It is the function of the Teton Conservation District to provide locally led leadership, to encourage, promote and inform through education, the conservation of natural resources. The Teton Conservation District is also charged with assisting landowners and land managers in practicing good natural resource stewardship and conservation for the long term benefit of the people by using monitoring, partnerships, staffing resources, and the taxpayer’s money as efficiently and effectively as possible.

The Jackson Hole One Fly Foundation – National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Conservation Partnership Program is funding a project to construct fish habitat structures on 1.5 miles of Flat Creek in Jackson, WY, to allow the creek to reach its fisheries and ecological potential and to reduce winter frazil ice production. Flat Creek, a tributary of the Snake River in Teton County, is a prime candidate for restoration since it flows through an urban area and has been degraded over time due to land and water uses, making it vulnerable to the development of fragile ice that has impacted the native cutthroat trout populations through gill damage, direct mortality by smothering and the loss of important over wintering habitat. This project will provide planning, design and implementation of in-stream trout habitat structures to allow Flat Creek to flow at velocities that prevent icing in the winter months. The Snake River cutthroat trout lost much of its historic spawning habitat and range over time and this project seeks to restore habitat that will promote spawning and increase survival of the last remaining native population Flat Creek.

Project Status:

The Flat Creek Enhancement Project will begin construction on stream enhancements for the first priority section of the creek above High School Road in September of 2004. A total of fifteen fish habitat structures will provide holding areas for trout and reduce the frazil/anchor ice in the stream during winter freezes.

For more information, contact: Brian Remlinger, bremlinger@wyoming.com, 307-733-2110.