“If we’re going to have water in the West in the future with a changing climate scenario, we can’t lose places like this.”
– Pedro Marques, Executive Director, Big Hole Watershed Committee
In the Big Hole Valley, at the “headwaters of the headwaters” of the Missouri River, there’s a place called Smith-Sage Springs. Wildlife abounds at this mesic wetland, from pronghorn and elk to Greater sage-grouse. Perhaps more importantly, Smith-Sage Springs also acts as a sponge, keeping clean, cold water flowing into the Big Hole River and the Missouri River Basin year-round.
But at some point, a headcut started slowly eating away at the wetland and drying out the landscape. When local biologists and the landowner noticed this change, they knew it was time for action. A group of partners, led by the Big Hole Watershed Committee, embarked on a years-long restoration project to keep Smith-Sage Springs green and healthy—for the wildlife, for the rancher, and for everyone downstream.
This is their story.
Over three construction seasons, the Big Hole Watershed Committee and its partners rebuilt streambanks, stabilized a major headcut, reconnected the floodplain, and fenced off 43 acres to let vegetation recover. Post-project monitoring shows an estimated 165.8 tons of sediment kept out of the Big Hole River every year—a real, measurable improvement for water quality and fish habitat.
Learn more about how restoring incised stream channels can affect downstream water quantity and quality in this fact sheet.
The Intermountain West Joint Venture helped support the production of this film over multiple years. In 2026, the IWJV worked with the Big Hole Watershed Committee and the filmmaker, Tom Attwater, to send it on a dozen film tour circuits across the country, as well as host community showings, before releasing it online.
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