Cooke Warm Creek Restoration Project

The Warm Creek Ranch is located west of Victor, ID near the base of Pine Creek Pass. In 2002, with help from the Cooke family, Ducks Unlimited and TRLT, a habitat restoration project was undertaken to restore and enhance shallow wetland habitat and cover for waterfowl and shorebirds, with the ultimate goal of encouraging significant utilization of the property by waterfowl for nesting, staging and migratory use. The wetland component of the 2002 project has been very successful in meeting its objectives. However, establishment of woody cover in riparian areas and near the wetlands has been extremely poor. In the spring of 2008 approximately 200 native willows were planted in clusters near the enhanced wetlands and in an attempt to avoid damage to plants all the clumps of willows were fenced off. The planting and fencing work done in 2008 was accomplished with the help of local volunteers over the course of two days.

The survival of the new willow plantings will be monitored annually. TRLT also conducts waterfowl surveys on the Cooke Property in order to measure the overall success of the restoration project. The IDFG has initiated marshbird surveys on the Cook property in the vicinity of the restoration work. Bird surveys will be a good indicator of wetland health and function into the future.

Key partners with Teton Regional Land Trust on this project include the Cooke family, Ducks Unlimited and local volunteers. ■