Farm Perserved in Madison County

In the heart of a rich landscape seven miles southwest of Rexburg, Idaho, lies the DKJ Farm. In November 2008, the Teton Regional Land Trust closed on the purchase of an 80-acre conservation easement using funds provided by the JKL Foundation to match a grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) through their Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP).

The DKJ conservation easement property is a working farm containing nationally designated prime soils which allowed it to be eligible for the FRPP grant. Two forks of Bannock Jim Slough meander through the farm property, creating over one mile of wetland-slough habitat important for many conservation priority species, including northern leopard frog, trumpeter swan, northern pintail, snowy egret, white-faced ibis, sandhill crane, Wilson’s phalarope, Franklin’s gull, California gull, and bald eagle.

"We are pleased to offer Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program grants to assist in conservation easement purchases. The DKJ Farm conservation easement is very important to the NRCS because it protects the property’s productive soils, key wetlands, and an important piece of farmland in Madison County," Hal Swenson, Assistant State Soil Scientist for the NRCS said. "The NRCS appreciates the opportunity to work with the owner of DKJ Farm and the Teton Regional Land Trust on the acquisition of this conservation easement."

The wetlands, sloughs and river corridors of the lower Henry’s Fork-South Fork confluence comprise one of the most biologically rich areas of the Intermountain West. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) ranks this landscape as the number-one priority for wetland conservation in Idaho. The U.S. Department of Interior and IDFG designated this area as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern and an Important Bird Area in an effort to conserve wildlife resources of regional significance.

These highly productive wetlands and sloughs provide crucial nesting grounds, foraging areas and stopover habitat for a half million migrating waterfowl and several hundred thousand waterbirds (shorebirds and marsh birds) each year. It is the first main stopover for birds migrating north from the Great Salt Lake. Notable winter habitat for waterfowl also exists along the lower Henry’s Fork River, particularly within the Texas Slough-Cartier Slough area of the river.

The Rocky Mountain population of trumpeter swans, likely the most vulnerable waterfowl population in North America, is heavily dependent on wintering habitat found along the lower Henry’s Fork River, within the Bannock Jim Slough area of the river.

"The DKJ Farm easement represents a great example of the Land Trust’s mission by conserving both agriculture and wildlife values," TRLT Stewardship Director Matt Lucia said. "A portion of the property is farmed while the remainder is being restored and enhanced to benefit wildlife." The DKJ Farm conservation easement adds to the area’s nearly 3,000 acres of conservation land protecting key wildlife habitat, productive soils and scenic views of the north Menan Butte, a nationally recognized pioneer landmark. ■