Trout Unlimited, Idaho Falls – Pebble Creek Project

This project was funded to provide exclusion fencing to a reconstruction project of Pebble Creek in eastern Idaho.  Fencing was part of the project to reduce livestock impacting the health of the stream by providing an offsite watering system and exclusion fencing.  Pebble Creek is a large tributary to the Portneuf River in eastern Idaho and a spawning stream for Yellowstone Cutthroat trout.  Over the years, areas of the streambanks have been severely eroded and this was contributing to poor water quality, and diminished fish habitat. The focus of the multi-agency, landowners, and nonprofit collaborative project was to improve water quality and the native Yellowstone Cutthroat trout, while helping the landowners with water delivery and farm infrastructure.  The goal was for the partners to restructure the original stream channel, revegetate the streambanks to provide bank stability and critical fish habitat, and reduce livestock impact to the stream.