Missoula Valley River Ambassador Program Expansion
Project Lead
Project Purpose/Need
Expand the scale of the Missoula Valley River Ambassador Program. The purpose of the River Ambassador Program is to reduce conflict at river access sites, alleviate congestion, maintain cleaner beaches, protect riparian buffers, and improve compliance with water use restrictions, such as hoot owl restrictions, when necessary.
Project Description
The Missoula Valley River Ambassador Program is a seasonal community outreach initiative that provides information, tools and tips to improve river recreation experiences, protect local rivers, and enhance public appreciation for nature. River ambassadors offer practical information on parking, shuttle services, responsible recreation, and water-related issues and assist river users with various tasks. At the program's core is a team of community ambassadors that the Clark Fork Coalition (CFC) hires and trains to interact with the public at popular river access sites on the Clark Fork, Blackfoot, and Bitterroot rivers.
The River Ambassador Program has significantly reduced complaint calls to law enforcement, minimized congestion, and led to cleaner, more sustainable river environments. This expansion includes identifying additional sections of Missoula area rivers and creates a plan to increase field coverage, provide guidance for other river groups in Montana that are dealing with similar recreation pressures, leverage partnerships with local businesses to spread “Recreate Responsibly” messaging and build opportunities that engage the community and encourage voluntourism. The long-term goal is to build a knowledgeable river community that supports the long-term sustainability of Missoula's rivers.
The River Ambassador Program is a collaborative effort between multiple organizations. A key element of this work is strengthening and leveraging partnerships with agencies, nonprofit watershed groups, and the business community.
Western Montana’s Glacier Country Role
- Funding Partner
- Project/Program Awareness
- Resource Assistance
Goals and Objectives
The long-term goal of this program is to build a river ethic among residents and visitors to the Missoula Valley, such that protection of and active care for the river is part and parcel of the recreation experience.
Some of the main objectives of this project are:
- Reach more river users with recreate responsibly messaging and know-how.
- Provide opportunities for visitors to leave the river corridor better than they found it.
- Share knowledge with other Montana communities challenged by the heavy use of rivers within their jurisdictions.
- Build an active and knowledgeable river community that is empowered and motivated to care for the river.
- Develop a plan for community investments in recreation infrastructure that will help protect Missoula-area rivers.
Project Location
The program operates at popular river access sites on the Clark Fork, Blackfoot and Bitterroot Rivers in the Missoula Valley, Western Montana.
Project Timeline
The program was started in 2021 and runs yearly during the peak river season from June to September. This expansion effort is a 2024 project.
Project Partners
City of Missoula
Missoula County
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
Lolo National Forest
Associated Students of the University of Montana (ASUM) Transportation
Three Rivers Collaborative
Missoula Downtown Association
Western Montana’s Glacier Country
Project Outcomes
The River Ambassadors will track the progress and performance of this year’s program expansion in the following ways:
- Record the quantitative number of river users engaged both in the field and via social media, as well as the qualitative experience of individual users through personal interactions and electronic river user surveys.
- Gauge the stewardship ethic quantitatively by recording participation in outreach and volunteer opportunities, and qualitatively through personal interactions and electronic river user surveys.
- Gauge partnership impact quantitatively by the number of organizations and businesses participating in outreach efforts and the amount and type of marketing materials distributed, and qualitatively through integrating user data collected by River Ambassadors into a river planning framework for the Three Rivers area. The River Ambassador Program also uses a rigorous feedback loop to track progress and impact. It includes formal solicitation of feedback from program partners, river users and the Ambassador team several times during the season and a final evaluation by stakeholders after seasonal Ambassador coverage on the river ends in September.
- Add at later date any special partnerships that were made.
Project Contact
Jessica Walker, Director of Development for Clark Fork Coalition
jess@clarkfork.org
