The big blackfoot chapter of trout unlimited (bbctu) and the montana partners for fish and wildlife program, in partnership with montana fish, wildlife and parks (mtfwp) and several private…

This Cooperative Agreement award from the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service under the National Fish Passage program (CFDA 15.685) provides $600,000 in funding to the Big Blackfoot Chapter of Trout Unlimited (BBCTU) and its partners to restore habitat for sensitive fish species in Montana's Blackfoot River watershed. Key project activities include removing one aging agricultural dam, replacing two culverts with aquatic organism passage structures, and eliminating fish entrainment at five agricultural diversions. These actions will open or improve passage through over 55 miles of rivers and streams, benefiting bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout. The project will also contribute to local watershed restoration efforts and support economic development and community resilience. Sub-projects under this Cooperative Agreement include the Clearwater Dam removal, Poorman Creek culvert removal, and Cottonwood Creek fish passage assessment and restoration in western Montana.

The big blackfoot chapter of trout unlimited (bbctu) and the montana partners for fish and wildlife program, in partnership with montana fish, wildlife and parks (mtfwp) and several private landowners, are working to restore habitat for sensitive fish species in the blackfoot river watershed in western, MT. This project will remove one aging agricultural DAM, replace two culverts with structures meeting aquatic organism passage (AOP) guidelines, and eliminate fish entrainment at five agricultural diversions. Collectively, these project actions will open or improve passage through more than 55 miles of rivers and streams in western, MT and will benefit bull trout (salvelinus confluentus) and westslope cutthroat trout (oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi). In addition to enhancing the species resilience to the impacts of climate change, these activities will contribute significantly to local watershed restoration efforts and will support local economic development and community resilience. Sub-projects under this cooperative agreement include the clearwater DAM removal (clearwater, MT), the poorman creek culvert removal 2 (stemple pass RD, lincoln, MT), and the cottonwood creek fish passage assessment and restoration projects (helmville, MT).