Cedar Creek Habitat Restoration

Cedar Creek is a tributary of the Clark Fork River approximately 40 miles west of Missoula, Montana. It is one of four primary bull trout spawning tributaries in the Middle Clark Fork, which stretches more than 100 from Milltown dam in Missoula to its confluence with the Flathead River.

The most significant historical uses in the Cedar Creek watershed have been logging and mining. Because of these disturbances, there is an obvious lack of large woody debris. Cedar Creek has extremely cold water temperatures but suffers from a lack of pool habitat and insufficient spawning areas. The riparian vegetation is naturally regenerating and future generations of recruitable large woody debris are in-the-making. Strategically adding large woody debris to the stream would likely result in the greatest benefit for the smallest cost and most immediate impact for native fish populations.

Before

The restoration project is the result of a collaborative effort between Trout Unlimited (TU), Lolo National Forest (LNF), and Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (MFWP. Phase I was completed along 2 miles of Cedar Creek in August 2007. Phase II was completed along 2.5 miles of Cedar Creek in August 2008. Design work was minimal and included target size and densities of trees. Dead trees from the streambank and surrounding hillsides were pulled into the creek channel and passively anchored by tying them into existing vegetation and boulders.

After construction

Watch an underwater video of the constructed logjams. [1]

Read the monitoring report for the project. [2]

After runoff