French creek arctic grayling and WCT connectivity project- this project will open 7.5 miles of stream habitat for arctic grayling and WCT by removing or replacing four culverts in the french creek…

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service awarded a $300,000 Cooperative Agreement under the National Fish Passage Program (CFDA 15.685) to The Centennial Valley Association Inc., a non-profit organization in Montana. The purpose of the grant is to open 7.5 miles of stream habitat for Arctic grayling and westslope cutthroat trout by removing or replacing four culverts in the French Creek drainage. The project will also restore connectivity between Smith Springs and the North Fork of the Big Hole River for native Arctic grayling through the installation of an irrigation siphon, channel reconstruction, and an aquatic organism passage structure. These efforts are part of a broader initiative to restore native fish populations and habitat connectivity in the Big Hole watershed. Project partners include Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and Trout Unlimited. The period of performance for this award is from Oct 1, 2023 to Sep 30, 2026.

French creek arctic grayling and WCT connectivity project- this project will open 7.5 miles of stream habitat for arctic grayling and WCT by removing or replacing four culverts in the french creek drainage, in SW montana. The entire french creek drainage in the big hole watershed is being restored for native species including arctic grayling and WCT. Tributaries that are connected to french creek including little california, six-mile creek, and julius gulch are not accessible to fish because of four perched or non-functioning culverts. This project will remove two culverts and build a series of steps pools that provide fish passage and replace two culverts with structures meeting AOP guidelines. Downstream of the project location, MTFWP installed a barrier and completed a non-native fish removal in 2020 and 2021. Arctic grayling and WCT reintroductions were initiated in 2022 and will continue in 2023 and 2024. Once restored, the french creek populations will represent the second largest interconnected population of WCT in the upper missouri river drainage and the only population of fluvial arctic grayling that exist in the absence of non-native species. Project partners: big hole watershed committee, montana fish, wildlife parks (MTFWP), george grant trout unlimited. Smith springs arctic grayling reconnect project this project will restore connectivity between smith springs and the north fork of the big hole river for native arctic grayling by installing a siphon to transport irrigation water under smith springs, rebuilding a connecting channel, and installing an AOP structure at a road crossing. Currently, smith springs flows into an irrigation canal which limits fish movement and migrations into the larger north fork river. When smith springs is reconnected, arctic grayling will be able to move from the north fork of the big hole into smith springs to spawn and rear, then move back to the larger system for summer and winter habitats as larger, older fish. This project includes an AOP designed culvert crossing replacement at upper north fork road, an irrigation siphon to pass the irrigation ditch under smith springs, reconstruction of 2,500-FT of channel connecting smith sage springs from the north fork big hole channel to a new culvert crossing outlet, and reconstruction of 1,200-FT of irrigation channel bank. Project partners: big hole watershed committee, montana fish, wildlife parks (MTFWP), george grant trout unlimited.