Restoration effort planned at Silver Creek

KETCHUM (AP) - The Nature Conservancy has announced a plan to reduce sediment buildup in central Idaho's Silver Creek, a spring-fed system renowned for its fly fishing for trophy trout.

The group said the work at the Silver Creek Preserve and surrounding areas protected by private property easements is needed due to years of overgrazing.

"It's a really unique area, and they want to make sure it stays that way," said Dayna Gross, Silver Creek Preserve Manager.

She said the group and Ecosystem Sciences Foundation, a Boise-based environmental consulting firm, have identified some major areas for work, including Kilpatrick Pond and Loving Creek.

At Kilpatrick Pond, she said, the plan calls for forming an island of sediment in the middle of the pond and planting shrubs along the pond's banks.

She said the plan is "just a recommendation. It's a way for people to get started if they are interested."

She said work will begin on Loving Creek this spring and fall. Work at Stocker Creek and Patton Creek will take place throughout next year, she said.

The Nature Conservancy owns the 883-acre preserve that's surrounded by more than 9,500 acres of easements.

Gross said The Nature Conservancy is also working with the Purdy family, which owns some of the land through which streams flow.

The recently released plan has three tiers, with top-tier projects given precedence either due to the severity of problems or the ease with which improvements can be made.

"Some of the top ones reached top priority because you get more bang for your buck," she said.

Part of the plan includes areas within 100 feet around streams where cattle aren't allowed to graze. Gross said planting shrubs and trees in the buffer areas can reduce stream temperatures and improve stream health.

"It's really simple to do," she said. "You can do it for very little expense and it benefits the stream the most."