Peterson Ranch Conservation Easement

Salmonid Habitat Restoration and Acquisition

Instream Habitat Land or Easement Acquisition Riparian Habitat
Project ID012 20 SA
Recovery DomainsSnake River
Start Date01/01/2021
End Date06/30/2024
Year2020
StatusOngoing
Last Edited02/27/2024
 
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Description    


The Nature Conservancy (TNC) will purchase a conservation easement (CE) on the Peterson Ranch, located in the Lemhi River valley and complete habitat restoration actions on the property. The CE will permanently protect 181-acres of working ranchland and wildlife habitat, and 0.60 miles of Hayden Creek and the Lemhi River. The purchase is downstream adjacent to the Split River Ranch Conservation Easement (021 16 SA), expected to be close in April 2020. The two easements together will protect a continuous 0.16 miles of Hayden Creek, and 1.2 miles of the Lemhi River.



Restoration work identified in the Peterson Ranch Conservation Easement (CE) will obligate the landowner to complete habitat restoration activities to increase juvenile rearing capacity within the easement bounds. These activities will commence over the next 1-5 years following easement closure and have specific language in the easement to perform the restoration concept on both Hayden Creek and Lemhi River. Instream habitat project actions include the construction of side channels, adding meanders, installation of wood and rock instream structures, scour pools, streambank stabilization, and floodplain activation. Riparian habitat actions include planting, fencing, and grazing management.



Restoration work will increase high quality riparian and floodplain habitat important for Chinook salmon and steelhead during juvenile life stages. The concept plan includes over 0.2 miles of restoration channel length on Hayden Creek and over 0.5 miles of restoration channel length on the Lemhi River. The CE and accompanying habitat restoration actions will address limiting factors to anadromous fish recovery in the Lemhi River that are specifically identified in recent habitat assessments including the IRA (Idaho OSC Team (Idaho Governor’s Office of Species Conservation and partners). 2019. Upper Salmon Subbasin Habitat Integrated Rehabilitation Assessment. Assessment prepared for and with the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation. June 2019. 625 pp.)

Project Benefit    


1. Permanently protect 181 acres of working ranchland and wildlife habitat

2. Permanently protect .60 miles of Hayden Creek and the Lemhi River

3. Obligate the landowner to river restoration activities that will address juvenile rearing capacity

limitations in the Lemhi watershed. These activities will include the construction of side channels,

instream habitat work, and activating floodplain connectivity.

Accomplishments

Metric Completed Originally
Proposed
Instream Habitat
  Stream Miles Treated .78
Land Acquisition
  Acres Acquired or Protected 181.0
  Stream Bank Miles Acquired
  or Protected
1.25
Riparian Habitat
  Stream Miles Treated 1.25
  Acres Treated 5.0

Funding Details

SourceFunds
PCSRF$543,811
Other$180,279
Report Total:$724,090


Project Map



Worksites

WS-1    


  • Worksite Identifier: WS-1
  • Start Date:
  • End Date: 11/30/2023
Area Description
Peterson Ranch_Lemhi River

Location Information

  • Basin: Salmon (170602)
  • Subbasin: Lemhi (17060204)
  • Watershed: Texas Creek (1706020401)
  • Subwatershed: Lower Texas Creek (170602040102)
  • State: Idaho
  • Recovery Domain: Snake River
  • Latitude: 44.5217
  • Longitude: -113.3747

ESU

  • Snake River Basin Steelhead DPS
  • Snake River Spring/Summer-run Chinook Salmon ESU

Map

Photos

Metrics

Metrics
  • C.0 Salmonid Habitat Restoration and AcquisitionY (Y/N)
    •      . . C.0.a Habitat restoration and acquisition funding .00
    •      . . C.0.b Length of stream treated/protected
    •      . . C.0.c
      Project identified in a Plan or Watershed Assessment
    •      . . C.0.d.1 Project Monitoring (LOV)
    •      . . C.0.d.2 Monitoring Location (LOV)
    •      . . C.4 Instream Habitat ProjectY (Y/N)
      •      . . . . C.4.a Instream Habitat Funding
      •      . . . . C.4.b Total length of instream habitat treated
      •      . . . . C.4.c.1 Channel reconfiguration and connectivityY (Y/N)
        •      . . . . . . C.4.c.2 Type of change to channel configuration and connectivity (LOV)
        •      . . . . . . C.4.c.3 Miles of stream treated for channel reconfiguration and connectivity
      •      . . . . C.4.d.1 Channel structure placementY (Y/N)
        •      . . . . . . C.4.d.2 Material used for channel structure (LOV)
        •      . . . . . . C.4.d.3 Miles of stream treated through channel structure placement
      •      . . . . C.4.e.1 Streambank stabilization Y (Y/N)
        •      . . . . . . C.4.e.2 Material Used For Streambank Stabilization (LOV)
        •      . . . . . . C.4.e.3 Miles of streambank stabilized
      •      . . C.5 Riparian Habitat ProjectY (Y/N)
        •      . . . . C.5.a Riparian Habitat Funding
        •      . . . . C.5.b.1 Total riparian miles streambank treated
        •      . . . . C.5.b.2 Total Riparian Acres Treated
        •      . . . . C.5.c.1 Riparian plantingY (Y/N)
          •      . . . . . . C.5.c.2
            Species of plants planted in riparian
          •      . . . . . . C.5.c.3 Acres planted in riparian
          •      . . . . . . C.5.c.4 Miles of streambank treated with riparian planting
        •      . . . . C.5.d.1 FencingY (Y/N)
          •      . . . . . . C.5.d.2 Miles of fence along stream
          •      . . . . . . C.5.d.3 Acres of riparian area protected by fencing
        •      . . . . C.5.g.1 Conservation grazing managementY (Y/N)
          •      . . . . . . C.5.g.2 Acres managed for grazing
        •      . . C.10 Land or Easement AcquisitionY (Y/N)
          •      . . . . C.10.a Land acquisition funding
          •      . . . . C.10.b Habitat treatments applied (LOV)
          •      . . . . C.10.c.1 Acquisition or lease of land, wetland or estuarine area for conservationY (Y/N)
            •      . . . . . . C.10.c.2 Type of acquisition to protect habitat (LOV)
            •      . . . . . . C.10.c.3 Type of property protected (LOV)
            •      . . . . . . C.10.c.4 Date of expiration of protection (mm/dd/yyyy)
            •      . . . . . . C.10.c.5 Miles of streambank protected by land or easement acquisition
            •      . . . . . . C.10.c.6 Acres of land, wetland or estuarine area acquired