Conserving Native Fish, Conserving Aquatic Integrity
Since 1996, American Wildlands has advocated for the restoration of the westslope cutthroat trout – the state fish for both Montana and Idaho. Our efforts have resulted in a substantial increase in agency resources and political momentum devoted to the conservation of this native fish. Meanwhile, in 2000, American Wildlands launched what is now a seven year campaign to secure increased protection for the water quality of the Gallatin River, knowing this goal would benefit the river’s overall aquatic integrity.
As part of our commitment to maintaining and restoring the connections between key habitats for healthy populations of native fish and wildlife, American Wildlands expanded our aquatic program beyond the westslope cutthroat trout and Gallatin River to meet the conservation and restoration needs of multiple native fishes and their habitat in the U.S. Northern Rockies. The objective of our expanded Living Waters program has been to establish large connected populations of native fish as a strategy for conserving the region’s overall aquatic integrity. Despite the fact that native coldwater species are in serious decline throughout the Northern Rockies, we knew there were few organizations focusing on aquatic species conservation – and American Wildlands was proud to be one of those few.
Two years later, we have come to realize two important things: [1] that other well-established fish conservation organizations such as Trout Unlimited are doing a fine job of filling that conservation niche; and [2] most funders were never able to fully embrace American Wildlands’ fish conservation efforts, given our long standing, well established reputation as the terrestrial wildlife corridors group. As such, this past summer the Board and staff made the strategic decision to phase out of our Living Waters program, and devote all of our resources toward our Corridors of Life and Safe Passages programs (with obvious and critical support from our GIS Lab).
Knowing that for seven years American Wildlands has been the lead organization for the Gallatin River campaign, we are committed to ensuring this project is completed while we phased out of the rest of our Living Waters program. Given the decreased funding and staffing capacity of our water program, we looked for a local conservation partner to whom we could pass the campaign bucket. We are pleased to tell you that the Greater Yellowstone Coalition is ready and very interested in “carrying the water” as the lead conservation organization committed to seeing this project to fruition.
As we pass the not-so-proverbial bucket over to the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, we do so knowing that in 2007 American Wildlands played a lead role in convening and coordinating a local Big Sky, Montana community working group that has taken on the task of producing the technical report and funding strategy to place much more of that community on a centralized water treatment system – thereby reducing the number of private property septic systems that may contribute to effluent seeping into the Gallatin River. Along with the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, this working group consists of representatives of the local Trout Unlimited chapter, ski resorts, developers and local businesses. It is a diverse group whose collective thinking and support, we believe, will lead to a successful outcome – a healthy river for its nearby residents, recreationists and visitors.
Given American Wildlands’ love for the Gallatin River and commitment to its protection, we will devote our remaining water program resources toward the publication of a “layperson’s” guide that will inform the Big Sky community about the solution proposed in the technical report. We believe that AWL’s final effort, along with the great work the community working group has done and will continue to do, will lead the Big Sky community to invest in the best solution for the long-term health of the Gallatin River. And that will be a great tribute to American Wildlands’ Living Waters program.
New Strategy for the Gallatin River
In January of 2007, American Wildlands implemented a new strategy to protect the water quality of the Gallatin River. This new strategy works to not only maintain the Gallatin River’s water quality, but to improve it, while gaining greater community support for the river’s long term protection. Read about this new strategy here.
