Back in 2015, Swan Valley Connections (SVC) had been contracted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to conduct vegetation surveys and create a map of vegetative communities across the entire 1,979-acre Swan River National Wildlife Refuge (refuge). The refuge is managed by the USFWS and was the first step to restore hundreds of acres of wetlands previously manipulated prior to the USFWS purchasing the property in 1973.
The manipulations began in the 1920s when there was the nation’s largest muskrat fur farm on the property. The land was later hayed and grazed by homesteaders. Numerous shallow ditches were dug and a few long, deep ditches were excavated for the purpose of draining the wetlands to create pasture and hay meadows.
The result of these manipulations dried the wetlands, making them vulnerable to the colonization and spread of non-native species, particularly reed canary grass, while also reducing the quality and quantity of valuable waterfowl habitat.
The first step was to map the existing vegetation across the entire refuge, which is when SVC first became involved as a partner. Shockingly, reed canary grass was found in high cover over most of the refuge, with very few areas being devoid of it.
The USFWS then hired Whitefish-based consulting company River Design Group (RDG) to install groundwater monitoring wells at various locations. Using that groundwater data, RDG provided an assessment that linked elevations and the water table throughout the refuge with existing vegetation.
RDG then evaluated the elevation of all the ditches and berms and came up with an assessment to strategically put back, or plug, the ditches with dirt fill that was originally removed from those locations, raising the water table in certain areas by approximately a foot or more, which would result in restored natural hydrology and reed canary grass being drowned out and passively converted back to native plant communities. A mind-boggling 15.7 miles of drainage ditches were identified, but by filling 0.94 miles of them at strategic locations, it was concluded that a whopping 609 acres of wetlands could be restored to their natural hydrology and function, and 394 acres of reed canary grass could potentially be reduced or eliminated.
A project of this magnitude requires a significant amount of funding, and competitive North American Wetland Conservation Act (NAWCA) grants make projects like this possible. The goal of the NAWCA program and funding is to increase bird populations and wetland habitat, while supporting local economies and American traditions such as hunting, fishing, and bird watching.
SVC wrote a $1 million grant proposal that was successfully awarded, which included funding for the refuge wetland restoration, and permanently protecting 3,225 acres on two private land conservation easements, and a 45-acre Big Blackfoot Chapter of Trout Unlimited stream restoration project in the Blackfoot Valley.
With funding secured, there were the next steps of writing an Environmental Assessment (EA), public scoping, archaeological surveys and compliance, securing a thick stack of necessary permits, partner meetings, public presentations, and contractor bid tours. When the dust settled on those actions, Glacier Excavating out of Eureka, Montana was selected as the contractor based on their bid price and previous experience completing large-scale wetland restoration projects.
Construction began on August 1st, 2022, and was completed by mid-October. An impressive amount of dirt (over 25,000 cubic yards) was moved and strategically placed in certain ditch plug locations. In wetter areas, filter fabric and pit run (which were later removed) were placed over temporary travel routes to avoid damaging sensitive wetland habitat and to keep excavators and dump trucks from sinking. In even wetter areas, logs were laid down to temporarily travel over with equipment.
The logs were locally sourced and delivered to the site by Condon-based Euchre Mountain Logging.
Within weeks of completion, water was already starting to back up in some wetlands behind the ditch plugs, and we can’t wait to see it all next spring after the wetlands have been recharged from spring runoff.
It took eight years, countless mosquito bites, and many meetings, but in the end, it was all worth it to be a part of the team that completed the largest wetland restoration project in Montana state history!
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