The Big Hole Watershed Committee holds public meetings on the third Wednesday of every month at the Divide Grange Hall, with a Zoom option available. These meetings provide an opportunity for community members to stay informed about watershed projects, committee activities, current issues affecting the Big Hole River, and upcoming events. Each meeting includes committee updates, project reports, time for discussion, and presentations on topics relevant to the watershed and local communities.
At our October 2026 meeting, we heard from representatives of Beaverhead County, Madison County, and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) about invasive weed management efforts throughout the Big Hole watershed and surrounding areas. Presenters shared recent accomplishments, ongoing projects, priority weed species, and opportunities for collaboration:
- Amber Burch, Beaverhead County Weed District, discussed ongoing weed management efforts and warned of several priority invasive weed species of concern in the Big Hole watershed. She also highlighted resources available to local landowners through the Big Hole Basin Cooperative Weed Management Area (CWMA), including community spray days and a cost-share program to help offset weed treatment expenses.
- Clayton Marxer, Madison County Weed District, shared updates on efforts to strengthen and modernize the county’s weed management program, including upgrades to vehicles and equipment, digital mapping of invasive weed infestations throughout the county, and ongoing weed control and monitoring activities.
- Kevin Sheridan, BLM Butte Field Office, provided updates on invasive weed management efforts on public lands, including current projects, priority weed species, and coordination with local agencies and landowners.
- Coordinated weed management was emphasized throughout the presentations, highlighting the importance of early detection, consistent treatment, and collaboration across property boundaries and jurisdictions to protect native vegetation, agricultural lands, wildlife habitat, and watershed health.
The meeting also included an update on the Southwest Montana Prescribed Burning Association, provided by BHWC Executive Director Pedro Marques on behalf of Sean Claffey of The Nature Conservancy/Southwest Montana Sagebrush Partnership.
Additional updates covered BHWC’s ongoing restoration, drought management, wildlife conflict-reduction, and water resource initiatives, including current precipitation and streamflow conditions, restoration projects underway throughout the watershed, and other efforts to improve watershed resilience.
You can view the full meeting minutes here: October 2026 Meeting Minutes
Watch the recording: