WYOMING — On Jan. 7, the Department of the Interior announced that Trout Unlimited (TU) is set to receive about $1.25 million in federal funding to help reconnect native fish migration routes on the Hoback River.
According to the Department of the Interior, the money is part of $41 million of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to bolster water resources, advance ecosystem health and support resilience in communities facing drought and other climate change impacts.
Leslie Bahn Steen, Wyoming state director for TU, told Buckrail that the funding will help native cutthroat trout and other species deal with extreme weather threats.
“TU is thrilled to receive this WaterSMART grant from the Bureau of Reclamation for our Hoback River Tributaries project,” Steen said. “Through this grant, we will be replacing eight irrigation diversions that are currently acting as fish passage barriers on Dell and Jack Creeks, two tributaries of the Hoback River. Reconnecting these tributaries will allow for native Snake River cutthroat trout to reach spawning and rearing habitat and provide resiliency for them during times of drought and extreme weather events. The project is also beneficial to ranch operations, to the public that fishes the Hoback River and to the local economy.”
The Bureau of Reclamation said in its WaterSMART Environmental Water Resources
Projects report that Dell and Jack creeks provide important habitat for native Snake River cutthroat trout and other native fish, and the diversion structures have reduced passage for migratory fish since being installed in the 1950s.
“Increasing stream connectivity between Dell and Jack Creeks and the Hoback River will increase the resilience of native fish populations in the face of a changing climate by allowing them to access quality habitat,” the Bureau of Reclamation stated in its report. “This project will improve access to habitat within the greater Snake River watershed, where it is limited by Reclamation projects upstream at Jackson Dam and downstream at Palisades Dam.”
According to the Bureau of Reclamation, the Hoback River project will also reduce sediment input from the operation of the diversion structures, improve adjacent instream habitat and improve the efficiency of water diversions for adjacent ranching operations.
The project is supported by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Bridger-Teton National Forest, Sublette County Conservation District, Little Jennie Ranch and other funding partners.
