Project Big Wood A Nonprofit Corporation

PROJECT BIG WOOD IS ORGANIZED TO IMPROVE THE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND ECOLOGY OF THE BIG WOOD RIVER BASIN IN CENTRAL IDAHO BY PROTECTING, ENHANCING, SUSTAINING AND RECONNECTING THE BIG WOOD RIVER, ITS TRIBUTARIES AND ITS WATERSHED.

DATA COLLECTION FOR WATER QUALITY AND RIVER HEALTH WE LAUNCHED OUR WATER MONITORING PROGRAM IN 2023. IT CONSISTS OF TWO PARTS: WATER QUALITY AND QUANTITY. PROJECT BIG WOOD BEGAN OUR WATER QUALITY SAMPLING PROGRAM. IT INVOLVES TESTING 13 SITES IN COLLABORATION WITH SCIENCE ON THE FLY, A NON PROFIT GATHERING WORLD WIDE WATER QUALITY DATA IN ORDER TO GAIN A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF ISSUES COMMUNITIES ARE FACING ACROSS THE WORLD. WE TEST ONCE A MONTH AND ANALYZE OUR SAMPLES FOR DISSOLVED ORGANIC CARBON, NITRATES, PHOSPHATES, AND SODIUM CHLORIDE. OUR BELIEF IS BY GATHERING MORE DATA WE WILL BE ABLE TO CREATE A BASELINE OF DATA ON THE BIG WOOD RIVER WATERSHED THAT HELPS INFORM FUTURE RESTORATION EFFORTS AND MANAGEMENT DECISIONS VALLEY WIDE. MOVING ONTO WATER QUANTITY-WE PURCHASED 9 BARO LOGGERS TO INSTALL IN SOUTH VALLEY CANALS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WATER LOSS THROUGH THE SYSTEM AND IMPROVE WATER DELIVERY TO USERS. THESE LOGGERS WILL BE STRATEGICALLY INSTALLED IN THE BYPASS CANAL SYSTEM, A MEASURE AIMED AT ENHANCING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF WATER LOSS WITHIN THE SYSTEM, BOTH IN THE CANAL AND THE RIVER CHANNEL. THIS PROJECT IS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE IRRIGATORS ON THE BYPASS CANAL SYSTEM IN ORDER TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WATER LOSS THROUGH THE SYSTEM, IMPROVE WATER DELIVERY TO WATER RIGHT USERS, AND PROVIDE POSSIBLE CONNECTIVITY TO MAGIC AND IMPROVED FISH PASSAGE. WE ANTICIPATE COMPLETION IN FALL OF 2024. PROJECT BIG WOOD PURCHASED 9 BARO LOGGERS. THESE LOGGERS WILL BE STRATEGICALLY INSTALLED IN THE BYPASS CANAL SYSTEM, A MEASURE AIMED AT ENHANCING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF WATER LOSS WITHIN THE SYSTEM, BOTH IN THE CANAL AND THE RIVER CHANNEL. COLLABORATING CLOSELY WITH IRRIGATORS ON THE BYPASS CANAL SYSTEM, PROJECT BIG WOOD SEEKS TO REFINE INSIGHTS INTO WATER LOSS DYNAMICS, ENHANCE WATER DELIVERY TO WATER RIGHT USERS, AND POTENTIALLY REESTABLISH CONNECTIVITY TO MAGIC, THUS FACILITATING IMPROVED FISH PASSAGE. ALTHOUGH THE PROJECT IS CURRENTLY UNDERWAY, WE ANTICIPATE AN INITIAL REPORT OF FINDINGS IN THE FALL OF 2024. SIMULTANEOUSLY, PROJECT BIG WOOD HAS UNDERTAKEN A ROBUST WATER QUALITY SAMPLING INITIATIVE. THIS ENDEAVOR INVOLVES THE METICULOUS TESTING OF 13 SITES IN COLLABORATION WITH SCIENCE ON THE FLY, A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO GATHERING GLOBAL WATER QUALITY DATA. THE OBJECTIVE IS TO GARNER A COMPREHENSIVE UNDERSTANDING OF THE CHALLENGES FACED BY WATERWAYS AND THE ASSOCIATED COMMUNITIES WORLDWIDE. OUR MONTHLY TESTING PROTOCOLS INVOLVE THE ANALYSIS OF