TU Snake River Headwaters Initiative - Issue #16
Dear Friends,
Hello from Jackson Hole and welcome to the 16th edition of our e-newsletter! The holiday season is upon us, and while we wish that there was more snow on the ground and in the forecast, we are looking forward to time with friends and family and the opportunity for a fresh start in the new year.
We have a lot to celebrate this year in the Snake River Headwaters! We grew our staff team, helped protect flows in the Snake River, assessed fish passage barriers throughout the Snake River Headwaters, launched a new watershed group, and completed 5 restoration projects totaling over $2.5M in the Snake, Gros Ventre, Hoback, Greys, and Salt. We could not have done it without our partners, supporters, contractors, volunteers, and community - thank you!
We hope you will enjoy this winter e-newsletter issue, which features our 2023 projects and news coverage, Trout in the Classroom program expansion in Wyoming, “IF4” International Fly Fishing Film Festival screening in January, and our Year-End report. As always, we would love to hear from you!
Warm wishes for the holidays,
Leslie Steen
5 Projects Completed This Year in the Snake Headwaters!
This fall, we completed 5 projects in the Snake and Salt River basins, restoring over 4.5 miles of habitat and improving connectivity on over 3 miles of stream! These included the Gros Ventre and Crystal Creek Bioengineered Stabilization Project, Lower Snake River Ranch Bank Stabilization and Fish Habitat Project, River Bend Ranch Restoration and Irrigation Improvement Project Phase 2 (95% complete), Rico Diversion Fish Passage Project, and Steer Creek BDA Project. These projects were all collaborative efforts requiring large investments of staff and partner time, grant and private funding, landowner contributions, natural materials, and volunteer labor. We look forward to monitoring and sharing the positive impacts that these projects will have on our treasured native cutthroat streams and rivers.
Statewide, TU’s Wyoming team completed an additional 5 projects in the Green and Bear River Basins, as well as 12 water transactions to combat drought in the Colorado River system, that collectively reconnected 9 miles and restored 1.25 miles of habitat!
TU Projects in the News
Our conservation projects and watershed work have been featured in the news this fall! Please check out the links below for all the great coverage of our work.
How a ranch and a tornado’s path become fish habitat - jhnewsandguide.com
“In the last weeks of fall, [Trout Unlimited] is working not only in the national forest, but also on private property at the Lower Snake River Ranch and upstream of the Bondurant Post Office along the Hoback River...”
Snake stakeholders convene to tackle long-term challenges - jhnewsandguide.com
“Six months after federal water managers sparked outrage by proposing a drastic reduction in Snake River flows, a comprehensive group of river advocates and state, county and federal agencies met last week determined not to let it happen again…”
Hoback River project improves habitat for native Cutthroat Trout - buckrail.com
“The River Bend Ranch Restoration and Fish Passage Project’s second phase is now underway to restore 2.5 miles of the Hoback River corridor and improve conditions for native Snake River Cutthroat Trout…”
Snake River Ranch project aims to improve erosion and native trout habitat - buckrail.com
“Trout Unlimited, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Teton Conservation District and the Snake River Ranch are teaming up to stabilize approximately 1,000 feet of heavily eroding bank along the Snake River mainstem and another 800 feet along one of its side channels...”
Gros Ventre streambank and road work may delay drivers this week - jhnewsandguide.com
“Work began Thursday to address stream bank flooding that’s been causing erosion since 2017 along Crystal Creek and the Gros Ventre River, as well as wind damage from a microburst in 2022…”
Trout in the Classroom Arrives in Jackson and Afton
TU’s Trout in the Classroom youth education program has expanded to 27 schools across Wyoming, thanks to a new partnership with Wyoming Game and Fish Department and Wyoming Council of TU! It is a great opportunity to introduce the next generation to the streams we love. Students learn about trout life cycles, water quality, and conservation by raising trout in the classroom from eggs. Colter Elementary in Jackson, and Osmond Elementary and Star Valley Middle School in Afton, are new schools added this year that will be participating in the TIC program. In addition, our longstanding 7th grade Jackson Adopt-a-Trout program is ongoing and has had a great year of field trips and classroom activities so far.
IF4
Only about 3 to 5 months (depending on your level of dedication) to go before fishing season starts again! Join us on Friday, January 11th at the JH Center for the Arts for this year’s screening of the International Fly Fishing Film Festival. Just like in years past, IF4 has selected a top-notch film lineup with stories that span the globe, to get you stoked for the fishing season ahead. Proceeds will support the Jackson Hole One Fly and TU’s continued partnership on projects in the Snake River Headwaters. Special thanks to the Jackson Hole One Fly, IF4/Fly Fusion, and the Center for the Arts for supporting this event.
Year-End Report and Giving
For a more in-depth look at TU’s 2023 accomplishments, please download a copy of our TU Snake River Headwaters Initiative Year End report. If you are inspired to make a year-end gift in support of the Snake River Headwaters Initiative, donations can be made online, or sent to the address below with “Snake River Headwaters” in the memo line. Thank you!