Six Springs Ranch Moist-Soil Management Benefits Waterfowl

The next time you travel between Driggs and Victor, stop and take a look at the newly constructed waterbird management area just off the frontage road immediately north of 200 S. A 15-acre fallow field in the southeast corner of the Six Springs Ranch has been converted to a moist soil management area and is a potential wildlife viewing area visible from the road or bike path.

A series of dikes and terraces were constructed to allow land managers to flood each of the individual fields. Water is provided through an underground irrigation mainline which has a water delivery structure located at the highest point on the fields. Water is supplied through a series of ditches to each terrace where the water levels can be controlled with a water control structure on each dike. Flooding of the terraces serves two purposes. First, it allows for irrigation water to be applied to the alfalfa crop. Second, land managers now have the ability to flood individual terraces in the spring and fall to provide important foraging habitat for migrating waterbirds. Plants and invertebrates available in moist-soil impoundments, such as the one located on Six Springs Ranch, provide important food resources for migrating waterbirds.

This project will be especially beneficial to migrating shorebirds, waterfowl and colonial nesters such as white-faced ibis and Franklin’s gull. An additional goal of the project is to serve as a demonstration for local agricultural producers interested in wildlife enhancement. Moist soil management areas are common across the United States, particularly on US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) lands. Many management techniques used on these moist soil management areas are being adapted on private lands as a way of improving wildlife habitat while still utilizing valuable agricultural lands. Project partners include Teton Regional Land Trust, Western Watersheds, Intermountain Aquatics, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, National Association of Counties, Environmental Protection Agency, Five Star Restoration Program, Jackson Hole One Fly Foundation, Idaho Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Teton Springs Foundation, Earth Friends Wildlife Foundation, US Fish and Wildlife Service Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, Wildlife Habitat Council, Friends of the Teton River, Piedmont Engineering, Six Springs Ranch and private landowners. This project is located on a conservation easement property that is owned by a private landowner. If you would like more information
on this project, stop by or contact us at the TRLT office. We would love to hear about wildlife observations on this project. ■