The Sage Creek of Greater Little Mountain project (Greater Little Mountain, WY) was funded by the Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART Environmental Water Resources Project. It will restore 453 acres of valley floor habitat, improve water retention and habitat in 5.6 miles of Sage Creek, reduce erosion, and protect almost 80 miles of native cutthroat trout habitat from invasive trout in the downstream Flaming Gorge Reservoir.
This project will improve Sage Creek’s headwaters for the benefit trout on a mix of Bureau of Land Management, State, and private lands. Sage Creek and its tributary Trout Creek, part of the Green River system, provide habitat for cutthroat trout, but that habitat has degraded over the years as a result of fire, flooding, fluctuations in Flaming Gorge Reservoir, prolonged drought, and other land use issues. The Sage Creek drainage and its’ tributaries Gooseberry Creek and Trout Creek are in the heart of the Greater Little Mountain ecosystem. This area is the “crown jewel” of Southwest Wyoming because of its unique elk, mule deer, sage grouse and trout habitat. Trout Unlimited, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and others have worked in this area for decades. This project includes the installation of a fish barrier, historic channel and floodplain reconnection, low-tech process-based restoration, riparian fencing, and diversion improvements for fish passage reconnection.
"For years, Trout Unlimited has worked with rural communities affected by drought to care for and sustain water supplies across the Green River Basin. The Sage Creek project and funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will strengthen our efforts to build drought resilience across Wyoming."
In late 2023, the Bureau of Reclamation also announced $1.5 million in funding for the project through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which will will improve drought resilience, restore critical riverscape and riparian habitat and protect native cutthroat trout habitat from invasive trout in the downstream reservoir.
