Upper Missouri Waterkeeper Inc

In its 11th year, Upper Missouri Waterkeeper secured a landmark litigation victory both halting the unlawful use of exempt wells and affirming the role of local government review for water resource impacts in subdivision development applications across the State of Montana. The organization also performed the largest-scale citizen-science water quality monitoring field season across the 9,000 square miles of the Jefferson sub-basin, focusing on collecting baseline data for temperature, dissolved oxygen, and nutrient parameters to better understand local water quality conditions amid a 40-year low in wild trout population numbers. The organization engaged over 100 volunteers in a variety of water restoration and advocacy projects, and reviewed and participated in over two-dozen government decisions concerning water resource management with a focus on improving protections for fishable, swimmable, drinkable water.