Ruby Three Forks Corral:
II A. Introduction:
This project is the result of a partnership between the Ruby Valley Stock Association,
the Beaverhead Deer Lodge National Forest, Madison Ranger District and the Ruby Watershed
Council. The goal of the project is to improve livestock management to reduce the near stream
sediment impacts within a targeted sub-basin in the upper Ruby watershed. Specifically the
project seeks to relocate and reclaim an historic 5 acre livestock sorting corral located adjacent to
Tributary Creek, harden a livestock water gap and stream crossing sites, and install a new culvert
to improve road drainage from a hillside spring site.
II B. Statement of Need and Intent:
As recommended in the 2006 Ruby River TMDL, the Ruby Watershed Council has
identified the Upper Ruby River Area and associated tributaries as a target region for reducing
sediment loads related to grazing and livestock management. This area encompasses the three
main forks of the Ruby River and many of the smaller, often unnamed tributaries to each of the
three forks. Within the TMDL, the primary factors for impairment in most of the listed streams
in the upper Ruby area are attributed to sediment sources, with an estimated total of 135,465
tons/year. The largest amount of sediment, 95,531 tons/year documented in the near-stream
sediment source inventory cites natural sources such as landslides, slumping, natural stream scour
and slope failures as well as wildlife grazing and trampling. The human induced near stream
sources account for an estimated 53,083 tons/year of sediment yield and include grazing, roads,
mining impacts, irrigation and vegetation clearing. The TMDL targets specifically recommend
reducing the overall sediment delivery from each of these sources in the following table:
Table 7-6. Summary of Allocations by Sediment Source.
Large Sources
Sediment yield from grazing sources
Reduce sediment delivery from grazing by 51%.
Sediment yield from road sources
Reduce sediment delivery from roads by 60%.
Sediment yield from other near-stream sediment
sources
Allocations to other sources of sediment such as
historic mining impacts, irrigation, vegetation
clearing, and stream channelization will be addressed
in water body-specific discussions. The allocation for
these types of sources cannot be estimated at a scale
for the whole Ruby TPA.
The TMDL document also specifically states: Addressing upland sediment sources as
well as the highest sediment loading near-stream sources would provide a reduction of 51% of
the total load attributed to grazing. This estimate assumes management changes will allow
grazing in listed watersheds with reasonable land, soil and water conservation practices in place.
The overall allocation for all grazing sources (upland plus near-stream) is a 51% reduction in
loads.
The Ruby Watershed Council Water Quality Technical Advisory Committee is in the
process of developing a five year restoration implementation plan based on the TMDL
recommendations, and has identified the upper Ruby basin as a critical area for initiating projects
that will reduce the human induced impacts and sediment delivery in the area.. The upper Ruby
area contains primarily US Forest Service owned lands and as a federal partner the USFS is very
motivated to address the TMDL target guidelines. The Madison Ranger district has been working
closely with the local livestock producers to identify specific sites and management techniques
that will have the greatest impact on near stream grazing sediment allocations. As listed in the
TMDL document and in the chart below, the Upper Ruby River is listed as the 3rd largest human
induced sediment producing area. Although Ramshorn Creek is listed as the largest source, it has
complicating issues with road management, is chronically dewatered and rarely connects with the
Ruby River. Regarding Sweetwater Creek, several grazing management and offsite water
improvements have been completed since the TMDL was developed and more are being
addressed. Thus, the next largest contributing area is the Upper Ruby River. Within the Upper
Ruby, the East Fork and Warm Springs basins are identified as contributing the most sediment.
(See attached maps, Figure 3 & Figure16) The Forest Service is actively working on the Warm
Springs road to address a large amount of the sediment allocation for that identified area. Within
this particular area, the three main tributaries, the East Fork, the Middle Fork and the West Fork
converge to form the Ruby. The East Fork sub basin was selected based on the willingness of the
permittees & partners, the importance of the small tributaries in the arctic grayling reintroduction
efforts and the potential for significant, publically visible, improvements for livestock
management and BMP’s in the headwaters region.
