project brief

The project on Deadman Creek in Summit County, UT, will repair dams, restore riparian habitat, and create a refuge for Bonneville Cutthroat Trout.

Foundation for Western Fish and Wildlife

Boise, ID

Award

$ 18,000

Funding Start Date

Mar 15, 2019

Funding End Date

Nov 1, 2023

Funding Partner

Newfield Foundation

Project Objectives

  • Construction of a lower dam to serve as a fish barrier and work to stabilize the upper dam

  • Stream renovation of the stream 3 miles upstream of the dams to create/restore a refuge for Bonneville Cutthroat Trout and other species

  • Restoration of three native aquatic species to Deadman Creek

  • Engage volunteers to assist in planting vegetation along the creek and upper dam site

Project Description

The Bear River Basin, located in northeastern Utah, southeastern Idaho, and southwestern Wyoming, comprises 19,425 km² of mountain and valley lands. The Bear River is the largest stream in the western hemisphere that does not empty into the ocean; instead, it ends up in the Great Salt Lake. It ranges in elevation from 1,283 meters to nearly 3,962 meters. This landscape is unique in that it is entirely enclosed by mountains, thus forming a huge basin with no

 

external drainage outlets. Deadman Creek is a tributary of Mill Creek, which flows into the Bear River in Wyoming Deadman Creek is currently managed by Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest for native fishes. This project repaired two low-head earthen dams, planted native vegetation and restored riparian habitat to create/restore a refuge for Bonneville Cutthroat Trout and other species in Summit County, UT.

 

Deadman Creek Lower Pond that has been drained and excavated, along with the install of the primary spillway structure.

Primary spillway structure and rails for gangplank that were installed during Autumn 2019.

Looking downstream at primary spillway outlet and constructed stream channel.

Looking west at the top of the dam and the emergency spillway (gravel area in foreground that is underlain with GeoCall – plastic matting that was filled with the substrate) installed during June 2020.

Habitat improvement and Largemouth Bass stockings at Cecil M. Harden Reservoir and Monroe Lake
Water Quality and Habitat Improvement at Hallett’s Pond

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