Sagebrush Steps...Day 1

My first visit to the Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust properties. I was so excited driving over from Boise! I had a lovely dinner with wonderful friends, John Sigler, who is the one who made this all happen, my dear friend and his wife, Betty, who has so kindly offered to put me up and put up with me when I come to visit the properties. And, Sandra and Bob Brown who are lovingly supporting me in this grand adventure. Toasts to all four of them!

John and I set out on our three day, 313 mile, 5 property, and 728 photo trek. First stop, Kackley Springs near Grace, Idaho. This country in southeastern Idaho is so familiar to me and at the same time not so familiar. I was raised in Logan, Utah, and Lee and I lived in north Cache Valley in Trenton. So, I have always lived close and the names and the landscape are so familiar. But, I am looking at it with new eyes and, actually, discovering it all like it was brand new. Kackley Springs also has a pull for me with family ties. Lee's Grandfather Deaton was best friends with ol' Doc Kackley, who owned Kackley Springs. They used to share a shot of whiskey at the end of long days. My grandfather Vosburg was driven from Declo, Idaho to Soda Springs, Idaho, so Doc Kackley could perform an appendectomy on him.

A spawning creek was put in by PacificCorp for the native Bonneville Cutthroat Trout. The trout come from the Bear River and swim up the channel to spawn. I have included photos of the metal gates and boxes, which are fish traps/fish ladders. John, who literally wrote the book on Idaho fish (Fishes of Idaho) told me that the normal operation is for fish to swim into a holding box and then they are manually sorted with cutthroat allowed to continue upstream, other fish returned below the box and back to the Bear River.

A pleasant surprise was to see many of the native River Hawthornes, planted last year by the SSLT, had survived and quite a few were thriving. They were planted along the spawning creek for shade and in hopes of pushing out the non-native Russian Olives.

More 'steps' to coming. Here are photos from Kackley Springs:

Water Tower above PacificCorp power plant and Kackley Springs

Bear River with Travertine Terraces

Sagebrush Steps...First Day

Old habits die hard...you never know when you'll need a drawing reference for a Christmas card.

This is the sagebrush steppe, you know.

Fish Ladders and Boxes

Fish Ladders and Boxes

Lovely shaded creek (or crick), perfect for spawning Bonneville Cutthroat Trout

Thriving native River Hawthorne