1. Fish and Watershed Restoration Efforts in the Ninemile Drainage: Potential, Progress, and Opportunity
Clark Fork R

2. Middle Clark Fork Priority Watershed Distribution
Lower Clark Fork R
St Regis R
Flathead R
Middle Clark Fork R
Ninemile
Cedar Cr
Trout Cr
Middle Clark Fork R
Blackfoot R
Petty Cr
Fish Cr
Bitterroot R

3. Location of 303 listed streams in Ninemile Watershed
Main Ninemile Cr
Big Blue Cr
Josephine Cr
Little and
main McCormick Crs
Kennedy Cr
Stony Cr
Cedar Cr
Clark Fork R

4. Fish Distribution and Density in the Upper
Ninemile Drainage- 2001

5. Mean Daily Water Temperature for Streams in the Ninemile Drainage, 2001

6. Watershed Development and disturbances
Roads and crossings (sediment source/passage)
Mining (channel alteration and sediment contribution)
Altered disturbance regimes (suppression, 2003 fires, cumulative)
Harvest (upland sediment, past removal of riparian wood)
Settlement, water use, floodplain conversion (temperatures, chemicals, riparian and channel)

7. Large-scale projects
Post Burn- Road decommissioning, crossing removal and upgrade, riparian road relocation, and mine-site reclamation (implementation: to 2007)
Prioritization, NEPA/ESA compliance, funding (internal and external)
Frenchtown Face Ecosystem project- Roads/pipes, mine-site, fish screen, fencing (implementation 2005/06….)
Prioritization, NEPA/ESA compliance, funding (primarily internal)
TMDL- watershed-wide evaluation including private land problems and opportunities
- Watershed group with opportunity for priority project development and funding (Non-Federal groups spearhead on private lands)

8. Post Burn

9. Roads and crossings 2001-02 Post Burn Project area
Road density= 3.0 miles/mi2 w/215 miles of road
Stream crossing density= 2.4 xings/mi2 w/180 crossings
Frenchtown Face Project area
Road density= 3.3 miles/mi2 w/205 miles of road
Stream crossing density= 2.3 xings/mi2 w/133 crossings

10. Roads and burn effects

11. Large crossing replacements (Post Burn)

12. 7 large crossings already replaced under Post Burn

13. 2005 roads to be decommissioned and pipes removed under Post Burn
40 miles of road (red lines) decommissioned (19%)
55 stream crossings (blue dots) removed (29%)
Extensive BMPs on Foothills road

14. 2005 Riparian Road Relocation (2005)

15. Large active and abandoned mine site disturbed areas

16. Mainstem and tributary placer mining disturbances

17. Kennedy Creek load and placer mining disturbances

18. Eustache Creek mine-site project (2005-2007)
Clark Fork River
Ninemile watershed
Eustache Creek mine-site project ( ) N

19. Disconnected flow

20. Tailings: stream confinement

21. Instream habitat simplification

22. Upper watershed conditions and local resident

23. Frenchtown Face

24. Roads and crossings 2001-02 Post Burn Project area
Road density= 3.0 miles/mi2 w/215 miles of road
Stream crossing density= 2.4 xings/mi2 w/180 crossings
Frenchtown Face Project area
Road density= 3.3 miles/mi2 w/205 miles of road
Stream crossing density= 2.3 xings/mi2 w/133 crossings

25. Roads proposed to be decommissioned and pipes removed/replaced in Frenchtown Face Project
up to 88 miles of road (red lines) decommissioned (43%)
up to 34 stream crossings (blue dots) removed (26%)
up to 8 large pipes replaced (red dots)

26. Road closure examples

27. Little McCormick Creek AML restoration

28. Screen Stony Creek Diversion

29. Future opportunities
Roads- Additional BMPs, road relocation and obliteration
Culverts on County roads and remaining big-problem Forest pipes
Prioritize and go after mainstem and tributary mine site reclamation
Fish Screens
Strategic mainstem riparian and channel restoration
Water leases, id key losing areas?