Big Hole River Incentive Program

The Big Hole River Incentive Program was a payment for ecosystem services pilot program through which lower river landowners were paid to maintain or develop healthy riverbank conditions. Landowners provided ecological services by either reducing sediment input into the river or improving or maintaining floodplain function. The project was implemented 2016-2019.

The project achieved four goals:

-Improved riparian forest conditions and functions along the Big Hole River corridor on private working lands.

-Demonstrated support for the important role of PES programs in the region (proof of concept).

-Rewarded landowners financially (incentive) for management outcomes that produce public ecological benefits.

-Benefitted the Big Hole Watershed Committee by building local trust and expanding its programs and capacity to deliver community-based conservation and promote conservation programs that can be replicated, scaled and transferred.

Why This Matters

Our river corridor is predominantly private land, so incentivizing landowners to do these types of projects has direct conservation outcomes. The Big Hole is the first watershed in Montana to pursue this incentives payment concept. Main projects included repairing, maintaining, and installing fencing around riparian areas; reducing conifer encroachment in riparian areas; bank stabilization projects to reduce sedimentation; and riparian plantings to promote vegetation establishment.

This pilot program demonstrated that landowners will engage in conservation when a trusted local partner supports them through the design and permitting. We were also able to make an important value statement by reimbursing landowners who fenced their streamside areas years ago, because we all benefit from those undeveloped, lush cottonwood galleries today.

Visit our YouTube channel for more project videos.

Project Results

BHWC provided $200,000.00 in landowner payments, creating an economic mechanism to financially support landowners whose management practices provide for a healthy river. A total of 8 projects were executed through the program resulting in a total of 26,317 feet of Big Hole streambank treated!

People & Organizations Involved

Big Hole Watershed Committee (project manager)

Private Landowners

Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (funder)

Rowe Excavation

R.E. Miller & Sons

Morrison-Maierle, Inc. 

Basic Biological Services

Project Photos

Bare banks like these lead to a loss of productive ground for landowners, and is the focus of the incentive program payments.

Typical bank erosion on hay and pasture land in the lower Big Hole River.

Over 10,000 willow whips were planted into the Weststeyn bank project.

Willow trench on the Weststeyn bank stablization project. These willow whips and stakes were harvested on site and planted into the bank to help reduce erosion of sediment from the banks into the stream.

Eroding streambanks add excess bank material (sediment) to the river; repairing and stabilizing streambanks reduces that sediment input, improves water quality & spawning conditions for trout. This photo shows the degraded state of a bank the BHRIP addressed.