Bear River Vlog

The Bear River Watershed is located within the tri-state area of Northern Utah, Western Wyoming, and Southeastern Idaho. It is the landscape that connects the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem to the Wasatch Mountains and the Southern Rocky Mountain Ecosystem. It is a watershed rich in cultural heritage, agricultural traditions, and diverse wildlife habitat.

At the heart of the watershed, lies the 500-mile Bear River; which begins in the alpine tundra of the High Uintas Wilderness Area and empties into the Great Salt Lake, creating an estuary delta at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.

Join Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust Executive Director, Matt Lucia as he explores the Bear River Watershed during the summer of 2022 and creates weekly video logs that will be posted on Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust’s social media and website.

You can help Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust conserve this important landscape for generations to come by going to our secure website (https://sagebrushlandtrust.org/) and donating today.

The Bear River Watershed is a closed-basin system, which means rivers and streams in this watershed do not reach an ocean. However, they do reach a salty inland sea known as the Great Salt Lake.

The Bear River originates in the Uinta Mountains of Northern Utah and meanders 500 miles through parts of Wyoming and Idaho before making its way back to Utah through Cache Valley. In a straight-line measurement, the Bear River is less than 100 miles from its headwaters source to its outlet at the Great Salt Lake. The Bear River is the largest surface water contributor to the Great Salt Lake and helps maintain salinity balances in the Lake which creates a brackish delta that supports millions of migratory birds.

This Vlog episode is an exploration of the headwater system in the Uinta Mountains to the confluence of the Hayden and Stillwater Forks, which is where the Bear River begins.

Join Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust Executive Director, Matt Lucia as he explores the Bear River Watershed during the summer of 2022 and creates weekly video logs that will be posted on Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust’s social media and website.

You can help Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust conserve this important landscape by going to our secure website (https://sagebrushlandtrust.org/) and donating today.

By the end of July, water levels in the upper reaches of the Bear River were low, flowing at 97 cubic feet per second (cfs). Even with a light boat set up, this made floating the river extremely slow and challenging.

This Vlog episode is an exploration of the Bear River from the confluence of the Hayden and Stillwater Forks, which is where the Bear River begins to the town of Evanston, Wyoming.

Join Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust Executive Director, Matt Lucia as he explores the Bear River Watershed during the summer of 2022 and creates weekly video logs that will be posted on Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust’s social media and website.

You can help Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust conserve this important landscape by going to our secure website (https://sagebrushlandtrust.org/) and donating today.

Downstream of Evanston, Wyoming lies the Woodruff Valley which extends 45 miles from the Woodruff Narrows Reservoir to Cokeville, Wyoming. This Valley is flood irrigated with water from the Bear River which is released in the summer months from the reservoir. The Bear River supports a strong agricultural economy and a host of resident and migratory birds.

This Vlog episode is an exploration of the Bear River from Evanston, Wyoming through the Woodruff Valley to Cokeville, WY. Special thanks to Rumorfy Media and Drone Perspective Services, LLC for use of video content; and to Mr. and Mrs. Evan & DottyJo Pope for teaching me about the history of the area and for their kind hospitality.

Join Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust Executive Director, Matt Lucia as he explores the Bear River Watershed during the summer of 2022 and creates weekly video logs that will be posted on Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust’s social media and website.

You can help Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust conserve this important landscape by going to our secure website (https://sagebrushlandtrust.org/) and donating today.

Ten miles north of Cokeville, Wyoming the Bear River turns west and enters Idaho near the Pegram Valley. This Valley is irrigated with water from the Bear River and provides habitat for a host of wildlife and supports a strong agricultural economy.

This Vlog episode is an exploration of the Bear River from Cokeville, Wyoming to Dingle, Idaho. Special thanks to my nieces for helping repair my boat.

Join Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust Executive Director, Matt Lucia as he explores the Bear River Watershed during the summer of 2022 and creates weekly video logs that will be posted on Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust’s social media and website.

You can help Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust conserve this important landscape by going to our secure website (https://sagebrushlandtrust.org/) and donating today.

Stewart Dam is located near the rural community of Dingle, Idaho. The Bear River is diverted from its channel at Stewart Dam south into Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge and ultimately into Bear Lake for irrigation storage during spring runoff. Bear Lake Valley is irrigated with surface and ground water from the Bear River which is an important resource for grazing and crop production.

Forty-five of Idaho’s Species of Greatest Conservation Need are found in the Bear Lake Valley and surrounding mountains. The Valley is an important area for resident and migratory birds with over 270 species known to occur. Deer, elk and moose are common while pronghorn are found infrequently in the sagebrush steppe foothills of the Valley. Black bears are uncommon but found occasionally in the mountains surrounding the Bear Lake Valley.

This Vlog episode is an exploration of the Bear River from Stewart Dam near Dingle, Idaho to Alexander Reservoir near Soda Springs, Idaho.

Sources: https://bearriverinfo.org/; and https://bearrivercommission.org/

Join Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust Executive Director, Matt Lucia as he explores the Bear River Watershed during the summer of 2022 and creates video logs that will be posted on Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust’s social media and website.

You can help Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust conserve this important landscape by going to our secure website (https://sagebrushlandtrust.org/) and donating today.