Lower Clark Fork Watershed Group

“Expenses advertising 208 office expenses 379 travel 5,192 conferences/training 329 insurance 3,128 supplies 675 other 247 business expenses 494 total 10,652”

“INVENTORY ADJUSTMENT 366”

“Accounts receivable 745 1,613 inventory - not for sale 0 7,677 total 745 9,290”

“Payroll liabilties 2,769 4,375”

“The mission of the lower clark fork watershed group (lcfwg) is the facilitate collaboration among watershed stakeholders and to coordinate efforts to maintain, enhance and restore the ecological integrity of tributaries to the lower clark fork river. Our work focuses primarily on in-stream and on-the-ground restoration projects that improve water quality and enhance habitat for bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout.”

“In 2020, the lcfwg maintained communication among project partners to coordinate continued efforts on all ongoing watershed projects, including the implementation of five new on-the-ground projects. Major 2020 accomplishments across the watershed are described below: -watershed-wide: partnered with the green mountain conservation district to develop outreach efforts targeted at the community members and landowners, including writing press releases published in the local paper, developing plans for direct mailings, and fundraising for efforts planned in 2021. In 2021, the green mountain conservation district, eastern sanders county conservation district and the lower clark fork watershed group will partner to build demonstration pollinator gardens across sanders county and empower landowners to participate in the sanders county pollinator initiative and build habitat for native bees. -beaver creek: completed fundraising for and awarded contract for the emma creek road obliteration project. This project was started in the fall and will be completed in the spring of 2021. It will reduce road densities along a native fish stream in upper beaver creek, reducing risk of road related sediment inputs to the stream into the future. -bull river: continued supporting efforts to re-vegetate areas along the bull river, which over time will help stabilize stream banks and create habitat for native fish and wildlife. Major accomplishments in 2020 included maintaining engagement with landowners and protecting past planting efforts from browse. Supplemental plantings at existing sites were completed in fall of 2020, and plans for at least 200 more plantings on two sites were made. These additional plantings will be completed in 2021. The lcfwg is also working with the natural resource conservation service to develop more opportunities for landowner assistance with revegetation efforts in the future. -graves creek: supported monitoring efforts of a 2019 pilot project in graves creek, an important stream for migratory bull trout, aimed at increasing the deposition of spawning gravel and enhancing fish habitat. -prospect creek: supported the implementation of the upper prospect habitat enhancement project, which created nine habitat structures composed of large wood in an area of upper prospect creek that has the potential to provide quality spawning habitat for bull trout as well as westslope cutthroat trout. The lcfwg also supported monitoring efforts along a 600 foot section of crow creek, a tributary to prospect creek, that was restored in 2019. Additional work in the drainage included facilitating conversation among stakeholders about opportunities for future work in the drainage, which will continue into 2021. -thompson river: supported the completion of three projects in fishtrap creek, a major tributary to the thompson river and critical bull trout habitat. The west fork fishtrap creek road realignment project relocated 600 feet of stream adjacent road away from fishtrap creek and created floodplain in its place. The fishtrap creek habitat enhancement project created approximately 30 habitat structures made of large wood along mainstem fishtrap creek. The beartrap creek road storage project stored over seven miles of road in the beartrap creek drainage to benefit grizzly bears as well as other fish and wildlife. Additionally, the lcfwg sponsored preliminary planning activities in the drainage, with the aim of developing future on-the-ground projects in partnership with the lolo national forest, montana department of natural resources and conservation, and potentially the current owner of private timberlands in the drainage. -vermilion river: the lcfwg continued working in conjunction with kootenai national forest and other partners to evaluate design alternatives for a major stream restoration project on the vermilion river, planned for 2021. The lcfwg's role in the project will be to coordinate funding, contracting, implementation and ou”