The Bear River watershed, in Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming, comprises 19,425 km² of mountain and valley lands. The Bear River crosses state boundaries five times and is the largest river in the western hemisphere that does not empty into the ocean; instead it is the largest tributary to the Great Salt Lake. This landscape is unique in that it is entirely enclosed by mountains, forming a huge basin with no external drainage outlets. There are agricultural lands throughout the basin, as well as urban areas located in valleys along the main “stem” of the river and its tributaries. About half of the land is privately owned. In addition to these private lands, the Bear River watershed includes vast amounts of federal (Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service) and state lands (managed by Utah and Wyoming) that serve a wide range of natural and agricultural functions, each of which generates unique impacts and demands on water resources. Three-quarters of the land is used for grazing, with small areas of irrigated hay and small grain production in the valleys. There are also oil and gas production sites and areas of historic phosphate and coal mining. The Bear River drainage supports multiple life history strategies for Bonneville Cutthroat Trout (BCT).
Working with biologists from partner agencies, non-profits and tribes throughout the watershed, WNTI is accelerating the pace of aquatic habitat conservation in the Bear River. This watershed-scale effort aims to restore a connected river to open access for fish to reach high-quality habitats and cold, clean water on both public and private lands.
WNTI has been funding habitat projects on the Bear River since 2007. A singular small-project grant in 2012 prompted the need to seriously evaluate and repair portions of the Bear River and its tributaries. In 2018, a new funding partner, the Open Rivers Fund, a program of the Resources Legacy Fund supported by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, provided funds for 19 projects in Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming to plan, design, and remove fish passage barriers and dramatically increased the scale and pace of habitat work to benefit both native fishes and local communities. Between 2018 and 2026, this multi-year effort has removed 24 push up dams and diversion structures, perched culverts, and a concrete dam to restore +/-144.25 stream miles. Projects addressed extreme bank erosion and land loss while improving habitat for this important fishery, upgrading aging irrigation infrastructure for private landowners, improving water supply reliability, and reducing Operations and Maintenance costs.
VIEW OUR NEW STORYMAP ABOUT THIS PARTNERSHIP
WATCH Reviving the Bear, a film produced by Trout Unlimited about habitat restoration efforts in the Bear River watershed (May 2024).
VIEW a poster designed for the American Fisheries Society Western Division meeting (May 2023).
WATCH a film produced by the Resources Legacy Fund about partnership efforts in the Bear River Watershed.
READ the Epic Tale of the Bear River cutthroat trout (episode 1 The Fall of Evanston Dam).
READ the Epic Tale of the Bear River cutthroat trout (episode 2 The Amazing Almy Ditch).
READ an Op Ed in the Salt Lake City Tribune about the Bear River watershed partnership, co authored by WNTI Coordinator, Therese Thompson, and Resources Legacy Fund Program Office, Shara Sparks.
READ a September 2021 article written by Trout Unlimited’s Brett Prettyman called Five hundred miles of river memories in three states about a WNTI projects tour in the Bear River Watershed.
READ a December 2020 article by the Intermountain West Joint Venture about WNTI and our partners working together in the Bear River.