DroughtReach Part II: Teton County is in Severe Drought

By Carlin Girard, Water Resources Specialist & Associate Director

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OVERVIEW

Hello Teton County, Wyoming, it’s your local Teton Conservation District telling you it’s time to think about how we are using our water. We are a facing a record low water year, and seeing a record year for water use. We need to limit wasteful water consumption for landscaping and in our homes.

The western third of the United States is experiencing drought, and while Teton County isn’t experiencing worst case “Exceptional Drought” conditions like the desert southwest, our county is in “Severe Drought”. But what does that mean, and what should we be doing about it? We hope to answer some of these questions by presenting data and anecdotes, and we will offer some tried and true methods to reduce water consumption.

The Exceptional Drought conditions throughout the west really are no joke. This summer, Lake Mead, our Nation’s largest reservoir, hit all-time lows since its establishment in 1930. To reduce water use, counties in Nevada have begun banning ornamental grass that does not serve a direct purpose. And closer to home, JH Daily reported on June 15th, 2021, that Sun Valley Idaho’s Wood River ran so low this spring that its Magic Reservoir had to stop delivering irrigation water to the 36,000 acres of farmland that it supports, which is the earliest the reservoir had been drawn down completely since at least 1977.

By early April 2021, 100% of Teton County, Wyoming was classified as being in drought, and in mid- July, all portions of Teton County were upgraded to Severe Drought. Severe Drought conditions are defined by areas experiencing poor pasture conditions; overgrazing is reported; hay is scarce; producers are selling cattle; dust increases; trees and vegetation are stressed; water pressure is low; and, well levels decline. This tracks with what we are seeing in Teton County.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service reports that as of July 12th, 2021 the Upper Snake River Basin has received 79% of normal precipitation for this water year, which began October 1, 2020. Winter snowpack drives this region’s hydrology and based on meteorologist Jim Woodmencey’s analysis, this year’s meager snowpack encountered a dry spring and early summer, with cooler than normal temperatures from January through most of May being followed by much warmer than normal temperatures from late May through June 2021.

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SURFACE WATER

The spring and early summer weather made quick work of the snowpack, melting out our high elevation water storage weeks prior to its typical disappearance. Very dry soil conditions that were present from last fall absorbed some of that water, sublimation (evaporation from snow to air) took its share, and the rest produced a quick but near average snowmelt runoff peak in our streams and rivers. The looser in this scenario is summer baseflows in our streams and rivers.

Of our many streams and rivers that have real-time USGS flow gages, we see that most are now either setting 30-year record lows for this time period or are about to. While historical data shows that streamflows have been this low before, these low flows coincide with times of severe drought. Unless a significant change occurs in precipitation regimes, there is no reason to believe that low flows in our rivers’ and their tributaries will increase. Instead, what we can expect is low flows, high stream temperatures, and difficult over-wintering conditions for our native fisheries due to restricted habitat availability. USGS temperature data shows that Flat Creek and the Snake River are nearing 10-year record highs for this time period, and are near or above the 70-degree threshold known to be stressful for cutthroat trout.

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Discharge: USGS stream gage discharge data from some of our Upper Snake River gages. Click on the plot to expand it full-screen.

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Max. Temperatures: Panel: An analysis of maximum temperatures at four gages that have temperature monitoring. Click on the plot to expand it full-screen.

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GROUNDWATER

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USGS Well at Jackson Hole Airport: This provides an analysis of groundwater water levels upgradient from the Jackson Hole Airport.

Drought is something that we should expect from time-to-time, but we should also expect the resulting decrease in water availability. And in Teton County, Wyoming, our surface waters are important for irrigation, aquatic ecosystems, and recreation, but it is groundwater that we humans really rely upon. Almost all of the region’s drinking water originates from groundwater. So, how does the groundwater situation compare to surface water scenario described above? They are tightly linked. In this area, the surface water can be seen as the water that spills over from the aquifer below it.

While groundwater depths are not being monitored as closely as streams, we do have data from a groundwater well upgradient from the Jackson Hole Airport which shows a very similar trend as our local streams—setting record lows for this date range compared to these is same dates throughout the 10 years period of data collect.

Interestingly, both data and anecdotes suggest that the same climatic conditions that have resulted in low stream flows and less groundwater are also contributing to record water usage, as landscaping irrigation demand has increased to keep grass green during this hot dry period. The Town of Jackson has reported that June water usage in 2021 was 165,816,910 gallons, compared to 143,252,081 for the same month in 2020. To make this a little more tangible, that’s an increase of more than 34 Olympic sized swimming pools of usage for the month of June. Other local water operators have also reported record daily water usage, and that landscape irrigation began weeks earlier this year.

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What can i do?

Sometimes, we can rely upon others to address natural resources concerns. But it takes a whole community making individual contributions to address water use issues. Conservation Districts were created to address the fallout from the Dust Bowl. Trust us when we tell you that a proactive approach beats a reactive approach every time when it comes to water shortage.

As our residential and tourist populations increase, so does our demand and impact on water resources. Here are some actions you can take to help support the viability of our drinking water aquifers and aquatic ecosystems:

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Morgan's Nature Notebook - Episode 9 - Birding by Ear

Do you like birds? But can't tell one from another? This episode is for you! Did you know that ornithologists (a.k.a. bird scientists) identify about 90% of species by their song or call! In this episode, Morgan offers some tips on learning to bird by ear!

