FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Press Contacts: Karen Knudsen, Clark Fork Coalition, 406.529.7836

Barbara Hall, Clark Fork Coalition, 406.546.3469

Clark Fork Coalition and Montana Water Trust Join Together to Build a Healthier Watershed

The non-profit groups say the consolidation will meet the real needs of rivers and communities in western Montana

(Missoula, Mont.) The Clark Fork Coalition announced today that it is acquiring the Montana Water Trust and adding streamflow restoration to better protect and restore the Clark Fork watershed. The Coalition is bringing on board all three Water Trust staff in an expansion that will enable the group to broker voluntary water transfers aimed at increasing the amount of water flowing in western Montana's streams.

According to the Coalitions executive director Karen Knudsen, adding flow restoration to its toolbox will enable the group to promote watershed health on a greater scale. The expansion will help accelerate the pace of river restoration and community revitalization in the Clark Fork basin.

"We're thrilled that Montana Water Trust is coming on board. The removal of Milltown Dam two years ago really opened the door to full-scale recovery of the watershed, and in response, we've been scaling up our work to improve the Clark Forks feeder creeks and streams," says Knudsen. "With this newly-acquired expertise, now we can focus on the flow piece for a complete restoration solution."

Barbara Hall, outgoing executive director of the now-dissolved Water Trust and incoming legal director for the Coalition, says that exploratory talks about a possible acquisition started last fall because both groups recognized they were working on different aspects of a shared challenge.

"We quickly came to the common-sense conclusion thatif we formally joined forces, we could make greater progress restoring one of the most ecologically valuable river basins in the lower 48," says Hall.

In Montana, the business of putting more water in a river or stream is accomplished by partnering with ranchers and other water users to transfer water rights through lease, purchase, or irrigation efficiency projects that improve how water is transported. Knudsen says that with the addition of Water Trust staff, the Coalition is now equipped to broker projects that add value to agricultural operations, keep critical river habitats wet year-round, and ensure that our streams are resilient to buffer impacts of growth and development, as well as climate change.

"This is an exciting transition for flow restoration in Montana," says Hall. "The move allows us to focus on fixing all parts of a streamflow, form and function, with incentive-based solutions that benefit people and the watershed."

The acquisition will be complete as of March 1, 2010. To learn more about the Clark Fork Coalition and its newly acquired flow restoration projects, visit www.clarkfork.org or call 406/542.0539

###