SNOW FROM THE BEAVERHEAD Mountains feeds the Big Hole River in southwestern Montana, which snakes through forested mountains, grasslands and sagebrush steppe. But in 1988, drought hit the watershed hard. Water ceased flowing through the town of Wisdom for more than three weeks. The drought was bad for ranchers, bad for anglers and bad for fish — including the Arctic grayling, an iridescent silvery blue salmonid with a sail-like dorsal fin.
Hot and dry conditions returned in the summer of 2021. But this time, the river didn’t run dry. To Big Hole rancher Cal Erb, the improved conditions were “a win” — and a sign that voluntary efforts to keep more water in the river for the grayling are
