| Riparian Areas
Riparian areas are the lands adjacent to streams, river, lakes and wetlands, where the vegetation and soils are strongly influenced by the presence of water. Some riparian areas are fairly narrow, while others extend thousands of feet beyond the water's edge across broad floodplains. Caring for riparian areas along rivers, streams and lakes helps protect water quality. You will also protect the beauty of your land and maintain its investment value.
- Riparian vegetation traps sediment and filters the nutrients and other pollutants from runoff before it enters nearby rivers and streams. The result is better water quality.
| - Plants along the river banks slow water movement, help stabilize banks and prevent erosion.
| - Riparian areas lessen the impact of floods by intercepting stormwater, storing the water, and releasing it slowly.
| - Healthy riparian areas produce more forage per unit area than uplands, often resulting in higher livestock weaning weights.
| - Riparian areas provide habitat and food for numerous fish and wildlife species. Elk, moose, deer, muskrat, beaver, mink, bald eagles, osprey and numerous migratory and song birds use riparian corridors for migration, food and habitat.
| - Riparian areas provide recreation for hikers, and bird watchers, as well as scenic landscapes
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- Riparian areas represent less than 1% of the Montana landscape. However, 70% of migratory bird species use riparian habitats during migration.
| - Cottonwood trees are good indicators of healthy riparian areas and floodplains.
| - Riparian areas provide a buffer, an insurance policy, especially useful to have during drought or flooding.
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"Streams with raw, eroding banks, valleys with no willows or cottonwoods, streams that no longer flow year round, or don't have trout populations, provide signals to us, a wake up call!" (Adams and Fitch, 1998. Caring for The Green Zone, Riparian Areas and Grazing Management) Today, people flock to the Flathead for its high quality of life and scenic beauty, making the area among the fastest growing parts of Montana. Growth and development can mean an increase in water pollution. Removing riparian vegetation, building houses close to rivers and streams, building more septic systems, roads and parking lots can all result in more nutrients reaching our waters. As growth continues, riparian areas that filter out pollutants become even more important to maintain clean water in our rivers, streams, lakes and groundwater.
Typical riparian vegetation in western Montana includes black cottonwood, alder, sycamore, box elder, creek dogwood and willow trees. Riparian forests can also include pine trees, such as grand fir, subalpine fir, and Douglas fir, Engelman spruce, western red cedar, western hemlock, and ponderosa pine. The rivers and lakes of the Flathead are priceless assets for the people of the Flathead Valley and Montana. Sailing, boating, kayaking, hiking, bird watching, and waterfowl and whitetail deer hunting are popular activities on the rivers, their banks and surrounding fields and woodlands. The Lower Flathead River and Flathead Lake are among the most treasured resources for the Salish and Kootenai Tribes. Indian people used the river and lake for traveling, hunting, fishing, camping and to practice spiritual traditions for thousands of years. Tribal members still use the lake and river for subsistence hunting and fishing, plant harvesting and to reaffirm cultural traditions. The riparian corridor, wetlands and sloughs along the Flathead River support nesting habitat for bald eagles, osprey, Canada geese, waterfowl, upland game birds, great blue herons and double-crested cormorants. The river corridor provides some of the best habitat in Montana for white-tailed deer, beaver, river otter, muskrats, and mink. Bull trout, a threatened species, and westslope cutthroat trout, a species of concern, use the Flathead, Stillwater and Whitefish rivers for migration and spawning. Riparian forests, wetlands and sloughs along the Flathead River provide important bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout winter habitat. To learn more about the Flathead River corridor between Columbia Falls and Flathead Lake, the wildlife it supports, and how gravel bars and sandbars determine the forest types in the floodplain, see our Critical Lands Status Report <link> (June 12, 2002).
Protecting riparian areas doesn't mean limiting access or recreation. It means using the resource wisely and maintaining the health of sensitive areas. The keys to clean water are healthy riparian areas, wetlands, forested areas and natural, undeveloped floodplains. In addition, conserving these areas protects the scenic value of the Flathead. The following are things we can do to protect riparian areas and maintain the health and beauty of our waters. - Maintain or restore a buffer strip of native vegetation along stream and river banks, lakeshores and wetlands. Buffer Strips help filter out sediments and pollutants from runoff before it enters a stream, river, lake or groundwater.
| - Build on upland areas, away from riparian areas.
| - Maintain your septic system with annual checks, and pump your tank as needed.
| - Keep pets out of riparian areas.
| - Use stream-friendly bank stabilizing methods, such as revegetating with native plants.
| - Avoid activities that destabilize streambanks and harm riparian vegetation, such as clearing existing vegetation.
| - Place a conservation easement on all or portion of your land to protect its riparian areas and wildlife habitat values for future generations.
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- Avoid applying pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers near streams.
| - Don't dispose of yard clippings in streams.
| - Leave natural debris such as leaves and downed branches in place along riparian areas.
| - Use "least-toxic" pest management by integrating biological, mechanical and physical methods with chemical methods. The less toxic the method, the safer it is for aquatic, human, plant and animal life.
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- Fence livestock away from stream and riverbanks.
| - Do not mix, apply, or dispose of weed-control chemicals, used motor oil, or other toxic substances near streams.
| - Use farming practices that reduce soil erosion and increase water infiltration, such as minimum tillage, leaving fields in stubble over winter, and vegetated stream and river banks.
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- Stay on the trails and avoid low spots and watercourses when cycling, horseback riding, hiking or riding ATVs
| - Prevent the spread of noxious weeds and exotic aquatic plants by washing vehicles and boats.
| - Help prevent erosion by boating at no-wake speeds near riverbanks.
| - Take care to avoid spills when fueling boats.
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- Dispose of paints, thinners and other solvents at a household hazardous waste collection facility.
| - Recycle motor oil and antifreeze. Do not dump into waterways, septic system or down storm drains.
| - Use household cleaning products that have less than 0.5 percent phosphorus.
| - Avoid dumping cleaning wastewater into streams or nearby storm drains.
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- Encourage your neighbors, developers, and state and local governments to protect riparian areas in your watershed. Support local land use policies and voluntary stewardship practices to help protect these critical areas.
| - Consider placing a conservation easement on all or part of your land to protect its riparian areas and wildlife habitat values into the future.
| - Join the Flathead Lakers <link to membership> to support our efforts to protect riparian areas, critical lands and water quality.
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As a landowner, you are not on your own in protecting riparian areas. You can get technical and financial assistance from a number of agencies and organizations. They can help you assess the health of a stream or wetland on your property and offer ways to protect it for future generations. - For a list of some programs available for river and stream bank protection or restoration visit our Programs and Regulations <link> section of this website or contact your local Conservation District.
| - Request the Guide to Stream Permitting in Montana from your local Conservation District. It lists the laws that must be followed before initiating any activity in or near a stream, lake or wetland.
| - The Department of Natural Resources and Conservation <link>(406-751-2240) can help you implement grazing Best Management Practices (BMPs) in riparian areas to help protect water quality.
| - Landowners can receive assistance from various agencies and organizations with riparian protection projects including erosion control, bank stabilization, fencing, protecting water quality, forest management, fish and wildlife habitat improvement or protection, irrigation systems improvement, revegetation, and resource protection in crop, ranch and forest lands.
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Riparian Buffers for the Connecticut River Valley provides a good overview of different types of riparian buffers, including backyard buffers, forestland buffers, buffers for habitat, buffers for agricultural land, urban buffers, etc. Remember, this information applies to the east coast and may not always apply to this area.
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