Good for the environment, and tasty

The devices used by the Montana Department of Transportation to prevent sediment erosion from the Beaver Creek Highway construction project are effective and environmentally friendly, MDT officials say. They're also tasty to cattle.

Called wattles, the biodegradable net-like tubes are packed with straw rice and used during construction and other projects to contain silt and sediment. They are being used on the Beaver Creek reconstruction project to prevent runoff until the ground has a chance to revegetate.

"They're really easy to install, and they do a great job of holding in that silt. They'...