Accomplishments

The Blackfoot is a biologically rich and relatively undeveloped watershed, one of only twelve blue-ribbon trout rivers in Montana.  The 132 miles of mainstream are fed by over 1,900 miles of perennial streams.

At one time badly degraded, the Blackfoot is once again a stronghold for native trout, including westslope cutthroat trout and the endangered bull trout.  This is the direct result of many years of collaboration and on-the-ground efforts by BBCTU and our partners.

One of BBCTU's first efforts was to fund a program under which Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks surveyed tributaries of the Blackfoot River to determine limiting factors of each, helping BBCTU to prioritize and focus its project objectives.  To date, Montana FWP has surveyed close to 200 tributaries and their efforts continue to provide critical baseline data forming an integral part of our program today.

Click here for background information on "The Blackfoot Experience" by Stan Bradshaw.

Here's a summary of our accomplishments to date:

• Over 100 miles of instream habitat restored on 48 streams
• Over 88 miles of riparian habitat restored along the banks of 41 streams
• 2,900 acres of wetlands restored
• 56,000 acres under grazing management systems
• Over 600 miles of tributaries opened to spawning by barrier removals
• 26 fish screen systems installed in irrigation diversions
• Instream water leases established on 8 key tributaries
• Water conveyance efficiency projects on 32 tributaries
• Established monitoring efforts on 188 tributaries and 6 main stem reaches

Click here for our most recent 20 year summary report: BBCTU Brochure 2011