Funded Restoration Projects in Missoula County
Bird-Banding Education Program
Type: Education Project
Costs: $24,995
Year(s) Funded: 2006
Status: Underway
The Avian Science Center at the University of Montana is developing and implementing a bird-banding education program in the Upper Clark Fork River Basin. This program will provide public education on the ecological effects of mining activities on habitat, birds and other wildlife in the Basin, showcase the kinds of projects now underway to restore these areas, and investigate the response of the birds to the restoration efforts.
Bonner Pedestrian Bridge Replacement
Type: Restoration Project
Costs: $975,652
Year(s) Funded: 2006
Status: Underway
Missoula County will replace the county-owned Bonner pedestrian bridge across the Blackfoot River in Bonner. The existing bridge may become unstable and unsafe after the Milltown Dam is removed.
Madsen Easement
Type: Restoration Project
Costs: $25,000
Year(s) Funded: 2006
Status: Underway
The Five Valleys Land Trust will purchase a conservation easement on the 157-acre Madsen property located 0.5 miles above the confluence of Rock Creek and the Clark Fork River, in order to preserve, protect, enhance and restore the property's conservation values. Rock Creek bisects and borders about 4,500 feet of the property.
Milltown Education Project
Type: Education Project Development Grant
Costs: $23,914
Year(s) Funded: 2006
Status: Underway
The Watershed Education Network will develop a curriculum and field trip program for Missoula and Anaconda area eighth-grade students and their teachers. Class presentations will be supplemented by field trips to view the Milltown Dam site and the remediation and restoration activities.
Milltown Land Acquisition
Type: Project Development Grant
Costs: $23,990
Year(s) Funded: 2006
Status: Underway
The Clark Fork Coalition, in partnership with the Milltown Redevelopment Group, will negotiate the terms of a land deal with NorthWestern Energy under which the state would acquire most or all of NorthWestern's land near the confluence of the Clark Fork and Blackfoot rivers.
Artist Rendition of View
Without Milltown Dam
Milltown Restoration Project
Type: Restoration Project
Costs: $11,500,000
Year(s) Funded: 2004-2010
Status: Underway
As part of settlement of the state's NRD claim against the NorthWestern Energy Corporation at Milltown Dam, the state has agreed to implement a comprehensive plan to restore the Clark Fork and Blackfoot Rivers at their confluence just upstream of Milltown Dam. This restoration plan will be integrated with the EPA remediation plan for the site, which is being implemented by Envirocon Corp. on behalf of the Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO). Of the $11.5 million cost, $3.9 million is being paid by NorthWestern and the remaining $7.6 million is coming from the 1999 settlement recovery from ARCO.
University of Montana Database Planning
Type: Monitoring and Research Project
Costs: $9,550
Year(s) Funded: 2000
Status: Completed
The University of Montana completed the design of a web-based informational database for UCFRB restoration planners in 2002. NRDP has enlisted the assistance of the Montana Natural Resource Information System staff to further develop this database.