Alva Review-Courier -

KALISPELL, Mont. (AP) — Nestled in the Pleasant Valley floodplain and flanked by rolling foothills, the fledgling creek channel navigates newly planted pods of native willow and dogwood trees. Its sculpted banks — supported by a tiered matrix of root balls, splintered spruce and mats of greenery — form calculated bends that meander across a denuded valley floor.

To the uninitiated, Pleasant Valley Creek near Marion appears raw and reconstructed, but close your eyes and turn time forward a decade, and the corridor radiates with plants, fish and wildlife.

The recently reconfigured creek is desig...