Water Quantification and Land Classification, Crow Indian Reservation, Montana; Bureau of Indian Affairs

Billings Area Office

Mr. Fricke was the Project Manager for an investigation to quantify the federal reserved water rights for lands held in trust by the United States for the Crow Tribe of the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana. The Crow Indian Reservation covers more than 2.3 million acres in south-central Montana. The Tribe has the rights to claim water from three tributaries of the Yellowstone River: The Bighorn River, The Little Bighorn River, and Pryor Creek. An interesting challenge on this project was the integration and coordination of the activities of the team, which included a wide range of professional expertise in meeting the expressed needs of the tribal leadership, the state of Montana technical and legal team, the BIA Water Resources Department, the U.S. Solicitor’s Office, and the Department Of Justice.