Subscribe & like on YouTube! Share with your friends (kids & adults & animals)! If you think these videos are entertaining & informative, send questions and ideas for future episodes to info@tetonconservation.org.

What is Teton Conservation District?

Have you ever wondered what we do? Or what is a conservation district? Check out our new illustrated video created by On Board Innovations to learn all about us!

Native Species Spotlight: Calypso orchid

Calypso orchid (Calypso bulbosa)! Also called fairy slipper or Venus's slipper, this delicate native spring flower is a special treat to see. If you are lucky enough to spot one, tread lightly—the Calypso orchid is considered vulnerable to extirpation or extinction. They are highly susceptible to even slight disturbances—trampling and picking are some of the primary reasons for its rapid decline in some areas. You won’t see Calypso orchids on high traffic trails frequented by people and dogs, and picking the flower will kill it—the roots are so delicate they will break at the slightest pull on the stem. Other stressors are logging and overabundant deer.

Calypso orchids grow in sheltered areas with little herbaceous competition—they especially like to put down roots in duff, the soft forest floor made up decomposing leaves, needles, twigs, bark, and other organic matter. They depend on bumblebees for pollination, and require a specific soil fungi! The genus Calypso derives its name from the Ancient Greek word meaning “to conceal” or “to hide”—in Greek mythology, Calypso, “she who conceals,” was a nymph who lived on the island of Ogygia.

DroughtReach Part I: What’s up with water? A look at snowpack and discharge

By Carlin Girard and Emily Smith

At Teton Conservation District, we like water. And behind the scenes, we work with water data to help forecast water issues and assist people in mitigating problems.

The analysis we present here is intended to help people visualize our current ‘water year’ from both a snowpack and water flow perspective. The first plot illustrates the snow water equivalent, a measurement of water in the snowpack. The second plot depicts Snake River discharge, a measurement of water flow. Both plots are shown with ‘water year’ on the x-axis (horizontal axis), which starts October 1st, when snow begins to accumulate in the mountains, and ends the following September 30th. A water-year is named for the year it ends on. Of note, we are in the midst of a drought year, and thus, we are presenting this year’s water data compared to 2016, which was a comparable water year, and 2001, which was a severe drought year. The plots also show median conditions, which represents ‘normal’ conditions.

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Pro tip: Click on the plots above to see them full screen.

Starting in late summer of 2020, things got really dry – as in the driest soil moisture conditions in 10 years. And, as is shown in the Snowpack plot, the 2021 water year in the Upper Snake Basin has been at or below the median snow water equivalent. Over the month of May, typically one of our wettest months, snow water equivalent dropped from 64% to 57% of median, furthering our drought scenario. Now, an unseasonably warm and dry spring has caused a steep decline in the snowpack. The 2021 water year has been tracking close to the 2016 snowpack and discharge, although we have slightly less snowpack and have had a slightly higher peak discharge. As one of the driest winters on record, 2001 is presented as an example of extreme drought, which we have stayed above in both snowpack and discharge. The Green Knoll fire in Wilson was in July of 2001.

We present discharge measurements taken at the USGS Snake River monitoring station south of Jackson at Swinging Bridge (aka Snake River below Flat Creek) because it represents the water leaving Jackson Hole pretty well. Our guess is that the Snake River has already reached its peak flow (Glory Bowl is melted out) and it will be followed by a relatively rapid decline in discharge, especially considering that near-term temperature forecasts don’t show a cooling pattern. We eked out a decent whitewater peak, given the water year we had, but if our intuitions are correct, it’s time to start tying flies, because water levels will be dropping fast! Keep your eye on Rendezvous Bowl at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort – when it’s free of snow, the Snake is usually clear and beginning to fish well. And enjoy it, because according to the Bureau of Reclamation, they will be releasing higher than normal flows this summer from Jackson Lake, which can really hamper mainstem summer fishing conditions.

We are fortunate to have a substantial amount of surface and groundwater available even in a drought year, however, well owners, irrigators, firefighters, and anglers will need to pay special attention this summer and fall. If water supply has been an issue for you in the past, this year could present similar challenges.

Don’t hesitate to give us a call or an email if you observe abnormal water conditions this year, we are always interested.

Other resources:

Click here to check out NRCS snowpack data.

Click here to look at USGS Swinging Bridge Snake River data (multiple discharge readings per day and other data available).

Morgan's Nature Notebook - Episode 8 - Native Grass!

This episode of Morgan’s Nature Notebook was created for Wildlife Expo, an annual event hosted by the Jackson Hole Weed Management Association for all Teton County, Wyoming 4th-graders. In this lesson and activity, you’ll learn about native grass adaptations and how to plant your very own grass-terpiece! We hope it gets you excited about being a good wildlife and ecosystem steward by planting native habitat. Special thank you to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service/National Elk Refuge for partnering with us on this episode.

