Lifeblood: Muddy Creek's Revival | Trout Unlimited Priority Waters

Lifeblood: Muddy Creek's Revival | Trout Unlimited Priority Waters
Lifeblood: Muddy Creek's Revival | Trout Unlimited Priority WatersTrout Unlimited Priority Waters
Lifeblood: Muddy Creek’s Revival
Lifeblood | A film by Trout Unlimited
For decades, TU and partners such as the Bureau of Land Management, Wyoming Game and Fish, and the Little Snake River Conservation District have been restoring vital habitat for Colorado River cutthroat trout in Muddy Creek, which is part of the Little Snake Basin. More recently, their efforts have included low-tech, process-based restoration and the installation of man-made beaver dams.
The basin is home to four native fish species and is a focus area for TU. Through a feat of Western water engineering, the Little Snake Basin serves as both a headwater for the Upper Colorado River Basin
and
provides source water for the city of Cheyenne, which is outside the watershed.
These structures restore resilience and natural hydrologic function to Colorado River tributaries, slowing down flows and allowing the water to spread across the floodplain, increasing seasonal water storage, and raising the streambed. This simple approach to stream restoration influences a range of hydraulic, geomorphic, and hydrologic processes, and helps achieve restoration goals.
Additionally, TU’s
national partnership with the BLM
and funding from the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law made it possible to hire multiple crews from the Wyoming Conservation Corps and host high school and college aged students through our
TU Expeditions
program to learn about careers in conservation and the incredible amount of work it takes to restore our watersheds.
Seeing the success of these efforts, corporate and philanthropic partners like Microsoft, the Water Foundation, and the Walton Family Foundation joined forces with TU to expand watershed restoration work, culminating into the revival of a historic watershed formerly used by Tribal Nations and emigrants along the Overland Trail.
Lifeblood is a story about how we are all connected to our water supply in the West – even in the most unlikely of places.
Lifeblood (Filmmaker: Kellon Spencer)
BLM partners with Trout Unlimited and Wyoming Conservation Corps to restore habitat
Funds pour into the Colorado River Basin thanks to corporate partners
‘It feels like you’re a part of something bigger:’ Federal infrastructure dollars reach the West
Take a look at more Wyoming Priority Waters
Priority Waters
Featured Priority Waters
East
Connecticut
Maine
Frost Gully Brook
Massachusetts
Deerfield River
Michigan
Coaster Brook Trout Waters
Great Lakes
Minnesota
New Hampshire
New Jersey
Ohio
Rhode Island
Vermont
Battenkill River
Wisconsin
Driftless Area
Appalachians
Georgia
Maryland
New York
Delaware River Basin
Battenkill River
Great Lakes
North Carolina
Pennsylvania
Delaware River Basin
Great Lakes
South Carolina
Tennessee
Virginia
Potomac Headwaters
West Virginia
Potomac Headwaters
Rockies
Arizona
Colorado River Basin
Colorado
Colorado River Basin
Montana
Clark Fork River
Yellowstone River Basin
Nevada
Colorado River Basin
Ruby Mountains
New Mexico
Colorado River Basin
Upper Rio Grande
Utah
Colorado River Basin
Bear River Watershed
Wyoming
Colorado River Basin
Bear River Watershed
Pacific
Alaska
Bristol Bay
Tongass National Forest
California
Klamath River
North Coast California
Terminal Lakes
Kern River Basin
Idaho
Bear River Watershed
Oregon
Klamath River
Washington
Explore The Map
How We Work
Protecting Waters
Recovering Waters
Building Partnerships
Building Communities Who Care
Rooting Conservation in Science
Creating Healthy Fisheries
Building Climate Resilient Waters
Making an Impact
Supporting Rural Economies
About
Take Action