A TALE OF 2 CREEK PROJECTS -- Pattee Creek,
an example of the challenges of urban stream conservation
John Zelazny, Executive Director, Montana Trout
ABSTRACT -- Pattee Creek flows down from Pattee Canyon into the Missoula urban environment near the corner of Pattee Creek Drive and Higgins. Then it flows west towards the Bitterroot River. For 50 years, development has left little room for the creek to function naturally. What little of the creek remains on Missoula’s valley bottom has been channelized, incorporated into lawns, and is frequently dewatered. Ironically, the creek’s higher reaches still hold genetically pure Westslope cutthroat trout. A few years ago, friends of Pattee Creek were working to improve the condition of the creek when they learned that the city of Missoula was proceeding with an effort begun in the 1980's to deal with neighborhood flooding by putting long reaches of the creek into an underground storm sewer. Both of these seemingly antithetical efforts have moved forward.
In the fall of 2003, the city of Missoula diverted seasonal high flows of Pattee Creek into a storm sewer at the intersection of Pattee Creek Drive and Higgins, and all of Pattee Creek’s remaining flow downstream of Bancroft Pond into another underground storm sewer. Bancroft Pond was preserved, but several miles of the creek were lost, including a reach through Russell Park West with good restoration potential. On March 14-18, 2005, two small reaches of the remains of Pattee Creek (in Lester & Elms Parks) were enhanced with channel work, revegetation, and installation of fish habitat structures. The enhancement project was proposed and designed by Montana Trout and funded by the National Forest Foundation and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Park's Future Fisheries program. Missoula Parks and Recreation and Montana Trout provided in-kind resources.
THE TOUR WILL FOLLOW PATTEE CREEK'S HISTORIC PATH AND WILL VISIT BOTH THE FLOOD CONTROL PROJECT AND THE ENHANCEMENT PROJECT. For a virtual tour of the creek BEFORE these projects, click here.
Representatives of Missoula's Public Works Department have been invited to participate in the tour and present their perspective. Hopefully, we can get a good discussion going on how to prevent other creeks from suffering Pattee Creek's fate as Missoula grows out and swallows up more small creeks.
We will also visit Grant Creek where the city is attempting to address flooding problems while there is still sufficient open space along the creek to protect some of its natural values as well. As with Pattee Creek, historic & recent development along Grant Creek makes this a challenge.
The current plan is to start this tour at 9:45 am on Saturday April 2, on the north side of the UC at UM (in the tennis courts parking lot). We will leave at 10 am for Pattee Creek. Tour will last approximately 2 hours. Then we'll go to Grant Creek for a picnic lunch.