We’ve all heard the stories of how in the old days the Salmon and Lemhi Rivers were loaded with salmon & seen the photos of the humungous fish that used to be caught in these rivers, but over time and for a variety of reasons the salmon runs dwindled. They dwindled to the point that our town’s namesake fish couldn’t be caught in our rivers and was rarely seen. Then in the 2000s, millions of dollars in federal mitigation funds focused an anadromous, or ocean going, fish began pouring into our valley, all in the name of improving and conserving the habitat and creating a more hospitable environment for these fish to return to to spawn. A variety of governmental and non-governmental organizations have taken advantage of this funding, including LRLT and our partners at The Nature Conservancy’s Idaho Chapter (TNC). Recently, TNC completed an amazing restoration project on Lee Creek near Leadore that removed 11 barriers allowing salmon to utilize Lee Creek for the first time in decades.
Take a few minutes & check out this video from TNC to learn all about their project!
http://www.nature.org/photos-and-video/video/home-an-idaho-salmon-storyhcst
