ssrlt fall 2010 nwslttr

8/8/2019 SSRLT Fall 2010 Nwslttr

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$25,000 Annual Giving Goal

Working with willing landowners, the Land Trusts mission is to protect and enhance natural lands,wildlife habitat, and working farms and ranches in southeastern Idaho, now and for future generations

Fall/Winter 2010

NewsletterIt is that time of year again time to reflect on the success of the last

year, and more importantly, to raise the funds we need to make the upcom-ing year even better! Last year, community based donations brought injust over $22,000 in funds vital to maintaining our operations. We reallyappreciate your support, and could not do the work we do without you!This year, we are asking our community to help us raise $25,000 to meetour annual budget.

Our organization has developed rapidly since hiring our first staffmember 2 years ago. Weve protected over 1,940 acres of wildlife habitat,natural lands, and working farms and ranches, now and for future genera-

tions. Weve restored riparian habitat for Bonneville and Yellowstonecutthroat trout and safeguarded critical habitat for other wildlife, such aselk, deer, and birds. Completed projects have secured over 1,000 acres ofprime farm and ranch lands. Recently, we secured public access to NationalForest land near Preston that leads into the Mt Naomi Wilderness area.Even more exciting, we secured an annual capacity grant to hire a secondstaff member part-time. Having Heidi Albano on staff has increased ourlandowner outreach, which we anticipate will lead to greater conservationimpact on the landscape. None of these success stories would have beenpossible without the support of individual contributions, so thanks!

This year, we face a number of challenges. Key among these is raisingthe funds we need to maintain our operations and continue developing

the capacity we need to meet the growing demand of landowners whowant to protect their land. With declining foundation and corporate giv-ing throughout the recession, it has been difficult to grow our organizationin tumultuous economic times. Yet, thanks to the generosity of our mem-bers, we have been able to take significant strides towards meeting ourstrategic objectives. These include increasing the pace of conservation inSE Idaho, developing a stable and growing organization, and becoming theleader in private land conservation across SE Idaho. Our success with thisyears fundraising campaign will enable us to continue our conservationwork to maintain the unique character of the place we call home.

$25,000 Goal

$20,000

$10,000

$2,000 Raised!


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In the Spotlight

Quaking Aspen,Quintessential Component of the Western LandscapeCovering entire hillsides ina shifting pattern of brilliantgreen, yellow, and orange;iridescent silver trunksreflect light like a school offish caught in a suns ray;the aspen tree, Populus trem-uloides, is a quintessential

component of our western landscape.Aspen trees are deciduous, meaning their leaveschange color and drop every fall. Unlike many othertrees, the leaves of theaspen tree are attached tothe branches by flat stemsrather than anchored byround stems. This allowsthe leaves the freedom toflutter in the wind, whichgives them their nickname,the quaking aspen.

Scientists have deter-mined that most often asingle aspen tree is part ofa much larger clone. Mostclones are relatively small,but one grove in Utah isconsidered by many to bethe largest organism on the planet (covering 105 acres).While geneticists can determine precisely whether a treeis part of a particular clone, other characteristics visualto the naked eye also provide clues. These unique visual

characteristics include the shape of the leaves, the anglethe branches come off of the trunk, when the trees beginto leaf out in the spring, and its unique fall shade. If twotrees are in the same clone, they will share these charac-teristics.

As many hunters know, the aspen tree is critical tohealthy vibrant wildlife populations. In addition to pro-viding habitat, almost every part of an aspen tree is highly

nutritious and is used by a variety of wildlife includingelk, deer, and rough grouse. Unlike coniferous forests,an aspen understory is rich with shrubs and herbaceous

plant species because light isable to penetrate throughthe aspen canopy and allowplant growth on the forestfloor. In fact, the aspenunderstory has been shownto support around 500 dif-ferent species ranging fromlarge mammals to different

types of bacteria.Although there are areas

throughout the world wherevarious species of aspen arethriving, other areas, suchas western North America,

aspens have been decreasing,in part due to fire suppression. The Land Trust is doing itspart to protect aspens and their associated habitat acrossSE Idaho.Learn more about all the species we

have highlighted on our website.See more on-

sagebrushlandtrust.org

What is our mission?Our mission is to protect and enhance our regions qual-ity of life, now and for future generations, through theconservation of wildlife habitat, natural lands, and work-ing farms and ranches in Southeastern Idaho.

What is a land trust?A land trust is a community based non-profit organiza-tion that facilitates permanent land protection throughconservation easements and fee title purchases with will-ing landowners.

Why do we work in Southeast Idaho? To maintain SE Idahos high quality of life To protect critical habitat for fish and wildlife To sustain working farms and ranches To improve water quality and watershed integrity To protect wildlife habitat found on farms

and ranches

What does the land trust do?The land trust facilitates voluntary conservation agreementswith landowners. It is responsible for upholding the conser-vation easement terms in perpetuity. The land trust worksonly with willing landowners.

