Projects - Home
Sauger Study
This June, two University of Wyoming zoology students started
research projects investigating the life cycle and habits of sauger
in the Wind River drainage. The sauger (Sander Canadensis - a
member of the perch family) is an important but poorly understood
native fish in the Wind River watershed.
Both research projects build on a 2003 sauger study by Craig Amadio, who is now a Fisheries Biologist for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department in Green River. Amadio’s research determined that moderate numbers of genetically-pure, adult sauger inhabit the Wind River system, particularly the Little Wind and Popo Agie Rivers ...more>
Mill Creek
Mill Creek, which flows over 20
miles from its headwaters near Cedar
Butte to the Little Wind River, is a
poster child for the many problems
affecting small streams in the Wind
River watershed.
When the Wind River Irrigation Project was constructed in the 1930’s, Mill Creek (and many other small streams) were incorporated into the irrigation system to transport water diverted from other area streams. As part of this effort, many concrete grade control structures and low head diversion dams were constructed in Mill Creek. While these structures were useful for irrigation, they often created barriers to natural fish migration, isolating fish populations from historic habitat ...more>
Popo Agie River
The Wind River Alliance has
been awarded a 2004 Five Star
Restoration Grant for a stream
restoration and community education
project on the Middle Fork of
the Popo Agie River.
The project involves the restoration of a 1,000 foot reach of the Popo Agie River downstream from Lander, including the removal of over 30 car bodies embedded in the stream bank, reshaping of the stream channel, and installation of rock and log structures. The project will improve fish and wildlife habitat while still providing a stable stream channel ...more>
Native Garden
Wind River Alliance, in cooperation
with Wyoming Indian Elementary School
and the Natural Resource Conservation
Service (NRCS) is developing a Native
Garden on the grounds of Wyoming Indian
Elementary school.
On June 22, the project was officially started with a blessing ceremony. At the ceremony, Burton Hutchinson blessed the site and spoke to WIES students about the importance of water and native plants in Arapaho culture ...more>
Healthy Water
Recognizing that human health
and the health of our watershed
are inextricably linked, Wind River
Alliance will be undertaking a new environmental
justice research project this
fall. The broad, long-term goal of the
project is to improve the health of Reservation
residents by reducing human
exposure to multiple environmental
contaminants within our waters.
The project will work toward this ambitious goal by improving public understanding of contaminant threats and opportunities for remedy, so that citizens and public officials can have better ability to improve public health and the health of Reservation waters ...more>