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[Stephanie Espinoza]

Hi everyone!
I am thrilled to have the opportunity to take this course with all of you. My name is Stephanie Espinoza and I am the Watershed Coordinator for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes on the Flathead Indian Reservation. I started in my role in September, and both the position and program are new. My primary goal is to work with landowners on water conservation strategies at the ranch and farm scale.
The Tribes co-own the Milltown water rights with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and our work focuses on protecting instream flow levels in the Blackfoot and Upper Clark Fork Rivers for fisheries. While meeting instream flow targets at the Turah and Bonner gages is the key objective, our broader goal is to improve watershed health and flows throughout the Upper Clark Fork tributaries. If you would like to know more, here is an excellent story map that covers the Tribes’ aboriginal history in these watersheds and provides more detail on the Milltown water rights.
A little about me: I was born and raised in Great Falls, MT and I am the fifth generation of dryland wheat farmers in the Golden Triangle near Carter/Fort Benton area. My brother is training to take over for my dad, and my sister and I will help with accounting and harvest when we can. I earned my Bachelor’s in Environmental Science from the University of Montana and my Masters in Land Resources and Environmental Science from Montana State University.
For the past 14 years, I worked as a fish culture specialist for MT Fish, Wildlife and Parks raising Arlee Rainbow Trout for stocking and helped managed the Arlee broodstock for egg production for the state. While I miss working outside and working hands-on with fish, I am excited to grow in this new role and focus more broadly on watershed health.
I’m especially excited about this course because I’ve always had a passion for environmental restoration. My hope is to apply what I learn here in partnership with landowners of the Upper Clark Fork and see the positive impacts of landscape improvement, water retention, and improving flows in our streams and river. I am really looking forward to learning from all of you and hearing about your land, its history, and the projects you’re working on.
-Stephanie