Restore Warm Springs Creek

The Preserve is located near the mouth of Warm Springs Canyon and Creek, halfway between downtown and the base of the Warm Springs ski lifts. The creek is a major tributary of the Big Wood River, which flows into the Snake River within the Columbia Basin. Flowing from the Smoky Mountain Range, it is part of a transitional zone that separates the northern Rocky Mountains from the Basin and Range physiographic provinces. 

 

Warm Springs Creek has long meandered through the narrow, high-elevation river valley. Over the years, its course has changed due to flooding and past waterway developments. It has been stabilized into its present channel with rock riprap and fill against residential development areas. In the southeast portion of the ranch, the old stream channel meanders through developed land, including the old golf course, where the floodplain has been reshaped and filled. The southeast portion of the ranch also contains topsoil and gravel that have been removed from the stream channel by past landowners. The golf course was built against a steep, forested, north-facing side of Bald Mountain, on formerly forested ground. The densely forested hillsides are populated by Douglas fir trees and a dense understory of shrubs. Opening onto the terraces between the mountain slope and the floodplain are areas of sagebrush and grasses, many of which have been replaced by turf grass or overrun by invasive weeds.

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Thanks to overwhelming community support, the City of Ketchum purchased Warm Springs Preserve in 2022, now a 65-acre protected open space for residents and visitors in perpetuity. The Preserve, a former golf course, was slated for development and used informally as a dog park. To ensure that the Preserve remained available for community use, the City of Ketchum launched a national campaign with the support of the Wood River Land Trust and Spur Community Foundation. Over 950 community members donated funds to

purchase the property. The acquisition will also allow access to an additional 15 acres of beautiful riparian woodlands along the southern floodplain of Warm Springs Creek to the Ketchum community. The Preserve is enjoyed by a variety of users, from dog walkers, disc golfers, Nordic skiers and others. Due to the historic use of the property, the City committed to the community to restore the environment where possible, diversify access and enhance basic facilities. To improve this beloved landscape, this vision plan takes careful consideration of the community’s dreams for the Preserve, and synthesizes those ideas into an inclusive, accessible and a restorative place to gather.