
Lewistown City Council, Montana Department of Transportation,
and Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. The project
was partially funded by the Department of Environmental Quality's
319 Grant Program. The grant money was matched by financial
and in-kind contributions from participating landowners and
cooperating agencies.
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The Upper Shields Watershed Association was organized in 1997. The association identified streambank
instability, water quality, weeds, irrigation efficiencies,
dewatering and endangered/threatened species as major resource
concerns. The new group soon developed and began to implement
a Watershed Management Plan. Three off-stream livestock watering
systems have been completed, reducing the impact of 900 cattle.
Four more systems are scheduled to be completed this summer.
Two bank stabilization projects are also in progress.
The association completed a weed map and has sprayed several
hundred acres for Spotted Knapweed and Leafy Spurge.
NRCS and DNRC are helping the group evaluate irrigation
system efficiencies. One of the goals of the group is to assure
adequate water for both irrigation and fish. The association
sponsored irrigation water management workshops in 2000 and
2001.
The Upper Shields Watershed Association is governed
by an executive committee comprised of the chairman, vice-chairman,
coordinator, assistant coordinator and the chairs of the various
committees. The association formed a technical advisory committee
comprised of representatives of Park Conservation District,
Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Department
of Natural Resources and Conservation, Montana State University,
U.S. Forest Service and Park County Cooperative Extension
Service.
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Updated:
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
