District 9
Teton, Sublette, and Fremont Counties
Absaroka Riparian II
June 2012. Riparian enhancement including fencing, water development, livestock management, and invasive species removal on the Absaroka Front near Meeteetse. Continues efforts begun in 2010.
V Ranch Conservation Easement
June 2012. Conservation easement on 3,000 acres of native rangeland within Sage-grouse Core Population Area near Kirby will continue to enhance large watershed effort to reduce erosion, increase forage production and stabilize streams. This ranch is central to the Kirby Creek CRM effort, which was named the BLM National Stewardship Award winner in 2012.
Mishurda Mountain Conservation Easement
June 2012. Conservation easement on approximately 8,000 acres adjacent to V Ranch, and integral to the Kirby Creek CRM efforts. This easement, at a value more than one million dollars, was donated by the landowners.
Francs Fork Infiltration
June 2012. Innovative infiltration system will allow removal of irrigation water while streamflow will provide for fish migration to spawning areas in the Greybull River watershed. This is part of an effort that will create access to more than 500 miles of spawning and other fish habitat in the area.
Timber Creek II
June 2012. Continuation of project to remove barriers to fish migration on Timber Creek in the Greybull River system. This project has shown response from cutthroat trout to be nearly immediate as barriers are removed. The project also improves irrigation efficiency for landowners.
Upper Sunshine II
June 2012. Restoration and retrofit of a large irrigation structure on the Greybull River will include fish bypass channel and ladders to allow passage at periods of low flow. This project is a wide-ranging partnership between various levels of government, the local irrigation district, irrigators, and Trout Unlimited.
Big Horn River Invasives
June 2012. Continuation of basin-wide effort to remove and eliminate invasive Russian olive and saltcedar from hundreds of miles of riparian areas and grasslands in the Big Horn Basin. Removal on the main stem of the Big Horn River will begin in Hot Springs County, and extend northward over time.
Big Horn Basin Sagebrush
June 2012. Conservation effort to increase recruitment of sagebrush in historic stands within Sage-grouse Core Population Areas in the northern Big Horn Basin.
Bentonite Sagebrush II
June 2012. Continuation of research/demonstration project to evaluate methods to increase survival of sagebrush plants through soil testing and manipulation and varying methods of planting seed and seedlings. Early indications for success have been very positive and may have long-reaching implications.