Ramshorn Creek
Proportion of Loading from Near Stream Grazing
Sw eetw ater Creek
Upper Ruby River
Warm Springs
Alder Gulch Creek
Indian Creek
Burnt Creek
Coal Creek
Ruby River Low er
Middle Fork Ruby River
Wisconsin Creek
Cottonw ood Creek
Currant Creek
East Fork Ruby River
Poison Creek
Garden Creek
Mormon Creek
Basin Creek
Mill Creek
Granite Creek
California Creek
West Fork Ruby
Clear Creek
Shovel Creek
Haw keye Creek
Table 7-14. Sediment Allocations and TMDL for East Fork Ruby River.
Current Estimated
Load (Tons/Yr)
Sediment Load
Allocations
1269
51% reduction in loading
Natural Background
4876
Not applicable
Total Load
6145
11% reduction in loading
Sources
Anthropogenic
Nonpoint Sources
Grazing
Specifically, the project involves moving the 5 acre sorting corral facility from its
current location on the north side of Tributary Creek and constructing a new corral south
of the cow camp on a dry sagebrush ridge just off the main Ruby Centennial road. The
location of the current facility creates a multitude of management and resource issues.
The cattle sorting corral is located upstream from the horse corrals/cow camp and access
to the upper sorting corrals is via a problematic road alongside Tributary Creek. The road
is used primarily for vehicle access to the corrals and also to trail cattle from the sorting
corrals to the cow camp/loading area for shipping. Every October the Ruby Valley Stock
Association producers gather all of the cattle (4640 head) from the surrounding
allotments and move them to the sorting corrals, many of which cross Tributary Creek
and the East Fork of the Ruby with extremely large herds. The corrals cannot
accommodate all of the cattle simultaneously, so as the cattle are sorted and separated
they are trailed to their respective holding pastures, often crossing the streams again.
When the cattle are ready to be shipped many are trailed down the Tributary creek road to
the loading corrals where they are loaded onto the semi trucks. Another group of
permittees from the Eureka Basin also use the sorting facility and trail in from the south
using the same route, crossing Tributary Creek and the East Fork of the Ruby multiple
times with their 1524 head of cattle. The total number of cattle crossing the streams
multiple times, often in snow or rain, is 6164. The location of the facility and the large
number of animals utilizing the area over a short duration, often in wet weather, creates a
muddy, sediment laden mess.
The new sorting facility would be located on a dry upland site just off of the main
Ruby Centennial road. The new location would greatly reduce the number of stream
crossings to access the site, as well as provide direct access from the main road for the
semi trailers to the facility, reducing the number of times the cattle need to be moved.
Many of the cattle could be trailed directly down the Ruby Centennial road to the corral
and load out facility, reducing the stream crossings completely. Cattle could be readily
separated, sorted and loaded without impacting the adjacent streams and tributaries. The
new corral facility would also contain scales for the semi trucks to weigh immediately
before and after loading on site, greatly increasing the overall value for the producers. In
the current location the cattle must be trailed down the Tributary Creek road to the load
out corrals and the trucks park on the main road for loading, creating a safety hazard.
Also, the trucks must utilize scales in Alder, MT which is 30 dirt road miles away, thus
the cattle are not weighed until they have traveled a good distance.
In an effort to address many of the cattle related sediment sources in this region,
the project also involves creating a hardened water gap and crossing on Tributary Creek
in an area where the crossing and the water gap exist separately, but only a few hundred
yards apart. The water gap serves to provide water for cattle that utilize the Burnt Creek
allotment to the south of Tributary Creek (See photo). Additionally, there is another
crossing site about ¼ mile upstream on Tributary Creek that would be hardened to reduce
the sediment. As part of a larger project, the Forest Service is also considering hardened
crossings on several small tributaries to the west of the Ruby Centennial Road within this
same allotment area, but the NEPA scoping still needs to be completed for those areas.
The Ruby Watershed Council has a proven track record of successfully completing
watershed restoration and education projects, recently completed a 319 groundwater surface
water interaction model, and is actively working on several other watershed grants and projects.
The Ruby Watershed Council works very closely with the Ruby Valley Conservation District to
provide outreach, education and project implementation to meet the goals of the TMDL and water
quality restoration documents.
