Open houses scheduled for upper Missouri reservoirs plan

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has scheduled three open houses to discuss the Upper Missouri River Reservoirs Fisheries Management Plan. The plan guides fisheries management on Canyon Ferry, Hauser, and Holter reservoirs and the Missouri River below Toston and below Hauser Dam.

The open house schedule is as follows:

• July 8 – Helena, Montana Wild Auditorium, 6 p.m.

• July 10 – Great Falls, Region 4 Headquarters, 6 p.m.

• July 17 – Bozeman, Region 3 Headquarters, 6 p.m.

FWP determined which areas of the plan needed to be addressed based on public scoping in summer 2018 and open houses and an online survey conducted last winter. This spring a 15- member citizen workgroup representing a wide variety of interests was convened to consider these specific areas of the plan and develop alternatives for FWP to include in the next draft plan.

The workgroup developed alternatives for the following issues: plan responsiveness and duration; rainbow trout stocking; yellow perch management in Canyon Ferry and Holter; and walleye management throughout the plan area. The open houses will provide opportunity to learn more about the alternatives and provide input on alternatives for the draft plan.