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Springtime in Montana has arrived and even though it’s been a cold start, the building snowpack is a positive outcome. Hoping our rivers and streams hold up well this summer! Big Blackfoot Chapter of Trout Unlimited is gearing up for another busy season working on projects that create colder, cleaner and more connected habitat for trout populations throughout the Blackfoot River watershed. Working in collaboration with our many partners, we have several projects planned and ready to go for 2022. Since 2009, our restoration team has teamed up w...
5 in the Blackfoot River Valley proved to be another busy and productive project season collaborating with our many state, federal and private partners. This year we focused in the upper Blackfoot watershed near Lincoln on an important native trout stream-Poorman Creek. This high priority stream supports westslope cutthroat trout and bull trout and has strong potential to support spawning which will in turn provide more recruitment of trout to the upper Blackfoot River. We implemented two...
With spring in the air, it's time to dust off our field gear (or maybe thaw out is more appropriate) and get ready for another productive season working with landowners and our restoration partners implementing projects across the Blackfoot River watershed. In 2020, we installed a new fish screen near Placid Lake, restored over 7,000 feet of Nevada Creek upstream of the reservoir near Helmville and teamed up with the US Forest Service on several projects benefiting Morrell Creek and Cottonwood...
As we head into fall, it’s a time of reflection on this past year and all that was accomplished on numerous projects with our strong group of partners. As spring arrived, we had many questions as to how our field season would unfold with COVID restrictions. As it turns out it was one of our most productive years to date thanks in large part to the network of partnerships working together on these important projects. Project season began in April up in Lincoln with work on a spring creek tributary to the upper Blackfoot. We restored over 2...
The Big Blackfoot Chapter of Trout Unlimited, in collaboration with many different private landowners, agencies and other non-profits, has been working over the past 30 years restoring habitat for trout populations across the Blackfoot and Clearwater watersheds. Trout that live in Montana's rivers and streams rely on cold, clean water with plenty of open miles to swim long distances and ample hiding spaces in deep pools full of wood, root systems and overhanging trees. We are proud to work on...
How many of you have enjoyed a concert on the banks of the Blackfoot River at the Kettlehouse Amphitheater? Did you know that every time you buy a ticket, a portion of those funds go directly to our efforts to restore the many tributaries-and ultimately trout populations, within the Blackfoot River watershed? Our partnership with the concert promoter tied with this venue--Logjam Presents, and their initiative called the Blackfoot River Fund, allowed us the opportunity to expand our efforts and...
Native westslope cutthroat and bull trout come to the Copper Creek tributary of the Blackfoot River for the cold, clean water. Copper Creek is especially attractive to spawning trout because groundwater wells up into the stream through gravel beds in many places. This groundwater permeates trout spawning nests (redds) and keeps their incubating eggs well oxygenated and free of silt. The great trout habitat in Copper Creek is probably why a westslope cutthroat wearing a Montana Fish, Wildlife...
The North Fork Blackfoot River is an iconic Montana River. Flowing through the heart of the Blackfoot Watershed, the North Fork is a stronghold for native bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout owing to its crystal clear and ice-cold waters. Even if you don't cast a fly, you will find yourself mesmerized by the kaleidoscope of river rock framing the river bed. This river is not only important to trout, it is also very important to the landowners living nearby, many of whom are sixth generation...
This past spring, a teacher from Helmville School contacted us asking about an irrigation ditch behind the school that had some trout swimming in it. The kids were excited about "rescuing" the fish and putting them back in the river and she wondered if I knew anything about this particular ditch. After doing a little research, it turns out that this ditch was one we were already working with the landowners on with plans for a fish screen to be installed in the fall. Over the past 31 years,...
In the spring of the year when rivers are running high and muddy, it might surprise you to learn that's also the time when westslope cutthroat trout start to move upstream-some migrating over 90 miles to get where they need to spawn! In the Blackfoot Watershed, we have two different species of native trout, westslope cutthroat trout and bull trout. Making sure these fish can navigate through those many miles is one focus of Big Blackfoot Chapter of Trout Unlimited. What are some of the...
After the smoke cleared and before the snow arrived, the Blackfoot Restoration team was able to install a new fish screen in the Blackfoot valley, bringing the total to 32 screens. The new screen is located near Lincoln on an irrigation diversion off the Blackfoot River. The diversion has been in use for decades supplying water to hay fields. However, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks also discovered that the ditch used to irrigate was also full of native trout. This ditch is located in a very...
This year marks Big Blackfoot Chapter of Trout Unlimited's (BBCTU) 30th Anniversary. It's hard to believe it was back in 1987 when BBCTU held their first meeting initiated by a group of thoughtful landowners who were concerned about the state of the Blackfoot River. They had noticed a major decline in the fishery and for those of you familiar with the amount of focus this watershed receives these days, you may find it hard to believe that during those years, no biologists were out collecting...
