Volunteers Help Restore Fox Creek

For four sunny May days, over 30 tetonlandtrust.org volunteers from Teton Regional Land Trust and Teton Valley Trout Unlimited worked along the banks of Fox Creek on the Huntsman conservation easement property. These hard-working folks planted over 60 native trees and shrubs along with 2,200 willow cuttings. Not only did they help restore riparian habitat along Fox Creek, but they also provided an important in-kind match for grant fundraising for the Fox Creek Restoration Project, expected to be completed in summer 2010.

Fox Creek is considered one of three large Yellowstone cutthroat trout spawning tributaries remaining in the upper Teton River watershed. Project partners are building upon previous restoration by restoring a heavily degraded portion of Fox Creek to reduce sedimentation and improve cover for spawning Yellowstone cutthroat trout. Restored riparian vegetation will also benefit several priority waterbirds including breeding long-billed curlew and wintering trumpeter swans.

Key partners with TRLT include the Huntsman family, Jackson Hole One Fly, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Trout Unlimited Embrace a Stream and Teton Valley Trout Unlimited. Partners who previously worked on restoring reaches of Fox Creek on the Huntsman property include Friends of the Teton River, Idaho Fish and Game, Ducks Unlimited and Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Upon completion, the Fox Creek Restoration Project will restore and enhance 4,250 linear feet of Fox Creek with the overall goal of improving habitat for the struggling Yellowstone cutthroat trout population. Riparian and bank restoration will 1) reduce sediment levels and narrow the stream channel while improving fish and wildlife habitat; 2) stabilize banks, provide protective cover and maintaining optimal mid-summer temperatures; and 3) provide an economic boost by improving fisheries, bird and wildlife habitat in Teton Basin. ■