Waterfowl and Upland Gamebird Habitat

Bear Creek Waterfowl Enhancement

     Confluence developed waterfowl habitat features to improve hunting on a ranch in Ennis, Montana. These improvements included a pond, providing open water and wetland habitat and a grain plot that can be flooded in the fall. The open water areas provide habitat for loafing and safety from predators, and the wetland areas provide forage and nesting habitat. The flooded grain plot serves as additional forage and attracts waterfowl during the fall hunting season. The plot is planted with grain and seasonally flooded using a diversion, a conveyance ditch, and low berm to impound water. Spring water will be used to supply the wetlands and grain plot, which attract large numbers of waterfowl by maintaining ice-free open water during the winter months.

 

Corral Creek Fishery and Waterfowl Habitat Improvement

     Confluence provided a variety of services to a large ranch in the southern Madison Valley of Montana interested in maximizing angling and waterfowl habitat opportunities. Efforts included the creation of trout habitat in a 5-acre wetland that was too shallow to support fish into an excellent fishery. In addition, the remainder of the wetland was enhanced by creating a diversity of water depths and planting native vegetation, greatly improving the wetland as a breeding, resting, and feeding area for local and migratory waterfowl. Confluence also deepened and augmented the habitat in an existing pond, which had slowly filled over the last thirty years, using methods that had no negative impact on the fishery during construction. Outlet works and the dam were also upgraded and modernized. The pond and wetland now support healthy populations of trout and waterfowl.

Red Rock Ranch Spring Creek Restoration and Wetland Expansion

     Confluence was approached by the Red Rock Ranch in Montana to investigate the feasibility of creating a fish passage corridor between the highly productive Red Rock River and a small, degraded spring creek with a shallow irrigation pond. The owner's objectives were to enhance the spawning opportunities for the river fishery while also creating a series of interconnected wetland and angling pond complexes. We prepared a plan which contained a suite of options carefully balancing the creation of waterfowl attraction, feeding, and loafing areas, with a viable bank and float tube fishery.