Upper Spotted Dog Creek Restoration

The Spotted Dog Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is a 38,000-acre state-owned site situated just west of the continental divide in Montana. The WMA consists of extensive wet meadows and beaver complexes impacted by agricultural land uses prior to state ownership. Built in 2021, the Upper Spotted Dog Creek restoration project addressed one mile of degraded stream and floodplain in a meadow impacted by grazing and irrigation. The work included channel realignment, floodplain reconnection, and installation of streambank structures and riffles to improve habitat for native westslope cutthroat trout and set the stage for the return of beaver activity.