of this study, no specific recommendations are offered on monitoring these parameters. 

 However, monitoring should be coordinated between the MDFWP and the MDEQ in 

 order to establish an acceptable level of information for future beneficial use support 

 determinations. 



Monitoring of riparian habitat and stream health should be performed on a yearly 

 basis. Since the longer Lotic Inventory used in this study is time consuming, it may be 

 reserved for less frequent assessments (-3-5 years) while relying on a shorter version of 

 the inventory for intervening years. Photo documentation and GPS should be used to 

 map and track areas of particular interest, such as severe lateral movement, down cutting, 

 and stream braiding. In general, riparian assessment may prove to be the most powerful 

 monitoring tool in a phased or adaptive management TMDL which is based on targeting 

 a response of habitat improvement. 



The restoration work proposed by the MT FWP and NRCS has organized the 

 majority of the stakeholders in the Lost Creek basin, and therefore has satisfied one of 

 the most important ingredients to TMDL development for nonpoint source nutrient 

 pollution - volunteer participation in a basin-wide restoration plan. Ultimately, 

 watershed restoration efforts in small watersheds should concentrate on developing the 

 willingness of landowners to undertake land and water conservation measures likely to 

 improve water quality, rather than developing elaborate and expensive modeling and 

 monitoring plans. In addition, stakeholders in Lost Creek and other tributaries to the 

 Clark Fork River should seek to integrate sub-watershed TMDLs with the Clark Fork 

 VNRP in order to achieve the desired 20% decrease in their nonpoint nutrient 

 contributions. 



WORKS CITED 



Dodds, W.K., V.H. Smith and B. Zander. 1997. Developing nutrient targets to control 



benthic chlorophyll levels in streams: a case study of the Clark Fork River. Water 

 Research 31(7): 1738-50 



Ingman, G. 1992a. A rationale and alternatives for controlling nutrients and 



eutrophication problems in the Clark Fork River basin. Mt. Dept. Health and 

 Environmental Sciences, Helena, MT. 



Ingman, G.L. 1992b. Assessment of phosphorus and nitrogen sources in the Clark Fork 

 River basin. State of Montana, Department of Health and Environmental 

 Sciences. Section 525 of 1987 Clean Water Act Amendments. 



Mitsch, W.J. and J.G. Gosselink. 1986. Wetlands. Van Nostrand Remhold Co. New 

 York, 539 p. 



Montana Department of Environmental Quality. 1998. Waterbodies in need of Total 

 Maximum Daily Load Development . 



is 



