The O'Dell Headwaters Restoration Film

The O’Dell Creek Headwaters Restoration Film (temporary title) is a film about the story of a spring fed creek near Ennis Montana and the people who have made it what it is. Though merely a small tributary of the Madison River, it is one of Montana’s and for that matter the nation’s, premier trout streams, but like its waters which meander from springs eventually feeding into the Madison River the story of the O’Dell Creek meanders through time with twists and turns of its own.

On the eastern bluff above the O’Dell headwaters one can find circles of large stones laying on the surface. These tipi rings tell us that the stream and accompanying wetlands below long ago supported a village of native Americans. In the 20th Century ranching came to dominate the livelihood of the valley’s people and things began to change for the upper O’Dell creek. During the 1950’s, in an era of “progress” for the nation, the creek took a turn for the worse. The prevailing thinking at the time was that any ranchland not utilized for production was land wasted. Digging a series of straight-line ditches drained the wetland at the headwaters of O’Dell in order to create pasture and haying fields. The ranchers considered the loss of over a thousand acres of fish and avian habitat insignificant. At that time there were plenty of other places to catch fish and for birds to nest.

As the years slowly passed the long-term results of the drainage began to be noticed. The straight-line ditch was a poor habitat for fish. The cattle broke banks along the remaining streambed widening the channel and made it less suitable as breeding habitat for fish. As the sun beat down on the shallow water, hatchlings hardly had a chance to survive while predators easily picked them out. Fishermen commented that the fishing just wasn’t what it used to be. The Fish and Wildlife Service made attempts to replenish trout populations by restocking the O’Dell with hatchery-raised fish yet unfortunately numbers and size continued to slump. The pasture and haying fields were not as productive as they were expected to be. Where cattle grazed along the stream they pounded the ground into pugs and hummocks a condition that exposes the shallow roots of the native grasses. As the water table dropped large willows died and no longer provided nutrition for either wild or domestic grazing animals during the winter months.

Long-term damage had occurred to what was left of the Odell headwaters. The water table in some areas had dropped by as much as eight feet leaving former streambeds high and dry. Acres of habitat for fish, mammals and birds of all kinds had disappeared. Many nesting species of birds lost areas for breeding while other migrating birds lost an important layover. The ditch eroded and carried away tons of silt clogging the streams and rivers below. Uncontrolled grazing would continue to degrade water quality if corrective measures were not taken. Left on its own the wetland and riparian area could not return to its original abundance.

Today a better awareness of the relationship of wetlands and riparian areas to the broader environment supersedes the view that nature can be controlled without consiquence. Techniques for managing cattle on ranchland without negative impacts on the ecosystem have been developed. The value of a balanced ecosystem is factored into long-term productivity of ranchland and a movement is advancing to correct some of the mistakes of the past. Ranches, government agencies, private industry, and nonprofit groups have become partners to provide funding to address the problems. A company specializing in wetland restoration is plugging the ditch, digging new meandering channels and repairing old stream banks. The new “engineered” stream includes protective overhanging banks and gravel riffles to create better habitat for the trout. The filled ditch has become a series of ponds for waterfowl while adjacent banks provide valuable nesting areas. Better fencing and pasture rotation will not only protect the wetland but will also allow the ranchers to more closely control the nutritional requirements of the herd through the seasons.

The story of the restoration of the O’Dell however is really the story of a group of people who are succeeding in preserving one of nature’s beautiful creations. This is a complex task involving a wide range of skills. Securing the area of the project involves cooperation with multiple landowners whose property lines transect the wetland. First one ranch then another came on board allowing easements to guarantee their contributions in perpetuity. Partners were found to share with the financing. A wide range of scientists and engineers developed the plan to transform the wetland to its former glory. The project engineer hired skilled excavators with knowledge and sensitivity to wetland conditions. They rearranged acres of soil, rock and living sod. Students volunteered to help fence some of the protected stream during recovery. This project is too large for any one entity to accomplish alone yet with a common goal this group has been able to come together to create or rather re-create the bountiful wetland that once filled the valley.

This film tells the story of those people. It chronicles their dedication to protect one of Montana’s national treasures. It is the story of conservationists and industrial leaders teaming together for a common purpose. It is the story of a skeptical rancher who saw that environmentalism and profitable ranching do not conflict but reinforce. It is the story of the learning of trust between industry and government. It is the story that when people work together great things can be accomplished. Several interviewed for this film thus far have stated that this is a model project. It is a model project in a greater sense than merely as a map to wetland restoration in a small corner in the great Montana landscape. It is a model in that it illustrates how people with different backgrounds, different motivations, different interests but a common goal can create a benefit to all. It is a model of cooperation and partnership and how we can go about solving even larger environmental problems facing our nation and the rest of the world.