What is a conservation easement?A conservation easement is a voluntary agreement betweena land trust and a landowner. The landowner agrees toeither sell or donate certain rights (like development rightsand other uses harmful to habitat or productive agriculture)to limit a propertys uses in order to protect its conservationvalues (like intact habitat, water quality, open space, andscenic vistas). Each project is unique and tailored to createa win-win agreement. The owners own, use, manage, live,sell, or leave it to heirs, but agreed upon restrictions remainwith the land forever. The easement does not confer anyright of public access on the property, and leaves ownership

and control in the hands of the property owners.


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Restoration UpdateKackley Springs, Recreating spawning habitat for Bonneville cutthroat trout

The restoration of Kackley Springs is over 85 years inthe making. In 2006, PacifiCorp Energy removed theCove Dam along the Bear River that operated between1918-2002. During that time, the majority of water fromKackley springs was diverted to provide additional water

for power generation. Withthe removal of the Cove Dam,this water is no longer diverted,and the restoration of KackleySprings began.

Working with the IdahoDepartment of Fish and Game,the Land Trust, and other part-ners, PacifiCorp reconstructedthe channel of Kackley Springsto improve fish passage andspawning and rearing habitat

for the native Bonneville cut-throat trout (BCT). The chan-nel construction was completedin August of 2009. By June2010, bank vegetation had sta-bilized the channel and themajority of flow was returned tothe spring fed stream. Duringthis time, it was amazing towatch the stream find its natu-ral footing once again.

Now fish can travel freely from the Bear River intoKackley Springs for spawning. This is a unique project,said Dave Teuscher, Idaho Department of Fish and GamesRegional Fisheries Manager for Southeastern Idaho. Veryseldom do we have the opportunity to manage an entiresystem for native species. Over the summer, we workedwith project partners to improve habitat in the streamchannel. Using a new sand-wand technique, built upsediment in the stream channel was removed from the

system leaving behind a clean gravel bottom. This tech-nique was used at Kackley Springs to experiment with itseffectiveness at removing built up sediment and the invasiveNew Zealand mud snail. Currently, we are building a fishtrap near the mouth of Kackley Springs to capture fish mov-

ing up into the spring. We will man-age the trap to ensure only BCT areable to move upstream and to keepnon-native fish from moving into thesystem. This will allow BCT accessto key spawning habitat and reducehybridization with other non-nativetrout species.

The Land Trust is thrilled withthe project! The successful restora-tion of Kackley Springs will provideimportant habitat for BCT, migratory

birds, and other wetland dependentspecies.

Overall, Kackley Preserve is man-aged to maintain the character ofundeveloped, natural open space andto conserve and protect fish, wildlife,scenic, historic, archaeological, andcultural values. The 160-acre proper-ty is located on both sides of the BearRive near Grace and consists of sage-brush steppe, emergent wetland, ripar-

ian, and riverine habitat. This property is open to the pub-lic. Contact ouroffice for more infoand directions ifyou would like tovisit. See location(FT 1) on the nextpage.

Experimental plots in Kackley Springs to evaluate sand-wandtechnique.

Increased ow in Kackley Springs has reconnected habitat with the

mainstem o the Bear River.

Bonneville cutthroat trout fngerling


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Our Projects: 1,940 acres and countin

Robert Lehman Cedar Creek Preserve (CE 1)

The 37-acre property is located in the Blackfoot RiverWatershed along Cedar Creek. The project restored and per-manently protects a stretch of Cedar Creek, which had beendiverted into a ditch over 60 years ago. The project partnersworked together to create the new stream channel and plantnative willows and other species to improve spawning habitatfor Yellowstone cutthroat trout. Picture on the right is fromthe 2009 restoration workday. Volunteers included land-owner, Board members, Land Trust members, and a local BoyScout Troop. We continued the annual restoration weed pullthis year and have almost eliminated the thistle population!

We closed our first conservation easement, the Robert LehmanCedar Creek Preserve in 2006. Since then, we have protectedjust over 1,940 acres across SE Idaho. Our conservation goalsare aimed at protecting private lands that contain importantbiological, agricultural, and community values. Many of ourconservation easements allow landowners to continue farming andranching, but forever prohibit excessive development and harm-ful land uses on the property. Below is a map of our conservationproperties and project descriptions. More information is availableon our website.

See more online!


