Miller Creek
Miller Creek Stream Restoration
Program
Stream and Wetland Mitigation
Watershed
Lower Clark Fork
Miller Creek is a tributary of the Bitterroot River located near Missoula, Montana. In 2019, Montana Freshwater Partners worked with a private landowner and the Clark Fork Coalition to restore approximately half a mile of the stream as part of a larger restoration effort along Miller Creek.
Restoration Techniques
Streambank Stabilization
Large Wood Installations
Riparian Habitat Restoration
Before restoration, this reach of Miller Creek suffered from channel incision, sedimentation, and high stream temperatures. Restoration treatments included enhancing stream-floodplain connectivity and habitat complexity through the addition of large wood to the stream, lowering floodplain benches, routing water into side channels, and planting thousands of willows and other native riparian plants. Fisheries monitoring before and after the restoration was complete showed a dramatic increase in the numbers of trout utilizing the project area.
Ecosystem Benefits
Improved Instream Habitat
Improved Floodplain Connectivity
Improved Riparian Area
Project Partners
feet of restored stream
acres of restored wetland
Our Projects
We work across Montana to restore and protect our state’s precious water resources.
