Regular meetings, open communication, stakeholder involvement, technical reports, and quantitative studies—all ingredients for a sustainable solution to most natural resource concerns—but will it be enough to kick the Whitmore Ravine issue off the fencepost and onto the road toward a solution?

The newly-formed Cooperative Conservation Committee (CCC) brings together diverse stakeholders such as the state Department of Environmental Quality; the Cascade County Conservation District; local landowners and farmers; the Natural Resources Conservation Service; the state Fish, Wildlife and Parks; and Malmstrom Air Force Base staff, to “work together towards a cooperative agreement to identify and implement solutions for Whitmore Ravine,” according to a recent letter from Colonel Finan. The CCC has already met twice and is preparing to meet again on May 6th at 1:00 P.M. at 12 3rd Street NW in Great Falls.

The Whitmore Ravine, according to an NRCS Assessment completed in 2003, is an ephemeral coulee that drains into the Missouri River on the eastern fringe of Great Falls. The ravine transects the popular River’s Edge Trail as well as a documented Lewis & Clark Expedition site. Two of the three forks in the ravine receive runoff from Malmstrom Air Force Base under stormwater permits administered by the state’s Department of Environmental Quality. The two forks have, over time, been down-cut between 10 and 35 feet below the natural grade, causing losses to the adjacent cropland and delivering tons of sediment to the Missouri River.

Another Watershed Assessment, this one commissioned by the Air Force, is currently being reviewed by the Whitmore Ravine Technical Committee, of which Lucy Pettapiece with the Cascade County CD is a member. Additionally, the Air Force has constructed a new detention pond and brought in special teams to investigate the continued dry weather flow from their stormwater system.

Thanks to the stakeholders’ tenacity, a solution may be on the horizon.