The Bitterroot River flows northerly for approximately 84 

 miles before entering the Clark Fork just below Missoula. The 

 river is bordered on the west by the Bitterroot Mountains and the 

 east by the Sapphire Mountains. The Bitterroot has rapidly become 

 a new bedroom community for Missoula. The majority of the 



Bitterroot Valley below Hamilton has been developed in crops and 

 pasture, and in order to irrigate these lands, water has been 

 diverted from the main stem and numerous tributary streams, 

 causing stream dewatering, channel alterations, and fish loss to 

 irrigation canals. 



The Blackfoot River drains a similar acreage to the Bitterroot 

 along its 122-mile westerly journey to the town of Bonner, where 

 it meets the Clark Fork River. A poster by Missoula artist Monte 

 Dolack captures the spirit of the Blackfoot: blue water shimmering 

 under an even bluer sky; golden-red cliffs above deep pools; dense 

 coniferous forests; ducks on the water and a fat trout beneath it 

 ... a hint of granite peak in the background. The values of the 

 Blackfoot were partially protected by a legislative act in 1969, 

 which gave the MDFWP authority to reserve instream flows on the 

 state's 12 best trout streams, including the Blackfoot. And 

 recently, twenty-six miles of the river have been designated a 

 "River Recreation Corridor," the only one of its kind in the 

 state. Fifteen to 20 years ago, landowners along the river were 

 faced with increasing development in the river corridor from 

 subdivisions and recreational land sales and increasing 

 recreational use, resulting in litter and trespassing. A task 

 force was formed, coordinated by the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation 

 and with representation by landowners, the Nature Conservancy, the 

 University of Montana, the Bureau of Land Management, local and 

 state agencies, and the county commissioners. The Recreation 

 Management Agreement, orchestrated by the Nature Conservancy and 

 MDFWP, has been adopted by landowners along the river to help 

 protect both the river and their property. The Nature Conservancy 

 has secured 9,000 acres of conservation easements along much of 

 the main stem river corridor. 



Fisheries 



A total of 336 reaches in 2,000 miles were rated for their 

 fisheries value in the upper Clark Fork River drainage (Tables 23 

 and 2A). Another 543 reaches could not be rated due to a lack of 

 fisheries information. The drainage held 12 percent- of the 

 state's Class I reaches and ranked third in Class I stream miles 

 statewide. Included in these Class I resources were three Class 

 I sport fisheries and 30 reaches with a Class I habitat and 

 species value. The drainage also holds the largest number of 

 stream miles with a Class II final resource value. Of the 555 

 stream miles rated Class II in the habitat and species value, 367 

 miles were identified as essential spawning habitat to a Class II 

 sport fishery. Nearly 50 percent of the miles received a Class 

 III, or substantial rating, in the sport fisheries, including 



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