Celebrate Earth Day by helping to plant 800 native trees in Butte!

The Worlds Most Sophisticated Drift Boat Sails Lake Berkeley

Photo from the Montana Standard

A story in Butte's Montana Standard described the successful launch of a drift boat drone. It was developed at Montana Tech. They had had some technical issues with the launch earlier in the week. The boat is designed to be remote controlled and also collect water samples of the toxic pit water.

Montana Tech Restoration Seminar Presents: Robert Moler of EPA

The public is invited and encouraged to attend this, and all Restoration Seminars!

Earth Day Tree Planting in Butte

Join Butte - Siver Bow, Montana Tech, the Montana State University Extension, and the Energy Corps this Saturday at the West Gagnon mineyard to plant trees and celebrate Earth Day.

Montana Tech Restoration Ecology Seminar Presents: Rob Roberts of Trout Unlimited

Tomorrow, April 6, 2016, the Montana Tech Ecological Restoration Seminar presents Rob Roberts of Trout Unlimited.  

Rob has been spearheading stream restoration projects all along the Clark Fork.  He started the Nine Mile valley work and is now working on the Upper Little Blackfoot River, an important tributary to the Upper Clark Fork.

This is not one to be missed!!  The seminar is on the Montana Tech campus, in Butte, Montana in the Chemistry and Biology Building (room 102) @ 4 pm.  This seminar is open to the public!

I'll see you there!

Montana Tech Restoration Ecology Seminar presents: Dr. Cara Nelson of the University of Montana

Dr. Cara Nelson is the Associate Professor of Restoration Ecology and the Undergraduate Program Director for Ecological Restoration.  She is also the Vice Chair (former Chair) of the Society for Ecological Restoration, an international nonprofit committed to promoting "ecological restoration as a means of sustaining the diversity of life on Earth and reestablishing an ecologically healthy relationship between nature and culture."

She is also one of my mentors, previous boss, and great friend.

Her talk is titled "Setting Appropriate Goals for Restoration."  The seminar is on the Montana Tech Campus in Butte, Montana in the Chemistry and Biology Building (room 102) today November 18, 2015, @ 4 pm.

Montana Tech Orediggers beat #1 Southern Oregon for conference title!

Congrats to the MT Tech football team for beating the #1 ranked Southern Oregon Raiders for a share of the Frontier Conference Title!!

Montana Tech Restoration Ecology Seminar Presents: Len Ballek of Herrera Environmental Consulting

Len Ballek is the Senior Ecologist for Herrera Environmental Consulting and has a ton of experience with ecological restoration all over the West.  His talk is titled "Basics of Effective Native Plant Restoration"  The seminar is on the Montana Tech Campus in Butte, Montana in the Chemistry and Biology Building (room 102) today November 4, 2015, @ 4 pm.

Revegetation is a major aspect of both land and stream restoration, as seen in this picture in the Upper Clark Fork Area. Plus, it provides a place for the dog to hide...

Montana Tech Restoration Ecology Seminar Presents: Casey Hackathorn of TU

Casey Hackathorn is the Upper Clark Fork Project manager for Trout Unlimited National.  His talk is titled "Watershed Scale Restoration Planning for the Upper Clark Fork."  The seminar is on the Montana Tech Campus in Butte, Montana in the Chemistry and Biology Building (room 102) today October 14, 2015 @ 4 pm.

Read more about the restoration and trout conservation in the Upper Clark Fork Drainage here.

MT Tech's Restoration Ecology Seminar presents: Rayelynn Connole of CFWEP

Rayelynn Connole's talk is titled "Remedy or Restoration."  The seminar is on the Montana Tech Campus in Butte, Montana in the Chemistry and Biology Building (room 102) today September 16, 2015 @ 4 pm.

RBM presents, Death by a Thousand Cuts: Restoring Stream Connectivity and Flows for Native Fish in the Land of Irrigation Diversions

The above picture is a map made by Trout Unlimited of the irrigation diversions in the Little Blackfoot Valley in Montana.  We used this info to perform the Upper Clark Fork Fish Passage Assessment for the MT Natural Resource Damages Program.

Tomorrow at 4:00 pm, I will be giving a public presentation on the conservation and restoration issues posed by the insane amount of irrigation diversions on Montana streams.  The presentation will be in the Chemistry and Biology Building on the Montana Tech campus in Butte, Montana tomorrow, Sept. 9th 2015.  Come and learn how these diversions affect our native fish and how folks are coming together to restore stream connectivity and stop fish entrainment in irrigation ditches.

Graduate School is killing me

The Campus of Montana Tech from Big Butte

I don't have much fishy news to post today.  That is because I've been living in a greenhouse and a graduate office.  I have not touched my fly rod in almost 1 week.  I'm dying!!  I can't even read the fishing reports because they make me crazy.  Tonight is the George Grant Chapter Trout Unlimited Banquet and I don't know if that will help or just hurt more.  Either way, I'm excited about it.  I'll be back on the river soon.

The Original Headframe in Uptown Butte with the Highlands Mountains 

Until then, Tap 'er light!

More big news at RBM headquarters



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am humbled, honored, and beyond excited to have been accepted into the Montana Tech family.  Origionally known as the Montana State School of Mines, MT Tech is a bad-ass little school on the hill in Butte, America.

 

I never thought I'd get my high school diploma, let alone, graduate from college.  Now, I'll be taking my crazy little life to a whole new horizon; graduate school.  Yikes!

 

Butte is right in the center of western Montana.  I will literally be surrounded by world famous trout streams in all directions.  There is also some great fishing right in and around town. 

 

For those of you that don't know, Butte is also one of the craziest places you will ever go, as well as a huge EPA Superfund Site.  I'll be doing my work/studies right in the mess on the hill.

 

Look forward to reports on my new adventures, discoveries, and stories from one of the coolest cities in the country. 

 

GO DIGGERS!!

 

Seriously Homesick

Mount Powell and the upper Clark Fork

I am having some pretty serious fishing withdrawals and it looks like I won't get to go home anytime soon.

To the faithful blog readers: I've been way out beyond any internet connection for 3 weeks now and it looks like I'll be down here for another month.  Yep, I'm missing September in Montana and you might as well just rip my heart out.

The fishing sucks here, it's hot, and there's not a real trout stream for 100's of miles.  I can not wait to be back in Montana!!

I'm trying to stay strong - I and the blog will make it through this.  I'd rather be playing disk golf in some mine waste.

The disk golf course in the mine waste behind Montana Tech in Butte - WTF?