Projects

Eastern Pioneers Low-tech Process-based Restoration (LTPBR)

Impairment: The streams in this region have been anthropogenically disturbed by past land use and management (mainly the extraction of beaver and overuse by livestock), resulting in straightened and entrenched channels. Streams in this state exhibit elevated levels of sediment, restricted floodplain access, and lowered water tables. Additionally, conifers are spreading far beyond their historic borders (i.e. riprian areas), causing decreased forage for wildlife and livestock, increased wildfire intensity, and loss of habitat for species like sagebrush and mule deer.

Proposal: The overall goals for this project area are to improve stream function and improve instream and riparian habitat conditions. This will be done by installing 120 Low-tech Process-Based Restoration (LTPBR) structures over four reaches in the Eastern Pioneers and implementing at least 5 acres of riparian conifer encroachment. Stream reaches will be restored in Trapper Creek and Browns Gulch, all on public land.

Benefits: The proposed LTPBR structures will reduce water velocities, in turn capturing sediment, aggrading the channel, and elevating the water table. Among many ecological benefits, cutting conifer trees in riparian areas leads to better water availability (trees need a lot of water), improved wildlife habitat, and decreased wildfire intensities.

Calendar: 2022-2025

Project Description

BHWC is partnering with the Southwest Montana Sagebrush Partnership (SMSP) and the BLM to restore aquatic and riparian resources in the Eastern Pioneer foothills. We will be working together to restore stream reaches in Trapper Creek, Browns Gulch, and Lost Creek — both on public and private land. The work will mainly consist of the installation of low-tech, processed-based, in-stream structures such as Beaver Dam Analogs (BDAs) and Post-assisted Log Structures (PALS) as well as the removal of conifers from riparian areas. This project aims to improve stream function and both instream and riparian habitat conditions. Project work will continue into 2023.

Results

2025 Project Accomplishments – East Pioneer Mountain Range Habitat Restoration

Habitat Benefit:
This project helps preserve the open, diverse landscapes that define the East Pioneer Mountains. By reducing conifer expansion, the work protects vital sagebrush, grassland, and riparian habitats that sustain elk, moose, mule deer, and countless other species. Healthier plant communities mean stronger forage, better cover, and a more resilient ecosystem for wildlife and people alike.

Purpose: Restore and maintain healthy sagebrush, grassland, and shrub ecosystems by removing encroaching conifers that crowd out native vegetation.

Scope: Part of a broader landscape-scale effort through the Southwest Montana Sagebrush Partnership, coordinated locally by the Big Hole Watershed Committee.

Collaboration: A joint effort among private landowners, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Bureau of Land Management.

Funding sources: Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Mule Deer Foundation, Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Forest Service.

Treatment approach: Crews cut or burned expanding conifer trees, primarily juniper and Douglas fir, to reduce competition for light, water, and nutrients. This allows native sagebrush, grasses, and forbs (wildflowers and herbaceous plants) to reestablish and thrive.

Treatment Area:

375 acres of private land
661 acres of USFS land
737 acres of BLM land
Contributing to a total of approximately 5,330 acres treated as part of the larger partnership effort.

Moving Forward: A private landowner will continue removing conifer and monitoring the project location. BHWC will also provide future project monitoring using established photo points. These photo points will be given to the USFS and complement ongoing habitat assessments and monitoring in the area. Additionally, BHWC will complete more in-stream work under the BLM agreement.

Major 2022 project accomplishments include:

Installation of 30 LTPBR structures in Browns Gulch Tributary 519- .35 miles treated to help kickstart recovery trends.
Installation of 30 LTPBR structures in Trapper Creek Tributary 516- .45 miles treated to help kickstart recovery trends.
13 volunteers with the University of Montana Western engaged.
1 wetland delineation and training conducted.

More work, including ~80 LTPBR structures and 23 acres of riparian conifer encroachment (both in Browns Gulch) were completed in 2023.