When drought and the accompanying heat hits, attention tends to focus on withering crops, explosive wildfires and subsoil moisture.
While those drought-caused problems are obvious, creatures that spend their lives underwater and out of sight can suffer as well.
If a stream bed dries up, of course, fish don’t do well. But even before that final step, higher temperatures and reduced stream flow hurt. The Smith River south of Great Falls is a good example.
“This has been a particularly tough year on the Smith,” said Grant Grisak, Fish, Wildlife and Parks regional fish manager. “But in reality ove...
