Big Hole Watershed Committee

Environmental ServicesUnited States2-10 Employees

This 153-mile long Blue-Ribbon trout fishery was going dry and at risk of being labeled chronically dewatered.  Local ranchers, outfitters, county planners and resource personnel came together 25 years ago.  Difficult conversations were had over and over again.  But in time everyone agreed that the Big Hole River is the lifeblood of the communities around it, and we all will sacrifice and succeed together for the resource.  Our mission is to seek understanding of and agreement among individuals and groups with diverse viewpoints on water use and management in the Big Hole River watershed of southwest Montana.

We: Created and still implement the State's first voluntary Drought Management Plan; Implemented river recreation rules ahead-of their time to prevent people from loving the river to death; we implemented land use planning ordinances across 4 counties to decrease pressures on ranchers to subdivide; We run predator conflict reduction programs and have delivered over $8 million of direct investments that have restored many miles of headwater and mainstem waterways and irrigation infrastructure.

The Big Hole Watershed Committee is composed of 22 governing members who represent diverse interests including: ranching, utilities, local government, sportsmen, conservationists, tourism, and outfitters. In addition to the official members, representative from local, state, and federal agencies participate as technical advisors.  We are a consensus-driven, multi-stakeholder entity that works closely with other conservation organizations as well as local, state, and federal agencies on watershed restoration and management plans.

The Big Hole Watershed Committee is the trusted go-to group in the Big Hole River valley for watershed conservation. Our work over the course of the last 20 years has made a difference to the communities along the river as well as visitors to the area.

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