Dances with Wolves…and Elk

University of California Berkeley PhD student, Kristin Barker, and one of her field technicians, Zach Andres, posthole up a steep slope in the Gros Ventre Mountains, working their way towards a cluster of GPS points left by wolf collars a few days before. The points on their GPS screen indicate that the wolf pack stopped there. Could they have found a meal? Maybe they bedded down for the night? Wolves tend to bed on ridges or areas with good vantage points, and often will use terrain traps, like fallen timber or natural funnels, to hunt prey. We reach the top of the windswept ridge, and indeed, the wolf pack had stopped there for a rest. There are gentle depressions in the snow where each wolf hunkered down. Kristin kneels down at each bed to look for evidence that these were indeed wolf beds, typically confirmed by finding wolf hair. Kristin finds a hair and delicately holds it in her fingers, explaining that if the hair “kinks” when you bend it—like Kristin is demonstrating in this photo—it’s likely a hair from an ungulate, such as a moose, deer, or elk. Ungulate hair is hollow, while non-ungulate hair, like a human or wolf, is not hollow and does not kink.

Kristin Barker inspects a suspected wolf bed.

Kristin Barker demonstrates how ungulate hair kinks because it is hollow.

The Jackson Elk Herd is an icon of Jackson Hole—the estimated 11,000 elk in the herd are ecologically, economically, and culturally important to our community and beyond. But in some ways, the species is still an enigma.

Part of the Jackson Elk Herd overwinters on the National Elk Refuge, but some winter higher up in the Gros Ventre drainage. The number of elk wintering in the Gros Ventre has varied unpredictably in recent years, ranging from 3,100 elk in 2012 to just 86 in 2017. Why?

The reasons for the stark differences from year to year are not well understood. Supplemental feeding efforts often—but don’t always—encourage elk to remain in the Gros Ventre, and concerns about the potential role of feedgrounds in disease transmission have led to discussions about reducing reliance on feeding as a management tool. Further, changing influences of wolf populations and human activities also affect elk distributions.

Kristin is working with Wyoming Game & Fish Department, the National Elk Refuge, Grand Teton National Park, and the U.S. Forest Service to identify factors that most strongly influence the winter distribution of the Jackson Elk Herd. With her team of field technicians, Kristin has spent the past three winters traversing the Gros Ventre Mountains, tracing the steps of collared wolves and investigating their prey species and bed sites. In the event that they find a wolf kill, they record the environmental circumstances like snowpack and vegetation type, as well as the condition of the animal by examining the teeth, joints, hooves, and bone marrow for signs of sickness or anything else that could have made the animal susceptible to predation.

Field Technician, Zach Andres, inspects an elk rumen.

Kristin and Zach record snowpack data.

Assessing the simultaneous effects of wolves, humans, and the environment will reveal the extent to which management actions can effectively manipulate elk distributions during winter. “We will learn, for example, whether elk distributions may be altered by changing the distribution of wolves on elk winter range, by changing elk feeding efforts, or by changing winter recreation regulations,” explains Kristin. “Alternatively, if we find that elk distributions are primarily driven by forces outside our control, such as snowpack or other environmental fluctuations, this information will allow managers to direct resources and efforts.” Kristin’s research may also help our understanding of CWD and disease transmission, human influence on wolf predation, and the number of elk killed by each wolf pack, which will help inform population objectives.

Kristin’s research is proudly supported by Teton Conservation District, Buffalo Bill Center of the West, the University of California, Berkeley, the Wyoming Game & Fish Commission, UW-NPS Small Grants Program, and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

Wolves spotted on a ridge through a spotting scope. Photo by Zach Andres.

Morgan's Nature Notebook - Episode 7 - Winter Wildlife Closures

Do you like beta testing sick lines?? So do we. But, it's especially important to respect these last few weeks of wildlife closures. Why? Just because it's warm and sunny out does not mean the animals are “out of the woods." Sometimes their condition is so poor from the long winter, that winter kill actually happens well past when green up starts.

We know it's tempting, but stick with it and give wildlife the space they need until May. Most winter closure restrictions lift on May 1st. Click here to find a map of all winter closures in Teton County, Wyoming.

Snow Pile Removal Enhances Teton County Water Quality

Creeks and rivers throughout Jackson Hole will soon be swollen with snowmelt. In urban areas, melting snow carries sediment, salt, metals, hydrocarbons, and other pollutants deposited on roadways and parking lots throughout the winter into streams and rivers.  

Snow storage piles adjacent to waterways present an opportunity to protect water quality. With the support of Hungry Jacks General Store and Basecamp, Teton Conservation District (TCD) and the Jackson Hole Land Trust (JHLT) partnered with Teton Heritage Landscaping on a project initiated by the JH Clean Water Coalition (JHCWC) to remove the snow storage piles adjacent to Edmiston Spring.

Snow pile on March 4, 2021 before removal.

Snow pile on March 12, 2021 after four dump-truck loads were carried away.

Edmiston Spring is a small, spring-fed tributary to Fish Creek. It bubbles up on the east side of Owen Bircher Park, meandering through downtown Wilson for about a half a mile before meeting its confluence with Fish Creek. Edmiston Spring is a valuable nursery for juvenile Snake River cutthroat trout and provides aquatic and wetland habitat for numerous other species. Excess sediment, especially fine silt, clogs up loose gravel streambeds, which are critical for both trout and macroinvertebrate reproduction cycles.  

Teton Heritage Landscaping transported four dump-truck loads of snow away from the spring. Just how much sediment did this prevent from entering the spring? Trevor Deighton’s Jackson Hole Middle School 8th grade science class investigated that question. Deighton’s students melted down 22 liters of snow and filtered out the sediment. Averaging the values, they estimated that the four dump truck loads of snow prevented approximately 4,783 gallons of water of questionable quality and about 1088 pounds of sediment from draining into the spring.

“The results of the investigation by the young minds at the middle school illustrate how small actions by the community can have big impacts to the water quality of Teton County,” notes JHLT Director of Stewardship Derek Ellis. “The Jackson Hole Land Trust is proud to be a partner of the JH Clean Water Coalition to help protect the waters of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.”  

“This project, despite its small size, has a big community and ecological benefit,” says Carlin Girard, Teton Conservation District’s Water Resources Specialist & Associate Director. “We hope it inspires others to consider snow storage locations that are close to streams and waterbodies, and pursue snow storage removal projects that could have a large cumulative impact on water quality throughout the valley.”

This small project builds on the Edmiston Spring Channel Enhancement Project, a collaborative effort that began in 2015 to improve aquatic and wetland habitat. Partners of that project included Wyoming Game & Fish Department, Jackson Hole Trout Unlimited, Friends of Fish Creek, Teton Conservation District, and the Snake River Fund.

Snow pile adjacent to Edmiston Spring on March 4, 2021, before removal.

Snow pile on March 12, 2021 after four dump-truck loads were carried away.

Happy Plant a Flower Day!

These sunny days make it feel like spring is just around the corner…it’s also Plant a Flower Day! To celebrate, enjoy these pictures and fun facts “cultivated” by our very own Morgan Graham, GIS & Wildlife Specialist for Teton Conservation District:

Bonneville shooting star: Bumblebees hang upside down on stalk and vibrate their wings at a frequency that releases pollen on their belly.

Harebell/bluebell bellflower/witch's thimble: The name alludes to the folk beliefs that this flower grew in places frequented by hares or that witches used juices squeezed from the flower to transform themselves into hares. The Haida people of the Pacific Northwest called them "blue rain flowers" and it was thought that picking them would cause it to rain.

Yellow fritillary: Bears and rodents eat the bulbs, that taste like potato when fresh and rice when cooked.

Silky phacelia: Deters herbivores by synthesizing cyanide from amino acids. Also keeps the graze away by hyperaccumulating gold. Plants found in vicinity of gold mines have 10 - 100x the gold concentration as the surrounding soil!

Orange agoseris aka mountain dandelion: Fun to say, reminds @morganser of Animal from muppets. Probably other fun facts about this flower too, but that one is pretty fun.

Northwestern Indian Paintbrush/Showy Northwestern Indian Paintbrush/Desert Paintbrush: Attracts pollinators like hummingbirds and butterflies. Various parts of the plant were historically used for stomach pains, sore eyes, and to regulate menstruation.

Arctic Gentian: King Gentius, ruler of Illyria (modern day SE Europe) valued this species for its ability to cure malaria in his troops.

Don't Feed Wildlife

A storm's a brewin! Bambi struggling through the deep snow this weekend may tug at the heartstrings. Some kind folks out there may think it’s a good time to put out snacks for our wild neighbors. While they mean well, feeding wildlife—and mule deer in particular—does more harm than good:

#1 Mule deer have microorganisms in their digestive system that gradually change with the seasons, allowing them to eat different naturally-occurring foods throughout the year. A rapid transition from high-fiber woody browse to high-carb/protein human-provided foods (like hay, corn, livestock feed, birdseed, or basically anything from a store) can mess up a deer’s stomach and kill it. Feeding can lead to conditions in ruminants called acidosis (carb overload) and enterotoxemia (overeating), which will kill a mule deer in 24-72 hrs. Symptoms include convulsions, diarrhea, weakness, and more. You may see Bambi happily munching on feed, but it could walk away and get sick in the ensuing hours.

#2 Feeding wildlife is against Teton County regs and you can get fined up to $750 a day! Learn more at tetoncountywy.gov/657/Wildlife-Feeding-Violations.

#3 When mule deer concentrate at feeding locations, it creates ideal conditions for increased loss due to predation and diseases. And, attracting predators into neighborhoods presents other problems…

#4 Supplemental wildlife feeding in residential areas may increase wildlife-vehicle collisions. Animals change their movement patterns to reach feeding sites, which means they might cross roads more often.

#5 Feeding can disrupt natural behavior. If a deer is conditioned to remain near a feeding site, it might not migrate from its winter range to its summer range. Over the long-term, this will compromise the population as a whole. Fed deer also tend to lose their fear of people, which can negatively affect survival. And, when food is concentrated, deer compete and exclude smaller and weaker deer, inadvertently leading to starvation.

What can you do? Spread the word! You can also report violations to Teton County’s Code Compliance Officer at 307-733-3959.

Teton Conservation District Celebrates 75 Years!

Happy 75th Birthday Teton Conservation District!

Anniversaries like this offer a moment to pause and reflect on history. In celebration of our conservation heritage, we’re reflecting on how Teton Conservation District came to be. But, these last 75 years of conservation work are a mere blip in the 11,000-year history that humans have been connected to and made a living on this landscape. So, we’d like to honor not just our recent history, but the thousands of years that indigenous peoples and newer residents have stewarded this landscape. We continue appreciate the opportunity to work with our surrounding communities to conserve natural resources in Jackson Hole and beyond.

Feeding Cattle, 1954.

Showing the growth of tame hay, 1961.

Cache Creek Flood, 1974.

4H Camp Soil Lesson, 1975.

Our story begins with the Dust Bowl. As a result of severe drought, exacerbated by years of unsustainable agricultural practices, the Dust Bowl ravaged the west in the 1930s. Taking action to conserve soil and prevent erosion, Congress passed the Soil Conservation Act of 1935, which created the Soil Conservation Service (now called the Natural Resource Conservation Service), administered by the United States Department of Agriculture. In 1937, a model Soil Conservation District Law was developed and sent to each state governor, along with a letter from President Franklin D. Roosevelt urging them to empower local farmers and ranchers to create districts to conserve soil and water resources. Wyoming passed the Soil Conservation Act in 1941, leading to the voluntary formation of local conservation districts across the state. Today, there are 34 conservation districts in Wyoming.

During the coldest and darkest months of 1946, a committee of Jackson Hole residents including Jim Imeson, Cliff Hansen, Arthur Brown, Bruce Porter, Fred Toppings, and Amasa James came together and established Teton Soil Conservation District. Over the years, our name changed to Teton Conservation District and our boundaries expanded to include Grand Teton National Park and Wyoming’s portion of Yellowstone National Park. Since 1998, voters within the district area have approved up to one mill of property taxes every four years to fund the conservation district for the purpose of soil, water, wildlife, and other conservation programs.

Rooted in public support, 75 years of Teton Conservation’s District’s work demonstrates our dedication to our community and environment. With ever-increasing demands on the natural world, Teton Conservation District is committed to working with the community to carry out our shared vision for a better future. To learn more about what’s on the horizon, check out our 2020-2025 Strategic & Long-Range Plans.

An Excerpt from Winter Wings by Bert Raynes

An excerpt from Winter Wings by Bert Raynes:

"There's an old geologist's saying to the effect that if he hadn’t believed it, he would have never seen it. I actually knew that old geologist.

Finding birds in winter in the Northern Rockies is a little like searching for some previously unrecognized subtle or hidden geomorphic feature. They’re there, but if you don’t believe, you’ll never see them.

Different from summer or spring. What should your winter birding strategy, be, then??

Just go out and look.

Many bird watchers think summer is the optimum time to find birds. True enough, there are more birds around. More species, more numbers of most species. True, but many birds are on the nest, quiet, and don’t want to be seen, or are busy feeding and training their young and are no longer singing. Some are hiding out as only they can.

Summer birds are great. But winter birds, they’re hardy souls with fewer obligations. Every wild creature has to be concerned about its safety and food. Winter birds have pretty much only those concerns—not territorial defenses, not mate selection, not eggs to brood, nor young to care for. Why, winter birds are almost on vacation! What better time to look for them?”

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Thank you for making us believe Bert, and for teaching us to appreciate the natural world. Thank you for shaping the next generation of naturalists and conservationists. Bert Raynes, naturalist and Jackson Hole icon, passed away on New Year's Day at age 96.

There may be fewer birds around, but some birds only ever show up in winter! Winter is your best chance of seeing cool little guys like grosbeaks (pine and evening), crossbills (red and white-winged), rosy-finches (black and gray crowned), northern shrikes, and snow buntings…in the valley bottom. Raptors like rough-legged hawks and the occasional snowy owl only ever migrate south to Wyoming during the winter months. If you’re a beginner birder, winter is a great time to get familiar with a good foundation or hardy souls.

Pine grosbeak by Yankech Gary

Gray-crowned rosy-finch by Dominic Sherony

Snow bunting by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren

Snowy owl by Jongsun Leend

White-winged crossbill by Scott Hero

Northern shrike by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren

Rough-legged hawk by Tom Koerner/USFWS

Morgan's Nature Notebook - Episode 6 - Winter Tracking

Winter tracking is an art! For all you non-tracking-artists out there, enjoy these beginner tips for learning to recognize stories written in the snow by animal tracks and signs.

With sub-zero temps and a deepening snowpack, it’s becoming more important to give wildlife space. The energy an animal expends running from a person, dog, or car is energy they might have a hard time replenishing with limited browse and forage available over the winter. But, learning to identify tracks is a fun way to connect with the natural world and wildlife without needing to get close them, or even see them at all!

If you want to become an expert tracking artist, a good place to start is this U.S. Forest Service chapter by Halfpenny, Thompson, Morse, Holden, and Rezendes on snow tracking. Another great resource to look for at the library or book store is Mammal Tracks & Sign by Mark Elbroch.

Across the Aisle—Washington agrees on historic funding for conservation

By Morgan Graham 

Morgan Graham wrote this piece for the Wyoming Chapter of the Wildlife Society’s 2020 Fall Newsletter. We’ve reposted it here on Teton Conservation District’s blog to provide summary of the recently passed Great American Outdoors Act, a law that addresses mounting maintenance costs of federal land and permanently funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund. It passed the House and Senate with unusual bipartisan support, with 310 of 435 Representatives and 73 of 100 Senators supporting the bill.

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As we approach election day, bipartisanship seems like an invertebrate on the endangered species list—obscure and rare.

To juxtapose, let’s take the opportunity to highlight the recently passed Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), a law that addresses mounting maintenance costs of federal land and permanently funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Late civil rights luminary Representative John Lewis introduced the original bill as the Taxpayer First Act in 2019, but the bill underwent substantial revisions over the following year and a half. President Donald Trump signed the bill into law on August 4th, 2020.

Existing funding is not sufficient to meet the mounting cost of conservation in the United States. The GAOA helps to cover conservation funding gaps via two mechanisms: the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund (NPPLLRF) and the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).

Jenny Lake Trail in Grand Teton National Park.

Under the NPPLLRF, 50% of all federal tax revenue from oil, gas, coal, or alternative energy developments on federal land or water over the next 5 years will be deposited into a fund, up to a maximum of $1.9 billion annually. From this fund, 70% will be allocated to the National Park Service, 15% to the U.S. Forest Service, and the remaining 15% split equally amongst the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Bureau of Indian Education. Nearly $20 billion are necessary to address maintenance backlogs on federal lands, and NPPLLRF will help with this backlog. Projects will prioritize improved accessibility for persons with disabilities. At least 65% of funding within each agency will support maintenance on docks, restrooms, campground, and trails projects, and remaining funds may support paved/unpaved roads, bridges, tunnels, and paved parking. After 5 years, the General Accounting Office will conduct a study to examine the efficacy of the NPPLRF.

Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. Photo by National Park Service.

The GAOA also permanently funds the LWCF, a law that has previously required funds to be allocated on an annual basis. The LWCF was established in 1964 and is primarily financed by royalties on offshore drilling, with a small percentage generated from the sale of federal lands and taxes on boat fuel. Since its inception, nearly $20 billion have been allocated to federal, state, and local governments to improve access to recreation and protect natural resources. The LWCF was reauthorized—but not funded—in 2019, reducing a substantial pool of funding opportunities for many governmental agencies. However, with the passage of the GAOA, the LWCF has secured $900 million per year. In Wyoming, the vast majority of LWCF grants have helped establish or redevelop community recreational amenities such as parks, golf courses, ball fields, shooting ranges, rodeo grounds, and ski lifts. Notable habitat conservation projects supported by LWCF include the Bear River Watershed Conservation Area, the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, Cokeville Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Fossil Butte National Monument, and the North Platte River Special Recreation Management Area.

Despite broad bipartisan support, the Wyoming Congressional delegation unanimously opposed the legislation. Senator Mike Enzi asserted the act contributed to the national debt and failed to account for the federal maintenance costs beyond five years. Senator John Barrasso expressed support for the LWCF and its positive impact on communities throughout Wyoming, but he did not support the bill over concerns about long-term maintenance funding and the federal government continuing to bite off more than it can chew. Representative Liz Cheney expressed dismay that taxpayer dollars would support the conversion of private land to public without a viable plan for funding the existing maintenance bill.

Most media outlets have considered the GAOA the biggest win for conservation in a generation. It passed the House and Senate with unusual bipartisan support, with 310 of 435 Representatives and 73 of 100 Senators supporting the bill. With 92% of federal lands occurring in 12 western states, politicians effectively lobbied for its passage as an economic stimulus for economies of the Mountain West. With the exponential increase in outdoor recreation, reliable funding for public land infrastructure is a priority. Here’s hoping this uncommonly popular piece of legislation can help.

Mollusk Mystery

By Phoebe Coburn  

While out conducting annual Flat Creek sampling earlier this fall, we came across two very different mollusk shells camouflaged amid the pebbles in the streambed. One is a native species, and the other…well, it may have originated in the Atlantic Ocean.  

On the left is a western pearlshell mussel, identifiable by its oval shape and pearlescent purple internal coating. The western pearlshell is one of two native mollusks found in the Jackson area. The other native is the pill clam, however “you generally don't see them because they are tiny (smaller than your pinky nail) and very fragile,” according to Diana Miller, Fisheries Biologist for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department in Jackson.

The clam on the right is a mystery. It’s not a native nor an invasive species—but rather likely ended up in Flat Creek after someone’s streamside picnic. Carlin Girard, Teton Conservation District’s Water Resources Specialist & Associate Director, will occasionally find the empty shells of store-bought clams in Flat Creek while out conducting water quality or macroinvertebrate sampling. “The first domestic clamshell I found fooled me,” Carlin says, “I actually sent a picture to a lab. It makes you question your professionalism, when a lab emails you back that the sample in question likely came from Albertsons.”

Western pearlshell mussel. Photo by Carlin Girard.

Western pearlshell mussel. Photo by Carlin Girard.

Though the clam mystery is intriguing, it pales in comparison to the story of native mussels. They are ecosystem engineers; they filter water and bioaccumulate chemicals. Living up to 100 years old, these miraculous little creatures are known as the “liver of the river” for their aptitude for cleaning water. They also fuel the food chain by absorbing and then depositing nutrients for other creatures in the bottom of the river to consume. The way they travel and reproduce is also fascinating—native mussels co-evolved with fish. The mussel reproduction cycle includes a larval stage in which the microscopic larvae attach themselves to a host fish’s gills and fins, hitching a ride upstream and enabling the otherwise sedentary species to travel between watersheds.

Once they do arrive at their permanent home, you might call them a stage 5 clinger! Mussels have been the focus of material scientists for years, as they attempt to replicate the aquatic adhesive abilities of these marvelous mollusks. Within three minutes, mussels can begin attaching themselves to virtually any type of underwater surface. Proteins secreted from their foot form threads and plaques that rival the strength and durability of the strongest human-made glues.

But, an estimated 70 percent of freshwater mussel species in North America are either extinct or imperiled. All sorts of human activities have harmed mussels over the past century, including pollution, river impoundment, habitat degradation, decline of host fish populations, and unregulated exploitation (before plastic, mussels were often harvested for shirt buttons!). And now, freshwater mussels are facing a pandemic of their own. Listen to this recent Science Friday segment on a virus that is decimating many freshwater mussels.

If you’re now a mussel fanatic like me and want to learn more, check out this Wyoming Game & Fish Department report on freshwater mussel surveys in the Bear and Snake Rivers.

Invasive Mussels

You’ve probably heard the phrase “Don’t Move a Mussel.” Not all mussels are native. Zebra and quagga mussels are invasive species of concern and we definitely do not want them in our waterways. Both of these mussels originated in eastern Europe, but are established throughout the U.S. and cause ecologic and economic destruction. In the Great Lakes, zebra and quagga mussels have also been associated with avian botulism, killing tens of thousands of birds.  Both of these invasive mussels typically grow to about the size of a fingernail and kill native mussels by attaching themselves to the shells of native species­—essentially suffocating them. They are also prolific breeders and eaters, outcompeting native species. Over short distances, zebra and quagga mussels are often spread between waterways by the movement of recreational boats that have not been adequately cleaned, drained, and dried. They can live for 3 to 5 days out of water. What can you do? It’s pretty simple really, 1) Clean, 2) Drain, and 3) Dry your boat before using it in another waterway.

Zebra and quagga mussels. Photo by Bureau of Reclamation.

Zebra and quagga mussels. Photo by Dave Brenner, Michigan Sea Grant

Morgan's Nature Notebook - Episode 5 - Our Native Plant Garden

When you think of nature, you might think of the forest or a national park…but did you know you can have a little bit of nature in your own backyard? We planted a native grass and shrub garden at the Teton Conservation District office last year – join us for this episode of Morgan’s Nature Notebook to see how our garden is coming along!

If you live in the Jackson Hole area and you’d like to plant your own native garden, get in touch with us to receive a free bag of native grass or shrub seed: (307) 733-2110 or morgan@tetonconservation.org.

It’s Bugle Season

By Phoebe Coburn, Communications Specialist

Growls, barks, glunks, chuckles, and whistles. Elk may be the most vocal big-game animal in North America. In the Rocky Mountains, there might be no sound that is quintessentially more ‘fall’ than the elk bugle. For me, the emotive sound evokes a unique feeling somewhere betwixt fear and awe, daze and wonder, and nostalgia and appreciation. Morgan Graham, Teton Conservation District’s GIS & Wildlife Specialist, says, “The sound of a bugle stirs up a feeling of being sent back to the age of the dinosaurs. Tingling in my ears and on the back of my neck. Ethereal. Primordial. Mystical beasts. It’s easy to see where inspiration for unicorns came from.” Such a feeling lends itself to questions.

Why do elk bugle?

Male elk bugle during the ‘rut,’ the mating season running from September through October. During the rut, male elk have one (and only one) goal: mate. Bugling is a key part of this autumn ritual. But what precipitates this distinctive sound? I decided to explore this question because I have a childhood memory of someone telling me that the short days trigger bugling. Was that the elk-equivalent of an adult telling me that babies come from storks? So, I did some fact-checking and it turns out that yes, the short days do trigger bugling. But, whoever told me this interesting fact left out a few key details that kept me wondering all these years.

The rut is associated with the autumn equinox because the short days trigger hormone changes in elk, according to this interview with Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s big game manager, Andy Holland. “Right now the days are getting shorter, which affects melatonin levels. That triggers hormone changes in both bulls and cows. Bull testosterone levels can increase 1,000 times,” Andy said in the interview.

In female elk, the hormone changes cause them to go into estrus and release an alluring pheromone that makes the male elk go wild. While the females are wisely putting on pounds before the winter months, male elk are losing weight because they’re too busy showing off for the ladies to bother eating. Morgan says, “If you’ve ever had the pleasure of watching or listening to a bull elk defend or attract a harem during rut, you know first hand how personal preservation is the last thing on their mind. People shouldn’t be surprised if an incredible roadside photo opportunity quickly escalates into 800 lbs. of wapiti whoop-*** attempting to destroy you, your pet, or your car. These are wild animals at their wildest. For everyone’s sake, make sure to give them space. Spotting scopes, telephoto lenses, and binoculars are great investments.”

The rut happens at the same time every year for an important reason—all the babies need to be born at the exact right time in the late spring. Born too early, and the forage doesn’t provide enough nourishment for a nursing mother. Born too late, and the calves aren’t big enough to survive the next winter.

Do female elk bugle?

Yes! They do! But rarely. Female elk will occasionally belt a bugle in the spring, most often in the late morning hours. (Interesting side note: the earliest description of female bugling I found online was Olaus Murie’s 1932 article “Elk Calls” in the Journal of Mammalogy. The article is still frequently cited today.) But why do they bugle in the spring? Biologists don’t know exactly, but this article (also in the Journal of Mammalogy) suggests that “Bugling by female elk may be associated with high-stress periods and hormonal changes accompanying gestation and lactation, as proposed by Espmark (1964) regarding behavioral changes in female reindeer.” A female elk’s bugle sounds similar to a male’s bugle, but generally a little shorter in duration.

What are they saying?

The same article provides a picture of the functions of different bugle vocalizations in elk social behavior. Bugles sound different—some aggressive, some non-aggressive, some with lots of grunts, and some with a long reverberating whistle. The article describes most bugles as having three parts: an on-glide, whistle, and off-glide. Depending on the pattern of frequencies, it’s thought that the elk are conveying different messages. A male elk might be trying to attract a mate with his bugle, corral the females, assert his dominance over other males, assess the fighting ability of other males, or persuade a female avoiding his advances.

Fun fact: A lesser known bull elk vocalization known as the “glunk,” which sounds like a low-frequency drum or popping. It is heard when a bull is typically trailing a herd of cows. Some say it is an expression of dominance and personal identifier to the cows, while others assert it is the sound of the bull gulping the scent trail of the cows to determine whether they are in estrus.

Where can I hear elk bugling?

Just about anywhere in Jackson at this time of year! I heard a few distant bugles in the wee hours this morning from my cabin in Wilson. Along the Moose-Wilson road at dawn or dusk is a good place to start, and then work your way north through the park. Some of the best bugles I’ve heard were on the shores of Shoshone Lake in Yellowstone. If you haven’t heard an elk bugle before, the video below just doesn’t do the mystical sound justice.

Send us a message at info@tetonconservation.org if you have any great bugle stories or know of any interesting information we left out. Thanks for reading!

'Tis the Season of Thistles

By Morgan Graham

Hey everyone, 'tis the season for knocking back patches of thistle!

Following tips from Teton County Weed and Pest District and Bridger-Teton National Forest, Teton Conservation District staff members Emily Smith and Morgan Graham recently removed over 125 lbs. of thistle seed heads in the vicinity of the Munger Mountain and Game Creek trailheads! We intend to revisit these sites in future years to track our mechanical control progress.

Thistles are tricky and can come back even after being sprayed or pulled. If a thistle looks dead or drooped, but you still see a purple seed head, the thistle has succeeded in expanding its footprint. 

If you want to get out there and be a native habitat hero, here are a few tips on treating thistles:

1. Pop and BAG the seed heads/flowers. Sometimes thistles will trick you and put out seeds after they’ve been sprayed or pulled (check out our IG stories). Make sure to bag the flowers/seed heads and put them in the trash, not on the ground.

2. Rip out the plant and let it compost in the field. You don’t have to bag the whole plant – just the seed head.

3. When treating thistles or other weeds with herbicide, check with Teton County Weed and Pest about the appropriate herbicide and correct concentration. Over-application of herbicide can negatively impact native vegetation. It is not uncommon to observe "scorched earth" where the incorrect amount or concentration of herbicide has been sprayed. These bare patches of ground can inadvertently provide a clean slate for rapidly establishing invasives like musk thistle and houndstongue to reseed and prosper without competition from slower growing native vegetation.
   

Also, shout out to Chris Owen with Friends of Pathways for helping us truck out all the seed heads we collected! Thank you!

Top photo by Penny Mayes / Musk thistle (Carduus nutans) / CC BY-SA 2.0

Teton Conservation District helps revive vandalized Fish Creek streamgage

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The red sections in the graph above represent estimations of Fish Creek’s discharge during the stretches of time when the streamgage was disabled. Blue sections represent data collected when the gage was functioning.

Something fishy is going on at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamgage station on Fish Creek in Wilson. The gauging station has provided vital information on Fish Creek’s discharge and temperature for the past 27 years. But, this summer, repeated vandalism put the gaging station out of commission. “The Fish Creek gage supports irrigators, recreationalists, and water managers. Being that almost the entirety of Fish Creek flows on private lands, judicious water management there is essential, and this gage provides real-time data to anyone who needs to use it,” said Carlin Girard, Water Resources Specialist and Associate Director of Teton Conservation District. 

The station has been operated by USGS in partnership with the Wyoming State Engineer’s Office (WSEO) for years. But, because of State budget cuts, the WSEO was unable to continue funding the station, and USGS was poised to shut down the Fish Creek and 12 other gaging stations around Wyoming. The locally-elected Teton Conservation District board, which is funded by the mill levy, recognized the importance of the Fish Creek streamgage and committed $12,500 to cost-share with USGS and keep the station running.

With this local funding support, the Fish Creek gaging station should continue to operate as it has for nearly three decades—as long as the mysterious repeated vandalism ceases. The station has been disabled three times in recent months, but USGS acted as quickly as possible to get the site back online. Everyone is hopeful that the vandalism is in the past, but it is requested that anyone who witnesses tampering calls local law enforcement.