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Future Fisheries Grant Environmental Assessments (Summer 2022) - Big Horn River and North Boulder River

Oct 11, 2022 1:00 AM

Michelle McGree

Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking public comment on two Future Fisheries projects, Bighorn River Side Channel Reactivation (Big Horn County) and North Boulder Fish Passage (Jefferson County). The two draft Environmental Assessment documents can be found below. The Program tentatively plans to provide partial funding for these projects, which are intended to improve fish habitat in the Bighorn and North Boulder Rivers. Comments will be accepted until 11:59PM, November 11th, 2022.

Project Summaries

  1. The Bighorn River (Bighorn County) is one of Montana’s premier trout fisheries. The river supports populations of warmwater species (longnose and white suckers, longnose dace, channel catfish) but trout are the focus of this project (brown trout, rainbow trout). The Bighorn was dammed in 1966 (Yellowtail Dam built at Fort Smith), which affected sediment transport and reduced side channel habitat due to sediment deposition at channel heads and vegetative encroachment. This project would build on a pilot side channel reconnection project by completing 12 side channel reconnections with the intention of achieving stream function at the lower flows produced by the dam. Habitat complexity would also be improved in areas with oversimplified bedform features. The goals are to improve stream and ecological function, enhance habitat, and increase angling opportunities by improving trout populations.
  2. The North Boulder River (Jefferson County) is a tributary to the Boulder River, near Whitehall. It contains brown trout, rainbow trout, mountain whitefish, and other species including sculpin and crayfish. In the project area, three irrigation diversions entrain fish and one diversion restricts seasonal fish movement. This project would focus on the removal of the diversion restricting fish passage (Shaw Diversion) and the restoration of the project site. Other, related projects would address the remaining diversions and water rights. The goal is to attain unobstructed movement for aquatic organisms in the North Boulder River and to improve natural stream function. This is expected to translate to improved brown trout populations.

Related documents

Public comment opportunity

Deadline: Comments are due by 11:59 PM on Friday, November 11, 2022.

Comment to:

Email: FWPFFIP@mt.gov 
     [or]
Mail: Fisheries Division, Habitat Bureau
          Attn: Michelle McGree
          1420 E Sixth Ave, P.O. Box 200701
          Helena, MT 59620

Questions?

Contact Michelle McGree at 406-444-2432 or FWPFFIP@mt.gov 

For program information, visit the Future Fisheries Improvement Program website: https://fwp.mt.gov/ffip