The Montana Creek watershed provides excellent fish and wildlife habitat and a variety of unique recreational and
educational opportunities for Juneau. These values must be preserved and protected through informed land use
planning and management decisions as urbanization of the Mendenhall Valley continues.
This document provides the City and Borough of Juneau with an overview of the value of the Montana Creek
Watershed to Juneau residents and an outline of management recommendations to ensure the sustainability of fish
habitat and recreational and educational opportunities.
Threats to Montana Creek include development of floodplains and wetlands, non-point source pollutants, and
resource extraction activities. Watersheds such as Duck Creek have suffered from a lack of stream setbacks and
prudent land use designations and zoning. To avoid repeating these mistakes, forward-looking municipal
planning should recognize the existing multiple uses and values of the riparian lands in the Montana Creek
Watershed.
