LEWISTOWN — Folks familiar with the Middle Fork of the Judith River compare it to a miniature Smith River, the famously scenic — and famously protected — tributary of the Missouri on the other side of the Little Belt Mountains.

Cutting through towering limestone cliffs, the Middle Fork meanders through the backcountry, accessible by hiking, horseback or an off-highway vehicle (OHV) road.

Six years ago, however, the banks of the Middle Fork were crumbling into the creek and the cold, clear water was filling with sediment the river couldn’t manage. That degradation was the result of vehicles destabilizing the banks and churning up the creek bottom at 85 separate entrances to 27 creek crossings.

Because sediment can suppress aquatic bug life, smother fish eggs and reduce oxygen levels in t

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