PARADISE VALLEY — Patrick Cross, research director for the Yellowstone Ecological Research Center, stood on the banks of Mill Creek Friday, holding his phone near a sensor and uploading data that will help explain why this tributary to the Yellowstone River goes dry in the summer and how its health could be improved.

The Montana Climate Solutions Council, a statewide group developing policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help the state adapt to climate change, hopes to expand on projects like this to improve the climate data about the state.