MISSOULA, Mont. — The Missoula Conservation District received grant funding from the Department of Environmental Quality in 2023 to improve water quality, stream corridors and riparian habitat throughout Missoula County.

The funding will be used to revegetate a section of Pattee Creek. Over 100 native species were planted to help restore a mile of Pattee Creek.

The grant was funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and Clean Water Act Section 319 funds.

The Missoula Conservation District released the following:

Missoula Conservation District: Educating Landowners and Revegetating Pattee Creek

The Missoula Conservation District (CD) received grant funding from the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in 2023 to improve water quality, stream corridors, and riparian habitat throughout Missoula County. This mini-grant was facilitated by the Montana Association of Conservation Districts (MACD), and was funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and Clean Water Act Section 319 funds. This project also served to educate and increase public awareness of nonpoint source pollution, riparian health, and the Missoula CD.

The Missoula Conservation District administers the Montana Natural Streambed and Land Preservation Act of 1975, commonly known as the 310 Law, in Missoula County. The intent of the law is to provide protection to the environment and prevent unreasonable depletion and degradation of natural resources. The Missoula CD protects rivers and natural stream banks so they are available in their natural state. This includes overseeing the permitting process for projects that may impact a stream and keeping soil erosion and sedimentation to a minimum.

This year, the Missoula CD hosted Julia Drennan, a Big Sky Watershed Corps member, to facilitate an outreach campaign and assist in 310 Law public awareness. The Big Sky Watershed Corps (BSWC) program is an AmeriCorps program organized through Montana Conservation Corps (MCC), Montana Watershed Coordination Committee, and MACD, whose members serve Montana’s watershed communities to assist in local conservation efforts.

Drennan focused on revegetating Pattee Creek, a DEQ impaired waterway which was also the focus of a 2022 BSWC member project further downstream. The Missoula CD completed a mailing campaign to Pattee Creek landowners and hosted a public meeting in July. Seven landowners committed to participating in Drennan’s project to become better riparian stewards. These landowners worked closely with Drennan and Missoula CD staff to learn about native riparian vegetation species, the 310 Law and permit process, nonpoint source pollution, and stream ecology.

The Missoula CD used the grant funds to help participating landowners purchase native plant species from Great Bear Nursery to help revegetate their section of Pattee Creek, with tools and equipment provided by the MCC Western Wildlands (Missoula) office. Over 100 native species were planted to help restore over 1 mile of Pattee Creek, mitigating the effects of nonpoint source pollution to lower stream temperatures and prevent stream sedimentation.

Any private landowner or entity doing work that may impact a stream in Missoula County should contact the Missoula CD to discuss the permitting process.