Big Hole Willow Bank Project

The purpose of this grant is to establish a bank of willows for use in restoration projects throughout the upper Big Hole Watershed in direct support of the Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA) for fluvial Arctic grayling. The project area sits well above 6000 feet in elevation, and has a very short growing season with only 18-25 frost-free days per year. The dominant riparian vegetation in the upper Big Hole is willow – there are virtually no cottonwoods and very little aspen. This project will support harvesting willow clippings from the upper watershed each spring, transporting them to the state nursery operated by the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, and grow them in a greenhouse where they can mature faster and develop a deep-binding rootmass in a short period of time. The following year, these plants which are native the Big Hole will be returned to the valley and incorporated into riparian revegetation and stream restoration projects. This revegetation methodology is very inexpensive per plant as compared to purchasing new plants, and has a very high survival rate (approaching 98%) by using plants native to the area. Thus, this grant will support the establishment of a “willow bank” of native plants for use in Big Hole restoration projects.