Gallatin Watershed Groups

The Greater Gallatin Watershed Council serves as an umbrella organization to provide technical and administrative assistance to existing and newly formed groups that focus on specific areas within the watershed.  We also collaborate on projects and activities to reduce overlapping and duplicating efforts.  
 
Blue Water Task Force. The Blue Water Task Force focuses on the Big Sky area of the upper Gallatin watershed.  Growth in the area centers on several ski resorts, golf course developments, and residential, commercial and recreational growth.  They are working to bring the community together over the issue of the importance of the area’s water and other natural resources to its quality of life.  The mission of the Blue Water Task Force is "to protect and preserve the health of the Gallatin River watershed."

Association of Gallatin Agricultural Irrigators (AGAI). 

Bozeman Watershed Council.  The visual aesthetics of a clearcut unit in the Bozeman Creek/Sourdough watershed spurred this nonprofit volunteer group to action in 1991.  Working with the U.S. Forest Service, they were successful in getting the clearcut areas "feathered" to improve the visual aesthetics of the area.  The Council developed a 100-year vision for the watershed, which is managed by three different agencies including the City of Bozeman.  The group produced a full-color watershed map for area schools and has had numerous chances to guide timber management in the drainage.  In 2004, the Council completed the Bozeman/Sourdough Creek Watershed Assessment.  This document is a comprehensive analysis of the watershed that also contains management suggestions for the future.  A municipal watershed serving as the water supply source for the City of Bozeman, it faces several challenges including finding a balance between recreational use, fire suppression, and logging.  

Thompson Creek Watershed Group.  Thompson Creek is a spring creek that feeds into the East Gallatin River north of Belgrade.  Several landowners along the stream noticed there was a siltation problem in the stream.  Individual restoration attempts were only moderately successful.  The landowners realized the need for a watershed-scale approach to improve stream health and, ultimately, the fishery.  They formed an informal watershed group and applied for and received a grant to hire a consultant to assist with obtaining funding for stream restoration projects.