Helena National Forest

Elkhorns Wildlife Management Unit

Crow Creek Falls Essay

Elkhorns: Recreation: Crow Creek Falls Essay

Northern Region News: January 03
Jodie Canfield, Townsend Ranger District 1991 - 2005
Helena National Forest

Reclaiming Crow Creek Falls

There once was a new mother who hiked into a waterfall in the Elkhorn Mountains carrying her baby in a front pack. This woman was anxious to see what was going on in her domain. She stayed long enough for a few pictures, just to capture the beauty of the falls, the innocence of the baby, and the junk scattered on the ground next to the falls.

Over the years, the woman, a Forest Service wildlife biologist, hiked into the falls many times – several of them accompanied by a growing toddler and then a young boy. Each time, the woman lamented that the debris from the nearby mining operation desecrated the beauty of the falls. The young boy saw only rocks and water.

I returned, no longer a young woman, to that same waterfall this past September with my now 9-year old son and his 2 buddies. This time the hike was to oversee a long awaited operation to remove the debris and heavy equipment that polluted the area surrounding the waterfall.

The dream that many have had, that Crow Creek Falls would someday be a pristine recreational destination, free of its burdens of past mining and abuse, finally came to fruition.

So what happened to make this seemingly impossible task became a reality? It took synergy from a diverse group of local folks. Ernie Nunn, ex-Forest Supervisor of the Helena National Forest who was savvy about the falls, also knew the right people to get involved in this project, including local businessman Mitch Godfrey, and a local resident, ex-Forest Service Regional Forester, Butch Marietta. Butch was on the board of American Land Conservancy, the non-profit specializing in creative conservation solutions to threatened land and water that ultimately bought the Crow Creek Falls property with the intent of getting it into public ownership. Lynn Robson of Helena helped to keep the group organized and efficient.

Even with a landowner committed to conservation, there was the problem of how to yank out the junk that sat at the base of the falls for over 20 years. The access from the existing “trail” to the base of the falls was a drop of some 100 feet on a slope composed of slippery shale. Clean up was further complicated by the fact that the falls existed in the “Wilderness Study Area” of the Elkhorn Wildlife Management Unit, and so motorized access was restricted. The Crow Creek Falls Group was convinced that these obstacles could be overcome.

The Montana Mining Association (MMA) became involved in the Crow Falls project as a way to show that modern-day miners are concerned about the past legacy that other miners left behind. In conjunction with Graymont Western US Inc. (a mining company in Townsend) several key members of MMA came up with a plan and the means to make the plan happen on the ground. Graymont, Montana Power and Equipment (MP & E), Quarry Services, and Broadwater County all donated equipment. Duane Carter of Helena contributed time and mechanical expertise. Ernie and Carolyn Nunn provided lots of barbeque. Beth Ihle from the Forest Service spurred on the project with her endless energy as well as her homemade peach pie.

My hat is off to Elton Chorney, the manager at Graymont, Dick Juntunen, a private consultant who specializes in mining reclamation, Steve Heitschmidt, a heavy equipment operator, and John Hinther, maintenance supervisor at Graymont. These folks had the intestinal fortitude to move tons of metal up a slope that was steep and fragile and for which they could of lost expensive equipment and even their lives if something had failed.

In two weeks the property at the base of Crow Creek Falls was transformed from a junkyard to a site with a future of picnics and family photographs. Mitch Godfrey and I were the last of the work party to leave the falls when the work was done on a crisp fall day. Equipment and garbage gone, we had watched Dick use a D-6 CAT like an artist to smooth out the disturbed areas. As we climbed the steep slope out of the falls we had a good view of a newly reclaimed area free from its past.

Before the area faded from view, something caught my eye. I could see a small boy playing on the rocks at the base of the falls. He could see only rocks and water. Better yet, I could see only rocks and water too.

USDA Forest Service - Helena National Forest
Last Modified: Monday, 25 June 2007 at 13:27:19 EDT