The 2023 year for Silver Creek saw a robust uptick in water flows for the entire year. This was due to a great snow year and wet Spring. The fishery however, was in a downturn from the previous 3 years of drought. The numbers and size of fish witnessed roughly a 60% drop from 2022. This is typical in Silver Creek to have swings in the fishery due to environmental conditions. We do however, expect to see a positive rebound in 2024, as we witnessed a large spike in young-of-the-year fish in Spring and Summer of 2023 and expect to see larger numbers of fish in the 6-12″ size and a fair number of 12-16″ fish in 2024. Overall, the fishery looks to be in great shape, especially if we get another above average snowpack.
On the conservation front, Silver Creek is in for a number of great projects! With help from the RR Ranch, Loving Creek tributary landowners, Nature Conservancy, Idaho Department of Fish and Game and the Silver Creek Alliance, we are starting several great restoration projects that promise to improve Silver Creek. Loving Creek (a tributary of Silver Creek), is one area targeted for restoration starting this Spring due to its input of poor water quality into Silver Creek. The projects on Loving Creek include; removal of a fish barrier to spawning areas, removal of a ditch that contributes to poor water quality, re-construction of a half mile of stream for sediment removal/containment and water consolidation to bring water back into the natural channels. A significant portion of this restoration is also on publicly accessible water. This holistic restoration was made possible with funding from landowners, IDF&G, Silver Creek Alliance and the Nature Conservancy. A major grant was acquired with considerable effort from the Nature Conservancy for 1.9 million dollars to see these projects through. It was only through the collaboration of Silver Creek stakeholders that this was made possible!
The Nature Conservancy is completing restoration of Upper Stalker Creek this year and the work completed so far has shown tremendous results.
Another project the Alliance is working on for 2024, is a section of Silver Creek on the RR Ranch to narrow the stream for better habitat and water flows. Restoration efforts on the RR Ranch, made possible by the Purdy’s (RR Ranch owners) and the Silver Creek Alliance, have restored a major portion of Silver Creek. These efforts have proven over time, to maintain a robust fishery even during stress years.
The Alliance, with the help of Ecosystem Sciences of Boise, continues to monitor, collect vital data and distribute this data publicly through the Silver Creek Annual Reports and on the SaveSilverCreek.com and SilverCreekAlliance .org web sites.
In 2023 the Alliance conducted its fourth year of Yellow Flag Iris treatment. This plant is non-native, invasive and a real threat to the Creek. In our first year of treatment, we found over 3000 plants that where treated. Last Spring, we found only about 200! We continue to monitor this plant and need your help in funding this as well as all of the other work we are doing.
The Silver Creek Alliance wishes to thank everyone who has helped in funding over the years! The continued efforts and your generosity will help insure we keep Silver Creek healthy for generations to come.
2023 Silver Creek Update
The 2023 year for Silver Creek saw a robust uptick in water flows for the entire year. This was due to a great snow year and wet Spring. The fishery however, was in a downturn from the previous 3 years of drought. The numbers and size of fish witnessed roughly a 60% drop from 2022. This is typical in Silver Creek to have swings in the fishery due to environmental conditions. We do however, expect to see a positive rebound in 2024, as we witnessed a large spike in young-of-the-year fish in Spring and Summer of 2023 and expect to see larger numbers of fish in the 6-12″ size and a fair number of 12-16″ fish in 2024. Overall, the fishery looks to be in great shape, especially if we get another above average snowpack.
On the conservation front, Silver Creek is in for a number of great projects! With help from the RR Ranch, Loving Creek tributary landowners, Nature Conservancy, Idaho Department of Fish and Game and the Silver Creek Alliance, we are starting several great restoration projects that promise to improve Silver Creek. Loving Creek (a tributary of Silver Creek), is one area targeted for restoration starting this Spring due to its input of poor water quality into Silver Creek. The projects on Loving Creek include; removal of a fish barrier to spawning areas, removal of a ditch that contributes to poor water quality, re-construction of a half mile of stream for sediment removal/containment and water consolidation to bring water back into the natural channels. A significant portion of this restoration is also on publicly accessible water. This holistic restoration was made possible with funding from landowners, IDF&G, Silver Creek Alliance and the Nature Conservancy. A major grant was acquired with considerable effort from the Nature Conservancy for 1.9 million dollars to see these projects through. It was only through the collaboration of Silver Creek stakeholders that this was made possible!
The Nature Conservancy is completing restoration of Upper Stalker Creek this year and the work completed so far has shown tremendous results.
Another project the Alliance is working on for 2024, is a section of Silver Creek on the RR Ranch to narrow the stream for better habitat and water flows. Restoration efforts on the RR Ranch, made possible by the Purdy’s (RR Ranch owners) and the Silver Creek Alliance, have restored a major portion of Silver Creek. These efforts have proven over time, to maintain a robust fishery even during stress years.
The Alliance, with the help of Ecosystem Sciences of Boise, continues to monitor, collect vital data and distribute this data publicly through the Silver Creek Annual Reports and on the SaveSilverCreek.com and SilverCreekAlliance .org web sites.
In 2023 the Alliance conducted its fourth year of Yellow Flag Iris treatment. This plant is non-native, invasive and a real threat to the Creek. In our first year of treatment, we found over 3000 plants that where treated. Last Spring, we found only about 200! We continue to monitor this plant and need your help in funding this as well as all of the other work we are doing.
The Silver Creek Alliance wishes to thank everyone who has helped in funding over the years! The continued efforts and your generosity will help insure we keep Silver Creek healthy for generations to come.
Silver Creek Alliance
Projects for Silver Creek