II C. Collaborative Effort:
This project is the result of a collaborative planning effort between the USFS Madison
Ranger District, the Ruby Valley Stock Association & Eureka Basin Grazing Association;
(Bradley Livestock, LC, Silver Spring Ranch, Ashcraft Ranch, Inc., Ostler Ranch, Point of Rocks
Angus Ranch, Rick & Jody Sandru, Ladder Canyon Ranch, Hamilton Ranches, Inc and the Ruby
Dell Ranch); the Ruby Watershed Council & Ruby Valley Conservation District; and the MT
FWP Arctic Grayling Recovery Team. This project provides a great example of how local
producers, local agencies and federal land managers can work together to address natural resource
concerns that are mutually beneficial. The potential area of impact encompasses over 70,000
acres of Forest Service land, over 6,000 head of cattle, over 20 families and provides positive
results for multiple willing partners.
II D. Project Planning and Management:
Since the project is truly a collaborative effort, each partner is responsible for managing
their respective roles in the implementation and successful management of the project. The Ruby
Watershed Council will provide the overall project management, will coordinate the various
components and partners and will be responsible for ensuring that the project is funded,
implemented to its design standards, complies with state procurement guidelines and completed
in a timely and efficient manner. The Watershed Council and Ruby Valley Conservation District
will also be fiscally responsible for the administration, reporting and will provide public outreach
to highlight the benefits of the successful project. The Ruby Stock Association is responsible for
the removal and reclamation of the existing corrals and adjacent areas, installation and
maintenance of improvements for the new corral facility, and cost and labor share for the new
road and culvert replacements. The producers are also responsible for using Best Management
Practices to further reduce potential sediment loads in managing livestock throughout their FS
allotments. In addition to overseeing management of the allotments and continued cooperation
with the producers, the Madison Ranger District will provide cost share for the road and culvert
improvements, hardened crossing design and installation oversight, and stream monitoring. The
Forest Service will also continue to monitor the range and site conditions to ensure BMP
compliance.
Section III Project Components
III A. Reporting Requirements:
The RVCD is experienced in administrative 319 reporting requirements and will comply
with the MDEQ reporting format, tracking of budgets, match summaries and schedule for
quarterly, annual and final grant administration reports. The RVCD understands the importance
of proper grant reporting and will work hand in hand with MDEQ to ensure adequate reporting is
provided. The reports will be provided in hard copy and appropriate electronic formats.
III B. Education and Outreach:
A large portion of the public outreach for this project will be achieved simply through
the numbers of partners and families that are directly involved. Many of the producers will
provide their own time, energy and money to complete the project and all will benefit from the
results. In rural communities such as the Ruby watershed (population 1200), positive results
spread quickly. Also, the Ruby Watershed Council is dedicated to education and outreach and
will provide monthly progress reports to the watershed council and the Ruby Valley Conservation
District. Additionally the project will be located just off of the main Ruby Centennial road that
is used by a large number of recreationalists from out of the area.
III C. Project Implementation:
The partners for this project have been meeting over the course of several months to
discuss and plan for the project design and implementation. The specific tasks, responsibilities
and costs are outlined in the Scope of Work below, as well as a projected timeline for completion
in the Project Milestone table. Most of the project will occur during the summer of 2009
simultaneously. The corral fencing portion will be done by a fencing contractor. The grazing
association is responsible for the old site cleanup and should complete the fence removal in a few
days once the new corrals are erected. Since the area is remote, it is best to get the equipment on
site and complete many of the projects concurrently. Thus, following the clean up and regrading
of the corral site, the association will install the road culvert and then install the scale at the new
corral site. The forest service will oversee and have the contractor complete all hardened
crossings at one time to reduce the mobilization and gravel delivery costs. The Forest Service
road crew will build the new corral access road in the late summer. If all goes on schedule the
new facility will be operational before fall of 2009.
III D. Operation & Maintenance:
The Ruby Stock Association members are committed to making this project work and
maintaining the facility. They are donating a large amount of time, equipment and money to
remove and reclaim the historic facility site, and certainly have a vested interest in maintaining
the new corrals. They are also very working hard on integrating best management practices with
managing their herds on these allotments and throughout the Ruby TPA. The Association also
agrees to provide all of the weed maintenance on the old site for the next 5 years, and at the new
site continuously. Maintenance of the hardened crossings and water gap are also a shared
responsibility of the association and the forest service. The Forest Service is providing the design
specifications, the implementation oversight and will monitor the sites for maintenance issues.
The producers and stock riders will also participate in the monitoring and maintenance assurance
for the stream sites.
