Middle Yellowstone CME
Middle Yellowstone Channel Migration Easement Site
Program
Stream and Wetland Mitigation
Watershed
Middle Yellowstone
In 2017, Montana Freshwater Partners partnered with The Nature Conservancy to place a Channel Migration Easement (CME) on a beautiful property located along the eastern stretches of the Yellowstone River near Rosebud, Montana.
Restoration Techniques
Channel Migration Easement
Stream and Wetland Protection
The easement encompasses irrigated cropland, pastureland, forested riparian habitat, diverse wetlands, and gravel bars along the shoreline. The landowners volunteered to withhold restrictions on stabilizing banklines, allowing the river channel to naturally migrate within its floodplain, while other activities such as farming and livestock grazing are permitted within the easement.
This CME protected over 150 acres of floodplain, 5,340 feet of bankline, and 12 acres of wetland. The natural migration of a river is critical for flood mitigation, water quality, and fish, plant, and wildlife habitat.
Ecosystem Benefits
Floodplain Reconnection
Side Channel Reconnection
Habitat Protection
Project Partners
acres of floodplain protected
feet of stream bank protected
acres of wetland protected
Our Projects
We work across Montana to restore and protect our state’s precious water resources.
