Rock Creek Project, continued
In 1996, the Rock Creek Trust officially became a project of Five Valleys Land Trust. Building off of the success and momentum the Rock Creek Trust created, in total we have been able to protect over 13,000 acres, over 17 miles of river front, and over 4,600 acres of bighorn sheep habitat.
As identified by our Regional Conservation Plan, the Rock Creek drainage is one of Five Valleys’ 5 focal areas. Our conservation efforts continue to focus heavily on working with landowners throughout the drainage to protect, preserve, and restore (when necessary) the natural values of this spectacular area.
The Rock Creek Drainage Fact Sheet
Location: Western Montana, 30 miles east of Missoula, Montana
Size: Over 570,000 acres and 54 miles of the main stem of Rock Creek.
Description: The high mountains of the “Forks” area run north and then spread out into the ranching valley of the upper drainage. Midway the valley narrows to a steep, rocky canyon with heavy forest until the creek reaches its confluence with the Clark Fork River. Public lands constitute 83% of the drainage; private lands contain most of the stream frontage.
Conservation Amenities:
- Regional Context. The Rock Creek drainage is part of a series of globally important natural areas that form a wildlife/wild lands corridor extending down the spine of the Rocky Mountains from the Canadian Rockies to Glacier and Yellowstone.
- Water Quality. Rock Creek’s near-pristine water is the cleanest tributary to the Clark Fork River...which holds the dubious honor of being the nation’s largest Superfund Site.
- Fisheries. Rock Creek is nationally renowned for its “Blue Ribbon” wild trout fishery. Five species are present, including bull trout and West Slope Cutthroats, both threatened within their historic range. Rock Creek is also an important spawning area for fish from the Clark Fork.
- Wildlife. Two herds of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep are highly visible in the drainage and are rated as the finest of these herds in the world by the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep. Elk, deer, and especially moose, are common.
Neomigratory songbirds, whose numbers are declining world-wide, find excellent nesting habitat in the creek bottoms.
- Wilderness & Scenery. Two existing and three proposed wilderness areas are part of the Rock Creek drainage. They form a high mountain, snowy backdrop and provide excellent opportunities for recreation and solitude. Dramatic rock outcroppings throughout the mid and lower portions of the drainage add color and western “allure.”
- Forests. The Rock Creek drainage is the only place in the nation where two USDA forests have the same management plan for the drainage they share. In keeping with long-time public support for Rock Creek, the top management priority is retention of water quality and recreation.
