The Sun River Watershed Group is a consensus driven, multi-stakeholder entity that strives to promote community based efforts that will preserve our quality of life and livelihoods while promoting and enhancing the natural resources of our watershed. We operate as an: 1) Open forum to discuss and solve natural resource issues; 2) Provide resources for assisting private landowners with management decisions; 3) Act as a liaison between management agencies and the public; and 4) Catalyst for voluntary conservation and resources and community enhancement.

Over the years, controversy was a way of life in the basin, with battle lines drawn over the issues of water rights, erosion causes and effects, water for fisheries, water quality conditions and recreational needs.  This “tug-of-war” drastically changed ten years ago, when the Muddy Creek Task force organized the conflicting parties into a group working as a team to voluntarily resolve one of the worst nonpoint source pollution problems in Montana.  The group ascertained innovative and proactive ways to tackle a problem that had stagnated for more than 30 years.  From the beginning they agreed, once the project had a good start, to expand the boundaries and participation to encompass the entire Sun River Watershed.  After just a few years, following demonstration of many successes in Muddy Creek , project leaders felt it was feasible to attack the larger area using proven collaboration skills and techniques.

            Education is the primary instrument by which the project functions to insure everyone has a similar opportunity to understand issues, even though values may differ.  Realizing that regulatory solutions to issues frequently designate a winner and a loser, the watershed’s approach has made successful use of a collaborative process to facilitate consensus.  Groups and individuals are empowered to play a major role in their own destiny.  Numerous win-win outcomes have been achieved through this process dealing with contentious water quality and quantity issues among others.

Brochures, television news spots, many newspaper articles, county fair presentations, slide shows, workshops and field tours also aided in reaching a very diverse cross section of the public and educating them about project issues.  Several teachers have been enlisted to help youth learn about the watershed.  Landowners are contacted through several member organizations as well as one-on-one when doing project assessment, planning and implementation work.