Bear River Watershed Agriculture and Habitat Connectivity - RCPP in Idaho

Project Information

Lead Partner: Bear River Land Conservancy

Supporting Partners: Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust, Trout Unlimited, Intermountain West Joint Venture, Bear River Hydroelectric Project Environmental Coordination Committee, PacifiCorp, Knobloch Family Foundation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Western Native Trout Initiative, Logan City, Wyoming Game and Fish 

Lead State: UT

Partner State(s): ID, WY

Project Years: 2022-2027

Primary Resource Concern: Long term protection of land

Secondary Resource Concerns: Aquatic and Terrestrial Habitat

Total Funding Amount: $7,850,000.00

Activities Funded: Land Management, Entity-Held Easements

Project Summary

The Bear River Watershed Agriculture and Habitat Connectivity project covers areas of Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming. At the heart of the watershed, the Bear River meanders more than 500 miles on its path to Great Salt Lake and is the largest river in the western hemisphere that never reaches an ocean. Unprecedented growth and development are resulting in significant fragmentation that impacts agriculture and wildlife. Bear River Land Conservancy and a coalition of over ten partners plans to combine conservation easements and land management activities to protect and connect terrestrial, riparian, and aquatic habitats and to preserve working lands as a viable component of the landscape. A sophisticated geospatial analytical tool will be used to target project funding to areas with the highest conservation value.

Ranking Criteria

• Land offered for enrolment must be within the geographic footprint of the RCPP Project.
• Application must seek to address one or more of the priorities outlined in the project-specific Programmatic Partnership Agreement (PPA)

PPA Priorities 

• Species utilization of enhanced/protected habitats
• Protection, Connection, Restoration of Aquatic Habitat
• Avoided Soil Carbon Loss