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| September 25, 2009 |
Water Quality & Quantity, Water Research, Wetlands & Riparian Areas |
Can Conservation and Collaboration Save the Big Hole Grayling?
To the casual observer, the upper Big Hole River valley is just another classic Western landscape with postcard-worthy vistas and comforting desolation. But in this high-altitude river, the struggle of an imperiled fish is playing out.
In this valley, time has stood relatively still, with the terrain intact just as it was 50 years ago. The river, however, is changing. It is home to the last native population of fluvial (river-dwelling) Arctic grayling in the Lower 48, and the fish has been in steady decline since it was described more than 25 years ago by nature writer David Quammen as “under certain specific conditions, the most exquisitely colorful bit of living matter to be found in the state of Montana.”
[The information presented in News & Announcements has been compiled from sources believed to be reliable, although its accuracy is not guaranteed. The views expressed in items posted to News & Announcements do not necessarily reflect those of the Montana Water Center or its employees.]