My friend Jeremiah fought the bull trout for a minute or so. It sulked in a deep hole before the hook pulled out, leaving the green giant to digest its meal in peace.

This behemoth still swims in the Big Blackfoot River system today. The bull trout is a threatened species that has been eradicated from much of its historic range. Degradation of water and habitat quality and persecution by anglers were significant factors in their decline.

The Big Blackfoot is a river loved by many, but abused by a few. Mining and other detrimental activities have degraded the river. Fortunately, the river’s many friends banded together and a poster child restoration effort commenced in the 1970s.

By time “the movie” shoved this valley into the national spotlight, the Big Blackfoot Chapter of TU and the Blackfoot Challenge, a local watershed group, had become crucial players in the restoration effort.

The Big Blackfoot Chapter is all business. They don’t have guest speakers at their meetings, they don’t host fishing trips, and they won’t teach you how to tie flies.

They are all about getting stuff done on the ground. This field season alone they are completing 8 miles of major channel work on 3 streams, installing 4 fish screens at irrigation draws, implementing 5 grazing management plans, replacing 3 culverts with bridges, and planting thousands of willows… not to mention a handful of smaller efforts and maintenance on previously completed projects.

The chapter operates with an average annual budget of $1/2 million, largely achieved through government grants. Last year, they invested a whopping $1.3 million into on-the-ground restoration work. The numbers are staggering for a TU chapter, particularly one in a rural valley.

How do they do it?

The Big Blackfoot Chapter is run by some of the brightest conservation minds in the state. It just so happens that these folks are also from the valley. They have an intimate knowledge of the land coupled with a deep commitment to conserve the place.

There is a natural and social heritage here that transcends each individual and the chapter as a whole. The active members of the Big Blackfoot Chapter have devoted a large portion for their lives to protecting this heritage.

The Big Blackfoot River is fed by runoff from one of the largest wilderness conglomerates in the lower 48 and by numerous spring creeks on the valley floor. These pristine water sources are the foundation of the river’s ecosystem, but they are also highly sensitive to disturbance.

We have learned a lot in recent decades about how to manage our lands for the benefit of our rivers. In-stream restoration work, fencing cattle off the riparian corridor, and other simple measures can go a long way.

The Big Blackfoot Chapter and the Blackfoot Challenge work with landowners to restore the valley’s spring creeks and the lower reaches of the freestone streams.

Many of the ranches in the valley have been held in the same family for generations. These landowners tend to respect the land and are willing to do their part to restore the river.

Some of the founding members of the Big Blackfoot Chapter are local ranchers and they understand the importance of working with their neighbors.

By partnering with landowners, the Big Blackfoot Chapter is able to restore the river’s tributaries, improving water quality in the mainstem as well as creating spawning and rearing habitat. Trout in the big river also rely on the cool tributaries during periods of drought.

An underlying philosophy of the chapter’s work is that if you restore the habitat to near pristine condition, the native bull and cutthroat trout will have a better chance to out-compete non-native species.

The chapter took their work to the next level when they hired a full-time employee in the spring of 2005. Not only that, but they hired one with the full palette of skills and the drive necessary to exceed all expectations.

Her name is Ryen Aasheim. A Helena native with a Master’s in fisheries biology from Montana State University, Ryen worked in the valley for a few years before signing on with the Big Blackfoot Chapter. Ryen is happy working for the chapter.

“It is a progressive environment and we can get so much done,” she shared.

The chapter is equally excited that Ryen is getting it done.

Each of these projects requires extensive technical planning, grant writing and fundraising, the actual on-the-ground work, and then follow-up and monitoring. Having a highly-competent, full-time project manager has enabled the chapter to take on projects at an unparalleled rate.

Ryen took me to two of this summer’s project sites.

At Jacobsen Spring Creek, they completed almost 3 miles of in-stream work, narrowing the channel from a flat and shallow 55 feet to a slim and chiseled 6 feet. The narrower channel will offer much improved trout habitat as well as lower water temperatures. Fences will keep cattle off the banks while an off-stream water source will provide for the stock. Volunteers also planted 1500 willows and native grasses.

Since the work, much of the silty muck that filled the creek has been flushed out, exposing fish-friendly gravels. The gravel in the valley is the prettiest I’ve seen. I suspect it is copper and other metals that give the rocks their teal and rose hues.
See the photos HERE.

The work on Hoyt Creek began hours before my visit. As you read this, the chapter is cutting over 2 miles of entirely new stream channel. The old channel is in a deep trough that isolates the stream from its floodplain.

By re-routing the water of this little spring creek, the chapter will re-unite the stream with the floodplain, allowing more water to soak into the ground during high flows. If all goes according to plan, this will raise the water table, improving water quality in the stream and making the water more accessible for irrigation. The old channel is being converted into 300+ acres of wetland.

This project is typical of most Big Blackfoot Chapter efforts that benefit both the trout and the ranchers. By cooperating, everyone wins.

There are a lot of parties cooperating on the Hoyt Creek project. In addition to the landowner and the chapter, Blackfoot Challenge, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), US Fish and Wildlife Service, and Department of Environmental Quality are integral partners in this effort.

Elsewhere in the valley, the chapter works closely with the Nature Conservancy and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP).

Volunteer labor is a crucial component of all the Big Blackfoot Chapter’s projects. The donated time allows the chapter to stretch their budget. And yes, these TUers take on so much work that they need to stretch digits followed by Ks and Ms.

National TU employees based in Missoula and Bozeman work with the local conservation circle on state-level water issues. Through the Montana Water Project, TU has secured water rights for in-stream flows. Keeping the stream wet is the first step in trout conservation!

On one tributary, national and local TUers worked with NRCS and FWP to upgrade the efficiency of a landowner’s irrigation system. By installing state-of-the-art technology, the irrigator is saving electricity and money and the trout are benefiting from augmented stream flow.

Trout Unlimited, FWP, the Big Blackfoot Chapter, and the Blackfoot Challenge also collaborated with irrigators on the North Fork of the Blackfoot to reduce irrigation withdrawals in early fall, greatly assisting the fish during their arduous spawning migration.

The North Fork is one of my favorite angling destinations. A well-marked Forest Service trailhead is the gateway to unlimited fishing opportunities in a wilderness setting. The free rising westslope cutthroat trout, including specimens in the 14-17” range, offer great sport. The angler can also expect nearly daily encounters with green giants.

I only had a couple hours on this particular trip, so I walked the river near the parking area, looking for big bulls to photograph. I found one cleaning a spawning redd out of that beautiful Blackfoot gravel.

With a camera instead of a rod, I enjoyed the trout’s presence.

Click HERE to see the photos.

YOU can help the Big Blackfoot Chapter without picking up a shovel or muddying your boots. Buy one of the chapter’s fine art posters! The print, entitled “The Big Blackfoot River, Autumn at Cottonwood Creek,” is the work of Monte Dolack. It will look great over your tying bench and 100% of the proceeds go to the Big Blackfoot Chapter’s on-the-ground work. Government grants often require matching funds, so this revenue is crucial to the chapter’s success. PLEASE CLICK HERE

Further Reading:

Blackfoot Challenge
TU’s Montana Water Project
Montana TU
Article by NRCS