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15
THE RIVER'S FUTURE
In a few years, the Horseshoe Bend plant will be upgraded and begin
purifying the water in the pit. Luckily, the pit's water is rising more
slowly than expected.
In the meantime, private citizens, businesses, government agencies
and, of course, the Clark Fork Coalition continue to monitor the cleanup
of the river. Will McDowell, the coalition's restoration director, told
me, "Our organization, along with the state of Montana, is dedicated to
keeping the Clark Fork healthy and whole." According to a recent U.S.
Geographical study, toxins decreased in the river from 1996 to 2015,
and the trout population slowly increased.
But will the Clark Fork ever become a blue-ribbon trout stream?
I guess that depends on how you define "blue-ribbon." After all, the Clark
Fork, has far more wade and drift boat access points than most rivers.
Because the fishing pressure is spread out, the Clark Fork has the same
catch rate as the Madison River.
WHAT IF?
Often, I wonder, what if the Great Flood of 1908 hadn't happened?
What if people had known more about limiting the environmental
impact of mining? Now when I fish the Clark Fork, I think of how much
we've learned about restoring our nation's rivers, and of how I've learned
to savor long moments filled with the beauty of the Clark Fork.
Would we have learned so much if the dark chapters of the past hadn't
happened? is question has an answer: No, we would not have learned.
So, the darkness is being changed into the light of knowledge and has value.
Kelly Island Channel
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