DECISION NOTICE Belcher Private Pond License Review FWP-DN-FSH-R3-24-025

May 31, 2024 5:34 PM

A private landowner is applying for a Private Fish Pond License and proposes to stock Rainbow Trout in an unnamed private pond. Rainbow Trout are not native the East Gallatin drainage. However, the East Gallatin River already contains Brown Trout and Rainbow Trout. The 1.25-surface acre pond is located at 671 Nelson Road, Bozeman, about a half mile east of the East Gallatin River. The pond is fed by a groundwater well located at the site. The pond outlet consists of a screened Argi-Drain control structure. The discharge is perennial and flows onto a vegetated swale on the property with very little chance to reach state waters. Rainbow Trout could be removed from the pond via chemical treatments or through senescence. The project is sponsored by the private landowner, and the license would be active for 10 years from the year of issuance (2024). The license can be renewed for additional 10-year intervals at the end of each term, and the license is transferable.