III E. Monitoring:
Most of the before, after and long term monitoring will be completed by the Forest
Service. The local range conservationist is in the area consistently and monitors for grazing
compliance for the permittees, but he will also include the project sites for regular inspection and
photo monitoring. The local office will also work with the regional FS hydrologist to provide
water quality sampling before and after project completion to quantify sediment reduction.
Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks also provides regular monitoring of the resident fish populations
and have been utilizing the small tributaries for grayling reintroduction efforts for the past several
years. They have long term data that will aid in quantifying fish numbers, utilization and habitat
improvements for the area. The Ruby Watershed Council also participates in disseminating the
information and results at council and conservation district meetings.
Section IV Scope of Work:
Goal 1: Relocate Corral/Sorting Facility
Task 1: New Corral Fencing: Will contract to design and build a new corral livestock
sorting facility located at an upland site just off the main Ruby River Road.
Responsible Party:
Contractor
319 Cost:
50,000.00
Match:
20,000.00
Total:
Timeline:
Outputs:
70,000.00
Early Summer 2009.
New 5 acre livestock corral/sorting facility
Task 2: Corral improvements: Provide on site weighing facility and scales for direct
livestock loading and truck weighing.
Responsible Party:
Grazing Association
319 Cost:
0.00
Match:
23,000.00
Total:
23,000.00
Timeline:
Mid to late summer 2009
Output:
Truck scales and installation for on site weighing
Task 3: Build New Corral Road: Design and construct, to Forest Service standards,
new access road from the Ruby River Road to sorting facility site, approximately ½ mile
long, capable of supporting semi tractor use.
Responsible Party:
USFS
319 Cost:
0
Match:
7,000.00 (federal)
Total:
7,000.00
Timeline:
Summer 2009
Output:
½ mile access road from Ruby Centennial road to new
corral facility.
Goal 2: Remove & reclaim existing corral
Task 4:Fencing removal and site reclamation: The association will tear down old
corral fences and remove, or burn on site, clean and recontour the site, reseed with native
seed and provide annual weed maintenance for 5 years.
Responsible Party:
Grazing Association
319 Cost:
0.00
Match:
7,500.00
Total:
7,500.00
Timeline:
Summer 2009
Output:
Clean and reclaimed historic corral site.
Goal 3: Reduce livestock/stream bank impacts
Task 5: Water Gap/Crossings: Provide 2 hardened livestock crossing sites and combine
one of them with a 50’ water gap on Tributary creek.
Responsible Party:
Contractor/USFS
319 Cost:
8,000.00
Match:
2,000.00 (Federal)
Total:
10,000.00
Timeline:
Summer 2009
Output:
Improved water quality in Tributary Creek and
associated water
Task 6: Road Culvert: Replace smashed culvert to channel hillside spring water and
reduce road sedimentation in Tributary Creek.
Responsible Party:
Grazing Association
319 Cost:
1,500.00
Match:
1,500.00
Total:
3,000.00
Timeline:
Summer 2009
Output:
Reduced sediment input into Tributary creek and
improved water quality.
Goal 4: Project Evaluation
Task 7: Monitoring, NEPA and permitting: The Forest Service is responsible for all
phases of environmental compliance and site monitoring before, during and after the
project completion. They will work with the RWC and the Arctic Grayling team to set
up a sampling analysis plan and monitoring to evaluate sediment reduction.
Responsible Party:
USFS
319 Cost:
0
Match:
10,000.00 (federal)
Total:
10,000.00
Timeline:
Ongoing
Output:
Evaluation of project success, monitoring to determine
sediment reduction, and environmental compliance
oversight.
Goal 5: Project Coordination, Outreach, Education & Administration
Task 8: Coordination, Outreach & Education: The RWC will coordinate all aspects of
project management, outreach and public education highlighting the benefits of the
collaborative project, as well as coordinating with the RVCD for fiscal and project
administration.
Responsible Party:
Ruby Watershed Council
319 Cost:
2,000.00
Match:
2,000.00
Total:
4,000.00
Timeline:
Ongoing
Output:
Project coordination, management and outreach among
the partners and public.
Task 9: Administration
Responsible Party:
319 Cost:
Match:
Total:
Timeline:
Output:
Requested 319 Funds:
Non-federal Match:
Federal Match:
Total Project Cost:
RVCD
6,000.00
0
6,000.00
Ongoing
Fiscal administration and timely submission of invoices,
quarterly and final reports.
67,500.00
54,000.00
19,000.00
140,500.00