 There
are several sloughs, also known as oxbow wetlands, along
the Flathead River as seen in the Landsat 5 image to the
left (larger image, 117 kb; largest
image, 623 kb). Oxbow
wetlands are crescent-shaped lakes lying along a
winding river. The oxbow is created over time as erosion and deposits
of soils change the river's course, cutting off the oxbow
from the river's channel.
Egan, Church, Half Moon, Fennon, McWenneger and Weaver sloughs are naturally created oxbow wetlands associated with a previous course of the Flathead River. This complex of sloughs is located north of Flathead Lake along the Flathead River. Weaver Slough lies along the previous course of the river when it flowed into Flathead Lake at Somers. The river's ability to form new sloughs has been reduced by Hungry Horse Dam and development, making these existing sloughs and associated wetlands irreplaceable.
The sloughs are used by a great number of migratory waterfowl, osprey, upland game birds, great blue heron and double-crested cormorants. Waterfowl move between the sloughs and Flathead Lake for food and nesting cover. The riparian and wetlands associated with the sloughs provide imporant habitat for river otter and other wildlife that travel along the river.
These sloughs also provide habitat for a number of threatened and endangered species, including bald eagles, bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout. Bull and westslope cutthroat trout were tracked using radiotelemetry by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks between 1999 and 2002 (Hungry Horse Mitigation Project). These fish were found to overwinter in the mainstem of the Flathead River, particularly near wetlands and sloughs along the Flathead River that have extensive vegetation cover, such as woody debris and overhanging riparian vegetation.
Farming is the predominant land use in the slough area. The area has some of the finest agricultural soils in Montana, comparable to the soils in the Midwestern "bread basket."
Landowners around Egan Slough worked together to form a local zoning district to help protect and preserve agricultural land in the area. Last December, the County Commissioners approved the zoning district which includes limiting land subdivision to 80 acres to help maintain the area's farming character.
The sloughs and associated wetlands are within the floodplain of the Flathead River and provide important floodplain functions for the river, including water storage, flood prevention and protecting water quality. Wetlands help take up and store nutrients in the wetland vegetation.
To learn more about wetlands and how you can help protect them, visit our web site (www.flatheadlakers.org). Additional information can be found in A Landowners' Guide to Montana Wetlands, available electronically at http://nris.state.mt.us/wis/wetlands/, or you can get a copy by calling the Montana Watercourse at 406-994-6671.
-- Constanza von der Pahlen
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