The very first project funded in part by Wildlife Tourism For Tomorrow, a cutting edge initiative developed by Board Member Taylor Phillips, an initiative underneath the umbrella of The WYldlife Fund!
Courtesy of JH Trout Unlimited
We are excited to announce that this project was completed in the fall of 2021! Read on to learn about the need for this important habitat improvement.
Our local native Snake River cutthroat trout (a favorite of anglers!) need “room to roam” to access high-quality habitat so they can grow, survive, thrive, reproduce, and be resilient to environmental changes. In 2010, the obsolete Spread Creek Dam was removed, opening up over 50 miles of native cutthroat trout habitat. Unfortunately, native fish, including migratory Snake River fine-spotted cutthroat trout and bluehead suckers (a Wyoming Species of Greatest Conservation Need), are still being entrained in the Spread Creek irrigation system. In addition, the Spread Creek channel in the project area has been highly unstable following dam removal, both laterally and vertically, which has caused continued damage and issues with maintaining water delivery.
Phase 2 of the Spread Creek Fish Passage project prevented future losses of migratory cutthroat trout and other native fish by installing a fish screen on the Spread Creek irrigation system. The screen prevents fish from entering the irrigation system and diverts them back into Spread Creek. This phase also made much-needed improvements to stabilize the diversion structure and channel within the project area.
WYldlife for Tomorrow is incredibly proud to have donated $20,000 to the final phase of this project, and to be listed among the numerous project partners:Trout Unlimited, the project spearheader, Bridger-Teton National Forest, Community Foundation of Jackson Hole, Desert Fish Habitat Partnership, Grand Teton National Park, Jackson Hole Trout Unlimited, Jackson Hole One Fly, National Forest Foundation, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Snake River Fund, Teton Conservation District, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Vail Resorts Epic Promise, Western Native Trout Initiative, WorldCast Anglers, WY Department of Environmental Quality, WY Game and Fish Department, WY Water Development Commission, and WY Wildlife and Natural Resources Trust.
