big hole river foundation
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1988
- Headquarters—
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
big hole river foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- big hole river foundation
- Legal name
- Big Hole River Foundation
- Website
- https://bhrf.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1988
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
big hole river foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- River Conservation and Water Quality Monitoring
- NAICS
- Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Administration of Conservation Programs (92412)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Water Resources & Watershed Protection (BPAGAGAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Watershed/Source Water & Raw Water Quality Monitoring (intakes, reservoirs, groundwater) (EUANAJAH), Water Quality Monitoring (Surface Water, Stormwater, Drinking Water) (EUAHACAC)
Keywords
big hole river foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Memberships: The organization relies on public donations, memberships, and supporter contributions to fund its water quality monitoring activities and conservation work.
- Grants: Funding from grants supports lab analysis expenses for water quality data collection and macroinvertebrate report production.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
big hole river foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Big Hole River Foundation operates a long-term citizen-science water quality monitoring program that collects nutrient, sediment, dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH, turbidity, and macroinvertebrate data at 10 sites across 151 miles of the Big Hole River in southwest Montana. The organization also runs a macroinvertebrate (mayfly, stonefly, caddisfly) monitoring program in partnership with River Continuum Concepts, and publishes scientific reports and educational materials. Operations are funded by donations, memberships, and grants, with program transition underway to Save Wild Trout in 2025.
Product overview
The Big Hole River Foundation operates as a single, unified nonprofit offering centered on its Long-term Water Quality Monitoring Program. This core program is supported by a Macroinvertebrate Monitoring Program (bug sampling) conducted in partnership with River Continuum Concepts, and supplemented by Scientific Reports and Publications including bug summaries and the comprehensive Macroinvertebrate Communities report. The organization also provides educational materials such as the Watershed Sourcebook. The organization merged with Save Wild Trout in 2025 to expand water quality monitoring to all four rivers of the Jefferson Basin.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Established one of the best citizen-science monitoring programs in Montana over 6 years
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use big hole river foundation
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
big hole river foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
big hole river foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- Upper Missouri WaterkeepercoreCollaboration with Upper Missouri Waterkeeper to petition Montana DEQ to designate portions of the Big Hole River as impaired for nutrient pollution. Joint effort submitted macroinvertebrate reports and algae documentation to support impairment designation request.
- Save Wild TroutflagshipTransition of BHRF program under Save Wild Trout umbrella to expand water quality monitoring model to all four rivers of the Jefferson Basin: Big Hole, Beaverhead, Ruby, and Jefferson. Brian Wheeler joins as campaign manager at Save Wild Trout.
- Salmonfly ProjectcoreCollaboration with the Missoula-based Salmonfly Project to expand bug monitoring on the Big Hole River. Summer field work focused on target species including Giant Salmonfly, Golden Stonefly, March Browns, and other important fishery hatches.
- Flathead Lake Biological StationcorePartnership with the Flathead Lake Biological Station's Monitoring Montana Waters program to grow and refine the water quality monitoring program. This partnership enabled expansion to include North Fork Big Hole and Skinner Meadows sites.
- River Continuum ConceptscorePartnership with entomologists at River Continuum Concepts in Manhattan, MT to design, implement, and operate a macroinvertebrate (bug) monitoring program on the Big Hole River. This collaboration began in 2019 to establish baseline bug health data and assess aquatic invertebrate communities.
- Montana Department of Environmental QualitycoreMontana DEQ officially approved the Sampling and Analysis Plan (SAP) in spring 2020. DEQ has deemed BHRF's methodology, quality control/assurance protocols, and data results as credible and valid.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
big hole river foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Save Wild Trout: Montana-based coldwater fisheries conservation nonprofit that is absorbing BHRF's program in 2025. Most directly comparable organization as the merger partner, focused on Jefferson Basin trout conservation, public access, and habitat protection.
- Upper Missouri Waterkeeper: SW Montana water quality advocacy NGO led by Wade Fellin (former BHRF board chair). Co-petitioner with BHRF on the Big Hole nutrient impairment petition; operates on overlapping rivers in the same basin.
- Montana Environmental Information Center: Montana-based nonprofit watchdog advocating on water quality, energy, and land-use policy. Comparable state-level peer engaging in citizen monitoring, regulatory advocacy, and impairment petitions.
Broad incumbents
- Trout Unlimited: National coldwater conservation organization with a George Grant Chapter in Butte, MT that financially supports BHRF's macroinvertebrate reporting. Operates a much broader portfolio of habitat and water-quality programs across the U.S.
- Waterkeeper Alliance: Global umbrella for Waterkeeper organizations (including Upper Missouri Waterkeeper). Operates the Clean Water Act advocacy and citizen-monitoring framework that BHRF's impairment petition relies on.
- American Rivers: National river conservation nonprofit focused on protecting wild rivers, improving water quality, and restoring habitat. Overlaps with BHRF on dam prevention advocacy and water quality policy.
Regional players
- Flathead Lake Biological Station: University of Montana research station running the Monitoring Montana Waters citizen-science program that partnered with BHRF. Regional peer providing technical/scientific support for water quality monitoring in Montana.
- Greater Yellowstone Coalition: Regional conservation organization working across the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem with overlapping interests in trout habitat, water quality, and public lands protection near the Big Hole watershed.
Emerging players
- River Continuum Concepts: Manhattan, MT-based entomology firm operating BHRF's macroinvertebrate monitoring program since 2019. Specialized emerging player in aquatic bioassessment adjacent to BHRF's core work.
- Salmonfly Project: Missoula-based nonprofit collaborating with BHRF since 2023 on salmonfly and macroinvertebrate monitoring. Specialized emerging player focused on aquatic insect populations as water-quality indicators.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
big hole river foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
big hole river foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
big hole river foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
big hole river foundation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about big hole river foundation
What does big hole river foundation do?
Big Hole River Foundation operates a long-term citizen-science water quality monitoring program that collects nutrient, sediment, dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH, turbidity, and macroinvertebrate data at 10 sites across 151 miles of the Big Hole River in southwest Montana. The organization also runs a macroinvertebrate (mayfly, stonefly, caddisfly) monitoring program in partnership with River Continuum Concepts, and publishes scientific reports and educational materials. Operations are funded by donations, memberships, and grants, with program transition underway to Save Wild Trout in 2025.
Is big hole river foundation a public or private company?
big hole river foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was big hole river foundation founded?
big hole river foundation was founded in 1988. It employs 1 to 10 people.
How does big hole river foundation make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and Memberships are the primary driver. The others are grants.
Who are big hole river foundation's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Save Wild Trout, Upper Missouri Waterkeeper and Montana Environmental Information Center. Broad incumbents are Trout Unlimited, Waterkeeper Alliance and American Rivers. Regional players are Flathead Lake Biological Station and Greater Yellowstone Coalition. Emerging players are River Continuum Concepts and Salmonfly Project.
Does big hole river foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for big hole river foundation.
What industry is big hole river foundation in?
big hole river foundation's product category is River Conservation and Water Quality Monitoring. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAGAK, Water Resources & Watershed Protection, with a secondary code of EUANAJAH, Watershed/Source Water & Raw Water Quality Monitoring (intakes, reservoirs, groundwater). Its NAICS code is 54162 and its SIC code is 8731.