The Big Hole Partnership recently received an award from the American Fisheries Society (AFS) Western Division for excellence in watershed restoration for Arctic grayling on private lands. The Riparian Challenge Award was presented at the AFS Western Division meeting in Portland, Oregon, on May 7.
The Big Hole Partnership is a group of private landowners, non-governmental organizations, and state and federal agencies working on Arctic grayling recovery and restoration in the Big Hole Valley in southwest Montana.
Montana’s Big Hole River Arctic grayling represent the only fluvial (river dwelling) grayling population in the contiguous U.S. In Montana, fluvial grayling were formerly widely distributed in the Missouri River upstream from Great Falls and its major tributaries. Today, the fish are confined to the Big Hole River, encompassing less than 5 % of the historic distribution.
In 2006, a Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances (CCAA) program was established in the Big Hole Valley through which private landowners sign voluntary agreements that implement proactive land and water conservation measures to protect Arctic grayling. Under the program, the agencies develop site-specific plans with individual landowners incorporating conservation measures to improve streamflows, restore riparian areas, enhance grayling habitat and fish passage, and reduce the number of grayling in irrigation ditches.
This award recognizes the efforts of the private landowners, non-governmental organizations, and state and federal agencies working cooperatively on the CCAA program.
The AFS Western Division seeks candidates annually for its Riparian Challenge Award. The purpose of the award is three-fold:
Ø Encourage agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private industry to to strive for excellence in riparian and watershed habitat management;
Ø Encourage agencies to progress in on-the-ground accomplishments, which when added together throughout the West, will significantly improve riparian systems;
Ø Recognize managers and resource specialists for their efforts in maintaining, restoring, and improving riparian and watershed ecosystems.
Members of the Big Hole Partnership include dozens of private landowners, state and federal agencies (Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Montana Department of Resources and Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service), and non-government conservation organizations (Arctic Grayling Recovery Program, The Nature Conservancy, Trout Unlimited, Big Hole Watershed Committee, Avian Science Center, and Big Hole River Foundation).
For more information about Big Hole River Arctic grayling recovery and the CCAA program, visit http://fwp.mt.gov/wildthings/concern/grayling.html .
Recent News
