Over the past decade, anecdotal observations on rivers throughout western U.S. showed noticeably reduced aquatic insect hatches. The Blackfoot was no exception. Not just our legendary salmonfly hatches, but our mayfly and caddis hatches have noticeably thinned in many reaches of the river.
Getting a statistically and scientifically accurate measure of our macroinvertebrate population is critically important as a first step.in defining the scope and cause of this apparent decline.
To that end, BBRK has been working with The Salmonfly Project (TSP) since 2024 through financial assistance and boots on the ground. TSP conducts research to understand where and why aquatic insects have declined, what they need to stay healthy, and how we can better protect them.
TSP selected the Blackfoot River as one of six rivers in Montana to be studied, TSP is now in their second year of sampling bugs from a series of locations along the Blackfoot that have good historic bug counts going back almost 40 years.
While the process of gathering bugs is fairly simple, performing the subsequent taxonomy on the collected samples to identify specific species and how many of each were found is a complex, time consuming and expensive process that is still underway.
We are hoping to get o[ur first population trend results later this year.
Watch this space..
For more than a decade, Montanans have worked together to create a lasting solution for public lands in the Blackfoot River watershed. That solution is the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act.
This bill will protect the Blackfoot River by permanently protecting its most important tributaries. It will also secure and expand outdoor recreation opportunities in the Blackfoot and Clearwater Valleys, as well as enhance timber production and forest restoration in and around Seeley Lake.
BBRK is one of a group of local environmental organizations actively supporting this effort.
Check out this latest video, Hallowed Waters, in support of BCSA featuring our own Waterkeeper Jerry O'Connell.
BBRK is was a key driver to establish this trail, one of only two in Montana. We worked with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) to create the Big Blackfoot River Trail, a series of reservation-only campsites dedicated to float-in camping. These have no vehicle access, and require recreationists to practice complete pack in/pack out, zero impact campcraft.
The program started in 2012 with campsites at four locations in the middle section of the drainage, creating a 40-mile stretch of river that can be floated in multiple days with the assurance of a reserved campsite waiting for you at the end of the day..
Under FWP's auspices, BBRK monitors the sites, provide public awareness of the program, and gather usage statistics to help the ongoing expansion of the trail.