Building partnerships

Jeff Streeter, Project Manager

for the North Platte

Valley Trout Unlimited, attended

the Wyoming Water

Commission Basin Plan

meeting Jan. 27 to learn and

to collaborate.

With the Wyoming Water

Commission collecting

data on the use of water in

the Platte River Basin Plan

(Plan), Trout Unlimited (TU)

has an interest in how much

water flows in and out of the

North Platte River.

Streeter said that the good

news for the Upper North

Platte River is that it is of

interest to the governor. In

the Wyoming Water Strategy

report issued by Wyoming

Gov. Matt Mead, Saratoga

is mentioned in the theme of

“Water and Watershed Restoration

Initiatives”.

The report said, “Restoration

efforts on the river are

currently ongoing in Casper,

Saratoga, and Douglas. These

initiatives are improving base

water quality, improving recreating

opportunities for fishing

and boating, creating

channel stability that protects

irrigation and transportation

infrastructure, and aesthetically

improving the river

banks and surroundings.”

Streeter said that sets the

stage for the town’s project.

Streeter said the benefit of

TU to the Plan puts numbers

on the consumptive use and

helps TU identify where future

restoration and fish passage

projects might happen.

In the past, the collaborative

efforts of TU has completed

several restoration

projects on the Encampment

River, which not only improves

the habitat for fish, but

also improves mule deer habitat,

migration and eradicates

erosion on banks of ranch

lands along the Platte River.

“The whole is stronger than

the pieces,” Streeter said. The

efforts help him identify his

priorities in river restoration.

Streeter said he hopes to

partner with the Wyoming

Water Commission to benefit

watersheds in the future.

“What Trout Unlimited

doesn’t do is bring money to

the table,” Streeter said. “But

it forges relationships.”

Editor’s note: This is the

third in a series of the Wyoming

Water Commission’s

Platte River Plan. Next

week, the Saratoga-Encampment-

Rawlins Conservation

District will talk about their

involvement and how the

Plan helps the SERCD look

towards the future.