Projects

Smith Sage Springs Restoration

Impairment: Loss of wetland and riparian function in critical sage grouse and Arctic grayling habitat, driven by sedimentation, flow regime modification, and altered streamside vegetation on this North Fork Big Hole River tributary.

Approach: Stabilized the active headcut threatening the upstream wet meadow, regraded the eroding gully to reestablish a functioning floodplain and stream corridor, reconstructed degraded streambanks, and fenced the project area to manage grazing and allow vegetation recovery. Phase II, now in design, will reconnect the drainage to the North Fork of the Big Hole River.

Benefits: Improved water quality and quantity; restored fish habitat and connectivity; expanded wetland and mesic habitat for sage grouse, Arctic grayling, Westslope cutthroat trout, pronghorn, elk, and songbirds.

Calendar:

Phase 1 (wetland and streambank restoration) — construction completed October 2023; post-project monitoring completed through 2025
Phase 2 (reconnection to the North Fork Big Hole River) — in design

Estimated Cost: $243,281.00

Project Total: $236,441.91

Project Description

Smith Sage Springs Creek is a small tributary to the North Fork of the Big Hole River and supports wetlands and riparian vegetation within a mesic setting that serves as habitat for sage grouse (with several active leks located nearby), pronghorn, elk, songbirds, and raptors. The stream also provides habitat for Westslope cutthroat trout and has the potential to provide habitat for fluvial Arctic grayling. The stream and associated wetlands have been degraded by historical agricultural practices such as vegetation changes caused by grazing and flow modifications associated with irrigation. Increased flow, when combined with vegetation modifications, is the most probable explanation for headcutting and degradation of wetland and riparian habitat. The US Fish and Wildlife Service and partners seek to improve and protect fluvial and wetland habitat values of this tributary stream.

Existing Conditions

The stream originates as a series of springs within an expansive sedge wetland complex. Groundwater emerges from the southeast valley margin, creating a large sloped wetland along the south side of the valley. The stream channel is poorly defined, with water periodically flowing overland through the wetland with no channel. The stream then abruptly cascades over a significant, active headcut that is migrating upstream and threatens to impact the sedge wetland complex by lowering the water table. Immediately below the headcut, the stream begins to flow in a relatively straight gully channel that gradually transforms into a more defined, incised channel. Several banks along the gully and channel are eroding laterally as the system forms an incipient floodplain through typical channel evolution processes.

Restoration Actions

BHWC and partners stabilized the headcut and eroding streambanks to protect the upstream wetland, restoring hydrologic connectivity between the spring and its mesic corridor. Restoration reestablished wetland vegetation and invertebrate habitat, improving forage and water resources for sage grouse, songbirds, elk, pronghorn, and livestock. The project area was fenced to manage grazing and give new vegetation time to establish.

Results

Construction wrapped in October 2023. Post-construction monitoring — including nine photo points, four vegetation plots, and streambank erosion assessments through 2025 — shows steady recovery:

An estimated 165.8 tons of sediment kept out of the North Fork Big Hole River each year
43 acres of wetland and streambank habitat restored and fenced for recovery
Vegetation cover progressing from bare ground in 2023 to established grasses and forbs across monitoring plots by 2025, with minimal weed incursion
A large headcut and four eroding streambanks stabilized, eliminating their ongoing sediment contribution

Looking Ahead

With Phase 1 complete, BHWC and partners are now designing Phase 2: reconnecting Smith Sage Springs directly to the North Fork Big Hole River to restore full aquatic connectivity for native fish.

To see this work in action, check out our new film Restoring The Headwaters –>