Elk Creek Conservation Area

The Elk Creek Conservation Area (ECCA) is a square-mile parcel of land at the confluence of Elk Creek and the Swan River, owned and managed by Swan Valley Connections and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT). The land was acquired in 2006 to protect vital fish and wildlife habitat, forest resources and public access. According to Montana Dept. Fish Wildlife and Parks, Elk Creek is one of the most important bull trout streams in Montana.

Protecting Elk Creek

Elk Creek begins high in the Mission Mountains Wilderness. In the early 1990s 2.5 sections in the upper reaches of Elk Creek, outside of the Wilderness, were protected through a land exchange between the Flathead National Forest and Plum Creek Timber Company.

Section 35

Swan Ecosystem Center and CSKT acquired Section 35 on Elk Creek with funding provided by Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). The Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit land trust organization, facilitated the acquisition. BPA holds a conservation easement on the land.

A joint management plan was completed in September 2007. A five person committee, made up of two SVC representatives, two CSKT representatives, and one at-large representative, oversees management of the Elk Creek Conservation Area.

In 2022 the CSKT and SVC were recognized by Missoula County and awarded for their exemplary co-stewardship of the ECCA.

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a history of bull trout and the Salish and Pend d’Oreille people

The ECCA is open to the public. Please respect and adhere to the following regulations:

  • Non-motorized public access is allowed year-round

  • Motorized access is prohibited on gated, closed roads, with the exception of snowmobiles Dec 1- March 31.

  • Day use only, no overnight camping.

  • Campfires or burning is prohibited.

  • Recreational shooting is prohibited.

  • Leave No Trace. No dumping or littering.

  • Trapping is prohibited.

  • Firewood gathering is prohibited

Questions?

  • Hunting is not permitted on the east half managed by the CSKT. Deer and elk hunting is allowed by permission only on the west half managed by SVC, please call (406) 754-3137 between 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday. It is the hunter’s responsibility to know which property they are on.

  • Per Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks regulations, Elk Creek is closed to angling year-round. The Swan River is open to angling from the 3rd Saturday in May through November 30th. Cutthroat trout are catch-and-release only and intentionally fishing for bull trout is prohibited.

  • All activities on the ECCA are at the individual’s OWN RISK. SVC and CSKT assume no liability or responsibility of any kind with respect to any of the activities described above or otherwise.