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eep Creek Preserve (FT 2)he 435-acre property is near the Utah border at the northnd of the Cache Valley. It harbors important riparian habi-

at along Deep Creek and scenic upland habitat frequentedy elk and mule deer. An important element of the projectthe public access established to the national forest and the

Mt. Naomi Wilderness Area. The trail is open to the pub-c, if you are interested in visiting the property, contact ourffice for directions.

ur website has more detailed project descriptions, maps, andnformation about the work of Sagebrush Steppe Regionaland Trust.

enderson Family Preserve (CE 10)he 212-acre property along the Bear River harbors diverseonservation values, including a mature cottonwood forest,niper woodlands and prime agricultural land. A key goal of

he project is the protection of riparian habitat for Bonnevilleutthroat trout, a threatened species in the Great Basin. Theoject continues the acquisition of conservation lands in the

ear River Drainage aimed at protecting and improving habi-t for Bonneville cutthroat trout and countless other species.he conservation easement allows the landowners to con-nue traditional farming and ranching, but forever prohibitsevelopment and harmful land uses on the property.

Mink Creek Canyon and Twin Creeks Ranches (CEs 11 and 12)The 600-acre Mink Creek Canyon Ranch near Preston is theLand Trusts largest conservation easement and is surroundedby National Forest. The scenic conservation easement protectsa diverse array of sagebrush steppe plant communities support-

ing a wide range of wildlife, including neotropical migrantbirds, raptors, upland game birds, mule deer, and elk. MinkCreek also supports one of the best populations of Bonnevillecutthroat trout in the Bear River Drainage. This projectensures permanent protection of quality habitat critical to thepopulations survival. The 100-acres Twin Creeks Ranch nearthe Mink Creek Ranch protects important open space andranch lands (photo let is o Mink Creek on the property).

Cove Area Conservation Easements (CEs 3-9)The Cove Area conservation easements protect 6 acres ofriparian habitat along a 1 mile stretch of the Bear Riverand 113 acres of wetlands, springs, and prime agriculturaland ranch land. These easements protect the riparian cor-ridor and sensitive wetlands from overgrazing, which hasimproved growth of riparian vegetation along the Bear River.The Kackley Preserve and conservation easements together

protect over 275 acres along the Bear River just downstreamfrom Black Canyon. View pictures at our website and reer tomap o area on page 3 o this newsletter.

ying Elk Conservation

asement (CE 2)he 282-acre property iscated in Bannock County,aho. The property sitsong Rapid Creek amid roll-g agricultural fields, wood-

d hillsides, and aspen andaple groves that display

eautiful fall colors enjoyedn leisurely fall drives alongapid Creek Road.

See more online!

sagebrushlandtrust.org


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Land Trust Operations UpdateWhy should you support your local land trust?You, like many of your friends and neighbors, are awareof the unmitigated loss of open space, natural areas,wildlife habitat and productive farms and ranches acrossSoutheastern Idaho. To keep up with the increasing

demand for Land Trust services, we need to maintain andexpand our capacity. Supporting the Land Trust is greatbang for your buck, and we make the most of every penny!

Where do we get our funding? Individual and household memberships Major donor contributions (>$500) Local and regional business sponsorships Foundation grants The Bear River Environmental Coordinating

Committee Government grants for acquisitions

Where did last years funding come from?Annual Fundraiser $5,230Short Term Capacity Grants $23,500Business Giving $4,500Earned Income $1,000Easement Stewardship $4,100Foundation Grants $10,000Individual Giving $22,850

How do we spend our money?

How much has been spent on landconservation projects?*

Conservation Easement Purchase $748,000Fee Title Purchase $456,250

How do we ensure existing conservationeasements are managed and upheld?Stewardship Endowment $245,000

*project funding from Bear River EnvironmentalCoordinating Committee and PacifiCorp Energy

Support from local members is a critical component to ouroperations budget. Members enjoy updates on our accom-plishments, newsletters, invitations to upcoming activitiesand events, and tours of preserves, not to mention the pro-tection of critical wildlife habitat, natural lands, and work-ing farms and ranches in SE Idaho.

What are our fundraising goals this year?Annual Fundraiser $6,850*Bear River Project Funding $25,000Business Giving $5,000Earned Income $1,500Easement Stewardship $6,000Foundation Giving $15,000Individual Giving $25,000

*Funds generated at the July 2010 fundraiser

Why do we need your financial support?

What can you do? Renew your membership and increase your

contribution. Become a major donor by giving $500 or more

each year. Become a business sponsor. Not a member? Donate today!

