Last fall, Western Rivers Conservancy acquired a 110-acre property along Idaho’s Panther Creek, one of the Salmon River’s most important tributaries for imperiled salmon and steelhead. This month, we successfully secured funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund to convey the parcel to the Salmon-Challis National Forest for permanent protection. The effort will protect a mile of Panther Creek, including some of the river’s best potential spawning and rearing habitat for salmon and steelhead, while setting the stage for restoration that will benefit fish and wildlife alike.
Panther Creek, which flows into the Salmon River at the eastern edge of the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, is a river redemption story through and through. Once one of the Salmon River’s top producers of Chinook, the stream was decimated by decades of cobalt and copper mining. Toxic releases left the middle river lifeless and prevented salmon and steelhead from reaching the upper river for decades. That began to change in the 1990s, following a massive, $150-million restoration effort to clean up the mine and recover Panther Creek. Now, the water chemistry of the stream is nearly as healthy as it was before the mine. Aquatic insects are back, salmon and steelhead have returned, and trout are thriving.
While Panther Creek has come a long way in terms of water quality, high-functioning spawning and rearing habitats remain degraded in places. Because it is a high-gradient stream, salmon seek out flatter stretches where the river slows down so they can spawn and rear. These lower-gradient stretches happen to be the same ones that lend themselves to agriculture and development. So, anytime land along the river becomes available, protecting and restoring it is critical from a fish and wildlife perspective.
The parcel that WRC acquired is one of these rare tracts. It lies about midway up Panther Creek and was a private inholding within the National Forest, slated for development. The stretch of the river that runs through the property is considered a top priority for salmon, steelhead and bull trout recovery by both the U.S. Forest Service and the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. By purchasing the land and conveying it to the National Forest, we will set the stage for restoration and ensure the property remains conserved forever.
Placing this stretch of Panther Creek into public ownership also creates new fishing opportunities for anglers and improves river access along the Idaho Birding Trail, which spans the entire length of the creek. More importantly, the project is a win for wildlife. Animals like mountain lion, gray wolf, Rocky Mountain elk, mule deer and diverse bird species that inhabit the area can forever seek refuge along this stretch of Panther Creek.
