Submitted by shauna_sherard on Tue, 2016-06-21 09:35 Big Wood River Vote Up Down +30 + lake creek before_web.jpg Above: Lake Creek "before" photo Resident trout in Lake Creek have had a hard time making the place a home. And as a tributary to the Big Wood River, that home is important: The creek holds special status as a recreation destination among valley residents and tourists. With that lack of habitat in mind, Trout Unlimited partnered with the U.S. Forest Service in 2014 and 2015 to complete the Lake Creek Enhancement Project. Forest Service staff provided the project design and then pitched in with TU, the Wood River Land Trust staff, local volunteers and Community School high school students to conduct project work. Left: Lake Creek "after" photoIn total, 18 large wood clusters and 12 rock weirs/step pools were constructed over a distance of about one-and-a-half stream miles. These additions provide holding and rearing habitat to resident salmonids. More than 1,500 plants such as willows, sedges, rushes and shrubs were planted to enhance riparian conditions. The Lake Creek Enhancement Project cost about $10,000, and was funded jointly by the Forest Service and a South Central Resource Advisory Council grant awarded to TU.