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TCD Welcomes New Staff
This past Spring, we bid farewell to two employees and welcomed two new staff members! We extend our gratitude to Emily Hagedorn and Phoebe Coburn for their years of service.
We welcome Holly Shuss as the new Administration Manager. With a strong background in environmental studies, Holly brings experience as a field and lab technician for the Long-Term Ecological Research Network in Boulder, Colorado. Holly will oversee our administrative operations and manage our financial activities.
Liz Collins joins us as the new Grants and Communications Specialist. Her background in education and science includes experience as a ranger with the US Forest Service, an environmental educator at various parks, and as a program director at the Presbyterian Church of Jackson Hole. Liz will administer grants, coordinate outreach, and work to enhance our community presence.
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Holly Shuss (left) and Liz Collins (right) join TCD as new staff members.
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Conservation Champions Recognized
We are proud to honor Sam Jewison and Sophie Lamb as the recipients of the second annual Teton Conservation Vision Award!
Sam Jewison, Street Division Manager for the Town of Jackson, has been instrumental in enhancing the Town’s stormwater runoff conveyance system. Through increased inspections, regular catchment cleaning, and strategic snow storage planning, he has made a significant impact on our local water quality.
Sophie Lamb, a recent graduate of Jackson Hole High School, created the first native plant pollinator garden at the school. Morgan Graham, GIS and Wildlife Habitat Specialist, says, “Sophie demonstrated vision and initiative well beyond her years throughout this project. Witnessing her turn an ambitious idea into reality was truly inspiring.”
Read more on our blog, Field Notes.
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Carlin Girard, Executive Director, presents Sam Jewison (left) and Sophie Lamb (right) with the Teton Conservation Vision Award.
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"Bug Data" Collected Annually on Flat Creek
Every year, staff collects chemical and biological data from Flat Creek to monitor its health. One of the methods we use to study the creek is through annual macroinvertebrate sampling. We collect samples of aquatic insects to measure taxa richness, which refers to the total number of taxa within the "pollution-sensitive" orders: Ephemeroptera (mayflies), Plecoptera (stoneflies), and Trichoptera (caddisflies). These bugs are very responsive to changes in water quality. As the quality of the water decreases, the number of pollution-sensitive taxa also decreases.
Temperature, streamflow, chemical pollutants, and sediment all have the potential to impact taxa richness. Variable stream flows last year could be one reason for the slight decrease in EPT richness in 2022 compared to 2021. This ongoing "bug data" provides some insight into complex water quality dynamics, helping us make informed decisions to protect the delicate ecosystem of Flat Creek.
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2022 macroinvertebrate sampling data in Flat Creek at High School Road shows a slight decline compared to 2021 in two sensitive groups (Ephemeroptera, mayflies and Plecoptera, stoneflies), with a slight increase in one group (Trichoptera, caddisflies).
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Drone Used to Study Snake River Rampdown
You may recall the dramatic drop in flows from Jackson Lake Dam in fall 2021, where dam releases decreased from 2,900 to 240 cubic feet per second (cfs) over six days. This event provided a great opportunity to gather data on potential impacts to fisheries habitat from a drop of this magnitude. Teaming up with Trout Unlimited, we flew a drone over a three-mile stretch of the Snake River near Wilson for five days to capture images of the river and its side channels.
We found that 23% of surface water was lost and eight side channels lost connectivity to the main stem of the river during those five days. Generally, surface area decreased with flows at a linear rate, but there was a deviation from this linear relationship between 1,270 and 1,060 cfs. This indicates that when the river flows at these rates, there's a higher risk of significant habitat loss for fish and other aquatic creatures in the Snake River.
We believe these results provide guidance to future management decisions and have presented these findings to agency partners and the Bureau of Reclamation. Read more about the study and results here.
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Matt Barney (Trout Unlimited) operates a drone above the Snake River in October 2021.
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Grant Recipients Complete Hoop House
Linn Ranch farms have been nurturing both crops and animals in Teton County for six generations. Their focus on raising cattle and practicing sustainable agriculture has recently expanded to include cultivating local produce. However, there's a challenge - even though the demand for local produce is strong, growing food in Teton County poses various difficulties.
That's where TCD was able to step in through our Agricultural Conservation Planting Program. This program is designed to support local agriculture projects and practices that benefit natural resources and the community food system. Thanks to support from TCD, Slow Food in the Tetons, and NRCS, Linn Ranch was able to purchase a hoop house.
With dedicated effort, they completed construction of the hoop house in June. This structure empowers Linn Ranch to grow food consistently, allowing them to introduce CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) memberships, fostering a strong connection between the community members and the farm's bounty. Read more about Linn Ranch here.
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The recently constructed hoop house stands on Linn Ranch, a structure that will enhance the farm's ability to grow produce for local customers.
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To learn more about a program, click on its icon below.
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