Land
Protecting and restoring our natural landsand healthy waterssince 1994.
WOOD
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Wood River Land Trust
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A publication of Wood River Land Trust www.woodriverlandtrust.org info@woodriverlandtrust.org
Kathryn Goldman and summer intern Rachael document new wood deposited by this spring’s ood
FALL 2006
perspectivesperspectives
t first glance, the downed treestretching across the river appearsto be an obstacle for fisherman and innertubers, but in reality it provides manybenefits to the river system, fish, andwildlife. To put it simply: wood is good.Removing wood from the river systemreduces fish habitat and can even de-sta-bilize the river channel itself.This spring, the highest water levelsever recorded on the Big Wood Riverrecruited an abundance of wood into theriver. New log jams and woody featuresappeared in the stream throughout thevalley. Wood in the system often “hangsup” at strategic points like meanders toslow water during high flows. Woodjams also stabilize banks and preventerosion during high flows. It is this dualfunction—providing bank stability andslowing high water—that creates a stablechannel less prone to movement and ero-sion during spring runoff. This new woodcreates points where the river scoursdown to form pools. A newly felled treeor a jam of wood may have a very deeppool beneath it. These pools are goodplaces for fish to hide and provide a coldwater refuge during our hot summers.Wood is not only good for the riverand fish but also for wildlife. Small mam-mals like chipmunks and birds use dry logjams for cover and nesting areas. Theproductivity of the entire riparian area(the transitional area between land andwater ecosystems) is enhanced by downedwood in the river system.
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President’sMessage
By Clark Gerhardt
ood River Land Trust iscontinually reviewing itsstrategy, the center of which is towork with private landowners to pro-tect the valley’s open spaces, wild-life habitat, river health, and farmand ranch lands. In addition, weincreasingly find ourselves workingwith federal, state, and local publicofficials and planning staff. Localofficials and planning departmentsrecognize the immense value of thelands we have permanently pro-tected and seek to protect additionallands, waters, and the rural lifestylewe enjoy. To this end, elected offi-cials and agency staff often seek theprofessional expertise of Wood RiverLand Trust staff. This consultationhas recently cast our work in a morevisible light than in the past, andhas sometimes brought a measure of controversy. In questioning whetherthis is appropriate, we as an orga-nization consider where the WoodRiver Valley is in comparison toother mountain resort areas.Fortunately, the Wood RiverValley is in a favorable position com-pared to Vail, Aspen, Park City, andothers, and we have a unique chance
WHO WE ARE
Major GiftsOfficerRobyn Watson
Robyn’s career has includedinterior design, televi-sion production, and eventcoordination, but she findsnon-profit fundraising themost fulfilling. Originally from Oklahoma, her love of the land comes from growing up riding horses on herfamily’s cattle ranch and spending her college years onColorado’s ski slopes. Having visited the Wood RiverValley on and off for the past 25 years, Robyn looksforward to combining her passion for fundraising andnature and to making the valley home for her little dog,Dixie, and herself.to “get it right.” But it is a constantchallenge—a challenge Wood RiverLand Trust is well-equipped to meet.We have broad and active supportfrom locals and second homeownerswho rely on us to help protect theplaces where they live, love to visit,or to which they plan to retire. Wealso have an excellent professionalstaff who do the heavy lifting on adaily basis and who achieve amazingresults.Success builds upon success, andI am happy to begin my tenure asBoard President after John Flattery’s3 years of hard work and leadership.But we can’t be successful in ourwork without you. On behalf of theBoard, I thank you for your commit-ment to protecting our natural areas,healthy waters, and wildlife habitat.I hope you will continue your sup-port—there is more to be done thanever. Together we can be part of avibrant community.
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Clark Gerhardt
Meet Our New Staff M
There is an eternal landscape, a geography of the soul; we search for itsoutlines all our lives. — Josephine Hart
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MembershipAssistant
Morgan Buckert
Morgan grew up on a ranchin South Texas where herinterest in protecting natu-ral resources developed. In2005, Silver Creek broughtMorgan north to the Wood River Valley. She willgraduate with her M.A. in Environmental History fromthe University of New Mexico in December and holdsB.A.s in History and Government from the Universityof Texas. When not at Wood River Land Trust, Morgancan usually be found at Lost River Outfitters, fishing onSilver Creek, or climbing at the City of Rocks.
Super Interns StewardOur Local Lands
ood River Land Trust was lucky to have threegreat interns this summer. Ben Niffenegger, astudent at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point,was tireless in his work stewarding our preserves—fightingnoxious weeds, maintaining trails, and creating manage-ment plans. Chris Evelyn worked long hours ensuringour annual conservation agreement monitoring effortswent smoothly. Chris is the third graduate studentwe’ve been fortunate to hire from the Bren School of theEnvironment at UC Santa Barbara.Finally, Rachael Goetzelman, an AmeriCorpsMember, worked in a joint position for Wood River LandTrust and Blaine County Weed Department on a compre-hensive noxious weed mapping project.Ben, Chris, and Rachael enabled us to have a veryproductive summer. They also made the most of theirweekends—learning to fly fish, backpacking in thePioneers, looking for frogs and amphibians, and getting toknow the Valley.Many thanks and all best wishes to Rachael, Chris,and Ben!
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Interns Rachael and Ben with staff member Kathryn Goldmanon the Big Wood River
mbers....
Chris, summer intern, checking out big wood in the Big Wood River
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Wood River Land Trust Newsletter Fall 2006
Wood River Land Trust protects and restores land, water, and wildlife habitat in the Wood River Valley and its surrounding areas. We work cooperatively with private landowners and local communities to ensure these areas are protected now and for future generations.
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