Montana's Riparian Zones from Upper Missouri Waterkeeper on Vimeo.
Waterways and riparian areas have always attracted humans . The impacts on riparian systems, especially in the Western United States, have been considerable. It is estimated that over 70 percent of western riparian habitat has been significantly altered or eliminated by draining, clearing, permanent flooding, diverting and damming.
Upper Missouri Waterkeeper is a nonprofit, grassroots-based organization that serves as a public advocate for healthy waterways and communities covering over 25,000 sq. miles in Southwest and West-Central Montana’s Upper Missouri River Basin.Without healthy riparian buffers all types of pollutants end up in Montana’s rivers and creeks, including: fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides, organic and inorganic compounds, bacteria and viruses, hormones and antibiotics.
Water quantity and water quality are becoming one of the most significant problems in Montana’s Upper Missouri River Basin. Traditional agricultural practices and increasing urbanization accompanying unprecedented population growth are pushing water resources to their limits in many communities.In the face of these challenges there is substantial research data to suggest that riparian buffers – long, contiguous vegetated areas along rivers – are a cost effective tool in mitigating water quality problems.
Unfortunately, many riparian zones in Montana do not function properly because they’ve been degraded to the point that they cannot protect local water quality or provide the resources needed to make them suitable as wildlife habitat or as wildlife corridor.
Healthy riparian buffers keep rivers deep, cold, and clean which directly supports local fisheries health!
Upper Missouri Waterkeeper works every day to create solutions, like riparian buffers, that defend waterways and fisheries from harm and provide critical protection in the future. Join us today by becoming a member and help us protect the Last, Best Rivers in Southwest and West-central Montana.
