In the 1800s, fluvial, or river-dwelling, Arctic grayling inhabited waterways of the Missouri River system upstream from present day Great Falls, Montana. By 1950, drought, habitat degradation and migration barriers had greatly reduced their numbers. Today they are confined to a small stretch of the upper Big Hole River, roughly 4 percent of their former habitat in Montana.

Here the unique iridescent fish with large, distinctive dorsal fins have continued to decline in numbers. Successive years of drought and increased use of river water for crop irrigation have taken their toll on the cold-water loving fish. Low water flows and high water temperatures coupled with overgrazed stream banks causing erosion and sedimentation are continuing to degrade the fishery. Also, irrigation diversion dams block fish migration and divert many of them to irrigation canals.

After years of distrust and debate among ranchers and agencies regarding water use, compounded by water rights laws that discourage water conservation, the tables are starting to turn. Ranchers, agencies and conservation groups, the Conservancy among them, are working together to restore the Big Hole River system.

Today 30 landowners in the basin have signed "Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances" with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Basically these agreements protect landowners from penalties under the Endangered Species Act for grayling habitat degradation -- if the landowners take steps to improve the habitat. To date 130,000 acres of land, about one-third of the private land in the Upper Big Hole, are enrolled.

With these assurances in hand, landowners are proceeding on a variety of projects to improve the fishery. Things like: willow planting to stabilize stream banks, fencing to keep cattle away from the banks, installing stock water wells that use less water and provide an alternate water source for cattle, and improving irrigation efficiency. One landowner working with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the FWS Partners program has re-connected a stream to the main river that had been severed when a previous landowner diverted the stream’s water for irrigation. The current landowner has also agreed to rest a 1,244-acre riparian pasture under a 10-year agreement while restoration takes place.

Additionally, plans are to install fish ladders over diversions and fish screens to keep fish from getting trapped in irrigation canals.

By working in cooperation, these projects are designed to minimize hardship on the agricultural producers. With Conservancy help, project partners are seeking private and public funding for the restoration effort. In some cases, the effort should improve the health of riparian and grazing areas as well as wetlands. Habitat will also be improved for 22 waterfowl species.

The Conservancy, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and other land trusts are pursuing conservation easements in the valley. The goal is to keep the valley in traditional ranching rather than allow development that would fragment and harm the landscape, and complicate river restoration projects. The Conservancy recently signed a conservation easement with the Dooling family in the Big Hole that allows for all current ranch operations, but restricts future development rights.

The numbers are grim. Monitoring in the fall of 2006 turned up only 40 grayling adults. This year fish biologists are implementing a more accurate system for monitoring the grayling, so they’ll be able to track whether the fish are responding to the habitat improvements.