Skyline Sportsmen's Association works closely with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Montana Department of Natural Resources & Conservation (State Lands) to stay engaged on the issues that matter most—fish and fishing, wildlife and habitat, hunting, sportsmen’s interests, and access across Southwest Montana.
We also collaborate with fellow sportsmen’s groups like the Anaconda Sportsmen Club, the George Grant Chapter of Trout Unlimited, and the Montana Sportsmen Alliance to make sure our collective voice is strong and effective.
The project area is north of I-90 near Cardwell, MT. On the Candlestick Ranch, the Shaw Diversion Dam and two smaller diversions deliver water to 233 acres of cropland. An inadequate fish ladder exists on the Shaw Dam and frequently clogs with debris, making it inaccessible to migrating trout. In addition, the aging infrastructure is getting more difficult to operate and regulate irrigation withdrawal. This project will alleviate infrastructure concerns by removing the diversions and provide an ecological uplift to the Boulder and Jefferson Rivers through stream restoration, water savings, and wetland development, while maintaining agricultural benefits.
Community Support
The support and planning for this project involves the landowner - Golden Sunlight Mine, with complimentary support from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Natural Resource Conservation Service, the Montana Department of Natural Resource Conservation, and the L.R. Huckaba Ranch.
Johnson Creek flows south out of Fleecer Mountain. It has an average peak flow of 25 cfs in June and a base flow of 2 cfs in August. Just 400 yards downstream, Alder Creek flows north out of the West Pioneers. It has an average peak flow of 52 cfs in June and a base flow of 5.6 cfs in September. Both creeks are 5+ degrees colder than the main river during the summer, but are entirely captured seasonally by active irrigation ditches less than 50 feet from their confluences.
The project goal is to build resiliency by reconnecting these tributaries, increasing coldwater for thermal refugia and spawning access, while keeping the irrigator whole. The objective is to redesign the irrigation infrastructure to allow fish passage to the upstream watershed by siphoning the ditches under Alder Creek and over Johnson Creek. Additionally, we are working with FWP on water rights changes to maximize instream flow in both creeks during critical low-flow periods.
Community Support
MTU is working with the Big Hole River Preserve, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP), Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC), and two TU Chapters, to reconnect two coldwater tributaries in the middle reachesof the Big Hole, 5 miles upstream of Wise River Montana near Dickie Bridge - the current downstream boundary of theArctic Grayling Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA) recovery program.
Skyline members are involved in many projects both in the field and monetary; these are some of our accomplishments:
