The Area 351 Restoration Project is funded by Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality. It is being implemented in collaboration with multiple private landowners and public land managers, including Sublette County, the Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments, and the Bureau of Land Management.
The lower New Fork River is a vital fishery in western Wyoming, and many local businesses and agricultural operations rely on the health of this watershed. However, historic channel alterations, severely eroded riverbanks, and bank instability led to poor water quality, degraded habitat, significant amounts of sediment in the river, and the loss of agricultural land, among other challenges.
Through this multi-phase project, partners are installing structures made from natural materials and planting native trees and grasses to stabilize riverbanks, reduce sediment, restore the river’s natural channel, enhance fish habitat, and promote healthier riverside vegetation and floodplain connectivity. The project will also replace an existing gravel pushup dam and reroute short sections of the stream, thereby narrowing the channel to improve sediment transport.
The Area 351 Project will not only improve and protect participating landowners’ property, but will also support fish and wildlife habitat, ensuring Wyoming residents and visitors alike can enjoy this fishery for decades to come.
