JACKSON, Wyo. — An upcoming informational meeting will aim to address citizens’ concerns about the factors, observations and future actions related to the fall of 2021 ramp down from Jackson Lake Dam in the Snake River.
The informational meeting hosted by the Teton Conservation District, Trout Unlimited, and the Bureau of Reclamation will take place on March 8. Interested members of the public can attend in person or virtually.
Grand Teton National Park and Wyoming Game and Fish Department representatives will also participate and speak about the ramp down.
The meeting will discuss the potential impact of the fall 2021 ramp down on fisheries and other natural and recreational resources. It will include an overview of the Bureau of Reclamation’s operations, management, and maintenance of the dams they operate in the upper Snake River system, including factors guiding 2021 operations and management decisions. Information about the roles of local management agencies and associated coordination and communication avenues in place will be discussed.
The meeting will also include a recap of fish salvage data, population trends, and future monitoring efforts by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, an overview of drone imagery analysis of channel change by the Teton Conservation District, and a recap of citizen science efforts to help document the ramp down by Trout Unlimited. It will also include a discussion by all agencies about proposed improvements to coordination and communication and share knowledge gaps that they will be seeking to address to better inform future management decisions.
The in-person meeting will take place at the 49er Inn, on 330 W. Pearl Street, Jackson, WY at 3 p.m. Remote attendance is available at this link. Meeting ID: 815 5811 0667. Passcode: 925310. To join by phone: +1-253-215-8782, Passcode 81558110667, Meeting ID 925310
There will be a Q & A session following presentations from the participating agencies. The public is invited to submit their questions in advance to leslie.steen@tu.org.
Jackson Lake Dam is located on the Snake River in Grand Teton National Park near Moran, Wyoming and is operated by the Bureau of Reclamation. The dam is part of the Minidoka Project and was originally constructed in 1911. Parts of the dam were later replaced in 1989 under the authority of Reclamation’s Safety of Dams Act.
