Habitat work planned for Coal Creek

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is proposing to make two miles of the South Fork of Coal Creek more fish friendly by placing large trees in the stream.

The South Fork of Coal Creek was heavily logged in the 1950s and 1960s, which not only removed the adjacent forests but also channelized the stream.

A tributary of the North Fork of the Flathead River, Coal Creek was once an important bull trout spawning stream, but in recent years, bull trout redd counts have fell far below historic levels. A redd is a bull trout spawning bed.

The $172,000 project calls for using helicopters and a backhoe to gather 130 to 190 trees killed in the 2006 Sun Dog Fire. Large woody piles would be installed in 33 to 49 areas of the stream.

FWP biologist Amber Steed said strategically placed the trees would provide two benefits. Exposed roots can provide shelter for juvenile bull trout, and pools and eddies can be created where adult bull trout can spawn.

FWP completed a similar project on about 2,000 feet of the South Fork of Coal Creek several years ago.

“We’ve seen improvements in juvenile fish and redd counts in those areas,” Steed said.

In 2012, biologists counted 10 redds in the South Fork of Coal Creek. They counted two in 2008 and just one in 2003. Steed said it would take about 50 to 100 more years for the stream to heal naturally.

Funding for the project comes from the Bonneville Power Administration funding for Hungry Horse Dam mitigation.

Copies of an environmental analysis of the project are available at the FWP office in Kalispell, Flathead County libraries and online at http:///fwp.mt.gov under Public Notices.