by Gallatin River Task Force | Oct 20, 2020 | Sustainable Watershed Stewardship Plan, Wastewater Management and Reuse, Water Quality
“It’s the nutrients, stupid.” That’s a paraphrase of the now-classic campaign line by James Carville, but when it comes to improving water quality in the Big Sky area, the solution is almost that simple. If we want cleaner water, we must reduce the concentration of...
by Gallatin River Task Force | Oct 20, 2020 | Big Sky Water Conservation, Water Quality
Walking, biking, or driving around Big Sky this time of year, one thing always stands out: bright green Kentucky bluegrass lawns. While meadows and hillsides go from brown to browner, residential and commercial lots in the Meadow and Mountain villages and the Town...
by Gallatin River Task Force | May 19, 2020 | Big Sky Water Conservation, Trout-Friendly Landscaping
When I set out to write this article about landscaping, native wildflowers, and summer irrigation, it was dumping snow and below freezing. Now, it’s 65 and sunny. Ahhhhhh, spring in Montana. The calendar might say one thing, but Mother Nature always has her own...
by Gallatin River Task Force | May 4, 2020 | Big Sky Water Conservation, Sustainable Watershed Stewardship Plan, Water Quality
Recently, I stopped along the Gallatin to enjoy a peaceful moment at the river’s edge. Pulling into the access site adjacent to the Hwy. 191 stoplight, I expected an idyllic scene of slow-moving, crystal clear water. What I got was the opposite. Originating from...
by Gallatin River Task Force | Apr 15, 2020 | Big Sky Water Conservation, Sustainable Watershed Stewardship Plan, Wastewater Management and Reuse, Water Quality
Big Sky has a poop problem. Rapid growth and decentralized infrastructure have led to three streams flowing through our community below state standards for water quality. Higher-than-ideal levels of certain nutrients qualify the streams as impaired, and these...
