Land Protected > Projects New Imagine: A Boardwalk at Draper Wood River Preserve and Lions Park!!
July 17, 2009: Wood River Land Trust has long been associated with restoration work along the Big Wood River at Lions Park. In 2002, working with the City of Hailey and other partners, the Land Trust initiated efforts to clean up and mitigate the steep slope of the riverbanks, diversify stream flow, and plant native vegetation along the river. The result was improved fish habitat and safer public access to the river.
In July, 2008, the Land Trust again partnered with the City of Hailey to restore the south end of Lions Park at the confluence of Croy Creek and the Big Wood River. With a grant from the DEQ and additional support from a host of other partners and donors, the Land Trust removed a portion of the City of Hailey’s former landfill to restore the wetland and riparian habitat at the project site.
Following installation of a temporary irrigation system, Land Trust staff and volunteers replanted the site with native trees, shrubs, and grasses. The newly planted vegetation increases wildlife habitat and improves water quality by filtering spring runoff from Croy Creek before it enters the Big Wood River. Improved wildlife habitat at Lions Park also provides an ecological buffer to the 17 acres of undisturbed floodplain habitat featured on the west side of the Draper Wood River Preserve, immediately to the south of the restoration area at Lions Park. The restoration area also serves as a Trout Friendly Lawn demonstration site for non-chemical weed control.
In the exciting next phase, planned for the fall of this year, the Land Trust will construct a boardwalk on the site with interpretive signage to provide low-impact public access and educational and recreational opportunities close to town. The boardwalk will travel along the restored Croy Creek wetland area at Lions Park and continue to the Draper Wood River Preserve, and features a wheelchair-accessible viewing platform and sitting area for bird-watching. The loop will continue back as a trail along the Big Wood River. In the early morning you might see a moose walking along the river, herons wading in the water, red-winged blackbirds on their grass perches, and throughout the spring and summer you’ll hear an orchestra of bird calls in the willows and trees.
The boardwalk at Croy Creek/Draper Wood River Preserve promises to be an extraordinary Wood River Valley feature. Since protection of the wetlands is the Land Trust’s primary goal, the boardwalk will provide an opportunity for the public to visit and appreciate this sensitive area but also protect it from human incursion and damage. And because wetlands are not usually accessible, who could resist the lure of walking above them, watching for wildlife and discovering wetland plants.
To learn more, contact Kathryn Goldman, Senior Project Coordinator, at (208) 788-3947 or kgoldman@woodriverlandtrust.org.
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| Projects are partnerships in which Wood River Land Trust works with local, state, and federal agencies to restore the health of city and county-owned lands.
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