Send your donation to PO Box 1404, Pocatello, ID83204 or donate online at sagebrushlandtrust.org

BusinessGiving

Founda/on

Giving

Individual

Giving

EarnedIncome

Easement

Monitoring

ShortTerm

Capacity

Grants

Annual

Fundraiser Program84%

dminis0ra1on

8%

Fundraising8%


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hanks to those that contributed since our last newsletter in June

5,000 - $25,999eart of the Rockies Initiative

Wilburforce Foundation

termountain West

Joint Venture

acificorp

1,000 - $4,999Monsanto Fund

500 - $999ohn and Kathy Albano

ob and Jude Flandro

ne Heilman

eb Mignogno

caup and Willet LLC

abette Thorpe

250 - $499om Lucia

ernard ODoherty and Bev

Blake-ODoherty

mes and Bonnie Shaw

100 - $249en and Heidi Albano

ance Bethke

ill and Jean Davidson

d and Marsha Desano

Mike and Linda Engle

eoff Hogander

rank and Susan Farnsworth

rst Congregational United

Church of Christ

Margaret Hudson and Bernd

Beutenmulleraula Jones

izabeth Lovell

Melinda Lowe

Mary Madison

ckie Johnson Maughan

ck Nordseth

va Johnson Nye

Michelle Pak

erry and Wendy Ransbottom

im and Lisa Safford

ruce Smith

aniel Spurlock

$50 - $99Carl Anderson

Mayor Blad and Family

Bruce Brown

Kate Delate and Bob Bloxham

Georgann Dudash

Larry Ghan and Carol Dillon

Priscilla Hearst

Karl and Ardys Holte

Barry and Marjanna Hulet

Michelle Gustin-Jones and

Leroy Jones

Lynn and Tammy Kendell

Richard Knudson

Robert Marcinko

Dana Olson

Ryan and Kimberly Peterson

Darrell and Barbara Scott

Charles Trost

Martha and Paul Wackenhut

up to $49Bill and Wendy Armstrong

Cali BellTheresa Kaufmann and

Frederick Belzer

Robert Brown and Sandra

Thorne-Brown

Randy Budge

Tom and Julie Cooke

Tim Flandro

Michael and Mildred Flandro

Peter and Cathy Frischmann

Niccole and Wylie Fuhriman

Frank and Judy Harmon

Gene and Sue Ann HogeBetty Holbrook

Brian and Amy Holmes

Virginia Kelly

Steven and Leeann Kenison

Kathleen and Joe Lehman

Bob and LaVoy Myers

Matt Lucia

Kayo Robertson

Jessica Buckles and Jack Routson

Lindell Turner and Kim Shirley

John and Betty Sigler

Jay Sperry

up to $49 continuedPam and Richard Tucker

United Way

Kevin and Pamela Ward

Thanks to those that made ourAnnual Fundraiser a Success!Ace Hardware and Outdoor Store

Barries Sports

Costco

Dexter Pitman

Electric Service

Ellery Maughan

Hailey Paint

Henrys Hair Design

Idaho Unlimited

Intermountain Distributing

ISU Outdoor Program

Juniper Hills Country Club

KZBQ and KORR104

LadyBird Farms

Land Trust Boad members

Pam Lawson

Paula JonesPebble Creek Ski Area

Pocatello Co-op

Pocatello Parks and Recreation

Rocky Mountain Environmental

Sandtrap

Scotts Ski and Sports

SLT Graphics

Steelhead Redd

T-Shirts Plus

The Bag Lady

The Paperwork Place

The Ravens NestTown and Country Gardens

Vital Ground Foundation

Planned Giving and BequestsPriscilla Hearst

Every eort has been made to

ensure accurate representa-

tion o contributions. I you

fnd an error, please let us

know.

A very special thanks t

our summer volunteerDick Anderson

Boy Scout Grand Teton Troop 3

Kate and Bob Delate

Cathy Frischmann

Bob and Jude Flandro

Dr. Karl Holte

Michelle Jones

Land Trust Board Members

Melinda Lowe

John and Carol Matkins

Dana Olson

Wendy RansbottomAlissa Salmore

Bruce Smith

Peggy Stolworthy

Sandra Thorne-Brown

Dr. Chuck Trost

Bill Waterfield

Over the last couple years, we at

Land Trust have really enjoyed

time in the field with volunte

While the people are undoubt

great, their furry canine friends our real favorites. We mourn

loss of Sophie, volunteer San

Thorne-Browns Golden retrie

companion. In the photo, San

is surrounded by Copper (Hei

lab), Camas (Joselins Austra

Sheppard mix) and Sophie (rig

We will miss you in the field girl

We will miss you Sophie!


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Printed locally on recycled paper

NON-PROFIT ORg

U.S. POSTAgE

PAID

PERMIT NO. 51

POcATEllO, ID

Acres Permanently Protected With Your Support: 1,940

Fall/Winter 2010

PO Box 1404, Pocatello ID 83204(208) 241-4662

[email protected]

Aspen, Species in the

Spotlight ...Page 2

Restoration

Update ...Page 3

Operations Update

...Page 6

Our Projects

...Page 4

Also, see us online at www.sagebrushlandtrust.org, visit us on and watch us on

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ssrlt fall 2010 nwslttr

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