Learn more about working lands in the Upper Clark Fork at Dry Cottonwood Creek Ranch

The Clark Fork Coalition purchased Dry Cottonwood Creek Ranch in 2005 with the help of two conservation partners.  The ranch supports 150 head of cattle, and includes a grazing lease on adjacent U.S. Forest Service land.  Located east of Interstate 90 near Galen, the ranch contains three miles of Clark Fork River frontage, and will undergo a transformation as the Superfund cleanup takes place on the mainstem Clark Fork over the next decade.  Dry Cottonwood Creek Ranch serves as a critical resource for residents, citizens, and students throughout the Clark Fork --  join us anytime for a tour, restoration workday, or field trip.

Learn more about Hands on the Ranch, a program connecting local students to restoration projects on Dry Cottonwood Creek Ranch.

Re-water, Reconnect, and Restore

At the Coalition, we're working to restore all aspects of health to the river and its tributaries.  Our goal is to re-water, reconnect, and restore feeder creeks and streams throughout the Upper Clark Fork.  We're creating cleaner, healthier rivers through on-the-ground stream restoration partnerships with local partners in the basin, including landowner groups, government entities, conservation partners, and funders.  In particular, we work closely with the agricultural community of the Upper Clark Fork as a landowner of Dry Cottonwood Creek Ranch, a 2,300-acre working cattle ranch located near Deer Lodge.  Our aim is to heal degraded and dewatered streams in the Upper Clark Fork valley-- all while providing education and outreach to inspire new river stewards for the future and help protect irrigated agriculture as a thriving, viable way of life.