A river no longer runs through it 

BSOA pond renovation restores flow of the Gallatin’s west fork, will add swimming and fishing amenities 

By Jack Reaney ASSOCIATE EDITOR 

It took about two decades, but a project to dredge and improve community access to Little Coyote Pond—and restore the river’s flow around the pond—is finally within months of the finish line. 

The Big Sky Owners Association is behind the renovation, which will cost roughly $2 million once shovels retire. The pond, which BSOA purchased from Big Sky Resort in 1992, was originally intended to collect silt, or sediment, from construction upstream. By around 2005, the pond had filled with silt and BSOA has since been engaged with multiple efforts to dredge the pond—stymied by regulations and water rights negotiations—for almost 20 years.  

As of March 2024, it has finally been dredged, and silt will no longer settle in the pond.  

The West Fork of the Gallatin River previously flowed through the pond, depositing sediment and eventually flowing through a dam-like structure under the Little Coyote Road bridge. After renovation, the river now circumvents the pond and maintains continuous flow.  

Suzan Scott, BSOA executive director, explained the environmental benefits of taking the pond off stream. 

“That ensures, first of all, that the pond doesn’t silt back in again. And it allows for the river to once again freely flow downstream without the pond impeding the flow,” Scott said. She added that the vegetation being planted—about 400 native willows, all harvested upstream—to stabilize the man-made riverbank will help filter the river, and water will remain cold as it avoids the stagnant pond. 

Kristin Gardner, chief executive and science officer for Gallatin River Task Force, said the new section of river has more curvature, or “sinuosity,” which helps connect the stream to the floodplain and can remove pollutants, including nutrients and sediment. She also confirmed that water will run colder in the west fork as it bypasses the pond.   

“It’s definitely a huge benefit to the river system, as far as making sure the waters are cool,” Gardner said.  

Due to cold temperatures, trout were not able to spend winters in the shallow, silted-in pond, according to Emma Lawler, BSOA project manager. Plus, in the summer, the warm water may have impacted the Gallatin River.  

Trout need a pond to be about 14 feet deep for winter survival, Lawler said. Scott said they’ll dredge the pond to a new depth between 14 and 16 feet—before the renovation, the pond was between two and five feet deep, increasingly filled with sediment since it was last dredged more than 30 years ago.  

A public beach for Big Sky 

Aside from benefits to fishery and river health, the pond renovation is intended to improve recreational community access to Little Coyote Pond.  

Lawler said fishing and swimming are the key improvements, but the pond—now much deeper—will also welcome kayaks and paddle boards. Because the pond still interacts with the river through controlled headgate and outflow structures, the pond water will be constantly refreshed at a controlled rate, and Lawler said it will be clean and safe for swimming, once construction is complete.  

“It’s basically just like swimming in the river,” Lawler said. 

On the south side of Little Coyote Pond near the Big Sky Chapel, BSOA will construct a second beach, and plans to construct a small building for equipment storage and restrooms. A waterfront deck would overlook the pond, with an ADA-access ramp connecting the parking lot to the beach.  

Other recreational additions include a picnic area, benches, docks and peninsulas for fishing, and a trail wrapping around the pond, parallel to Little Coyote Road. BSOA hopes to collaborate with Camp Big Sky and offer the pond for group activities like paddleboard yoga.  

In 2020, BSOA surveyed its members about the pond project. Seventy-seven percent voted in favor, with 16% unsure, Scott said.  

“That told our board of directors to move forward with this and expend the money,” she said. Excavators finally dug in by late September 2023. 

Lawler said most people who understand the project have expressed positive feedback. They’re excited for a new public gathering space and a beach. 

“It looked like a pretty gnarly mud pit for a while, but that’s just because they encountered a really high excess of dredge material,” Lawler said—about 12,500 cubic yards of silt, much more than expected. 

Lawler added that under the bridge, a dam of sticks and logs had been helping keep the pond full. It was apparently the work of local beavers. Construction crews needed to remove the dam—doing so all but emptied the pond—but Lawler was happy to report that the beavers are still thriving, just a bit downstream.  

“They’re very resilient, and they came back strong,” Lawler said. 

A final fundraising push 

The restoration “earth work” to dredge the pond and restore river flow is complete, Lawler said, but the pond’s beautification and recreation amenities remain.  

Remaining work will cost about $300,000 or $400,000—due to rising costs and evolving plans, that amount is still “a moving target,” Scott said. BSOA has exhausted its project budget, and additional fundraising will be necessary to reach the goal of finishing before this upcoming winter.  

Grants and fundraising—to the tune of $887,000—have covered roughly half of the project thus far. Large contributions came from Resort Tax, Lone Mountain Land Company, Rotary Club of Big Sky, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, and a Gallatin County Open Lands Grant. 

Amy Wiezalis, recently hired as communications, outreach and development manager, will strategize the remaining fundraising. She’s excited about her first project.  

“It’s gonna be special,” Weizalis said. “From the perspective of a parent, there was no organized place to take your kids, your family swimming.” 

BSOA created a nonprofit, Benefit Big Sky, to raise money for community projects like this. Through the nonprofit, BSOA organized an online registry offering personalized plaques and opportunities for amenity naming rights, associated with donations to the pond project.

“I believe we have a lot of interest in getting this done, from our members but also the community, and I think we can fundraise for that,” Scott said. “… It’s a great project, it’s a win-win-win-win, all the way around.”