WATER SAMPLES FOR DISSOLVED ORGANIC CARBON, NITRATES, PHOSPHATES, AND SODIUM CHLORIDE. OUR UNDERLYING PHILOSOPHY IS ROOTED IN THE BELIEF THAT THROUGH THE ACCUMULATION OF EXTENSIVE DATA, WE CAN ESTABLISH A ROBUST BASELINE FOR THE BIG WOOD RIVER WATERSHED. THIS FOUNDATIONAL DATA, IN TURN, WILL INFORM FUTURE RESTORATION EFFORTS AND GUIDE CRUCIAL MANAGEMENT DECISIONS. THOUGH THE PROGRAM IS ONGOING, WE REMAIN COMMITTED TO THE PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE THAT EMPOWERS EFFECTIVE ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP. COMMUNITY EDUCATION AND ADVOCACY: PROJECT BIG WOOD IS COLLABORATING WITH THE COUNTY AND OTHER NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS (NGOS) IN OUR COMMUNITY TO EXPAND AND DEVELOP A NEW ATLAS BASED ON THE 2023 LIDAR FLIGHT DATA. PROJECT BIG WOOD IS DEDICATED TO BOTH FINANCING AND CRAFTING A DYNAMIC DOCUMENT THAT NOT ONLY BENEFITS OUR COMMUNITY BUT ALSO ADVANCES OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE BIG WOOD RIVER WATERSHED. ADDITIONALLY, PROJECT BIG WOOD HAS INITIATED THE PRODUCTION OF VISUAL WATER REPORTS. OFFERING A QUARTERLY DEPICTION OF CURRENT CONDITIONS ON THE BIG WOOD RIVER IN REAL-TIME. THIS INITIATIVE AIMS TO PROVIDE A VISUAL SNAPSHOT OF THE RIVER THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, ENABLING US TO CREATE A GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION OF CHANGES OVER TIME. WATERSHED RESTORATION: IN EARLY 2023, WE ENGAGED ECOSYSTEM SCIENCES TO REASSESS THE DESIGN OF THE NORTHWOODS PROJECT. WITH THE RECENT COMPLETION OF A FINALIZED THREE-PHASE DESIGN, WE ARE POISED TO TRANSITION INTO PROJECT DEVELOPMENT AND PERMITTING. THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF THIS INITIATIVE IS TO RESTORE THE NORTHWOODS REACH OF THE BIG WOOD RIVER AND IMPROVE NATURAL RIVER FUNCTIONS. ACTIVATING LOCAL PRIDE: PROJECT BIG WOOD INITIATED THE CULTIVATION OF LOCAL PRIDE BY INVOLVING OUR FLY SHOPS, GUIDES, AND COMMUNITY IN CITIZEN SCIENCES. OUTFITTERS, GUIDES, ANGLERS AND PASSIONATE RIVER USERS ARE CRUCIAL STAKEHOLDERS IN OUR WATERSHED, SERVE AS SIGNIFICANT ALLIES AND POSSESS VALUABLE INSIGHTS INTO THE STATUS OF OUR FISHERIES. BY LEANING ON THEIR EXPERIENCES, WE AIM TO TAP INTO A WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE THAT CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE MISSION OF PROJECT BIG WOOD AND PROVIDE A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF CHANGES ON THE BIG WOOD RIVER. IN SPRING OF 2023, WE PARTNERED WITH SAWTOOTH BREWERY TO CRAFT A FLAGSHIP LAGER THAT EMBODIES THE ESSENCE OF PROJECT BIG WOOD AND PROMOTES AWARENESS OF THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF OUR WATER SYSTEMS. THIS UNIQUE BREW SERVES AS A TANGIBLE REPRESENTATION OF THE LINK BETWEEN THE BIG WOOD RIVER AND EACH INDIVIDUAL CAN, SYMBOLIZING THE INTEGRAL ROLE WATER PLAYS IN OUR COMMUNITY. PROJECT BIG WOOD PARTICIPATED IN COMMUNITY EVENTS TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT THE CHALLENGES OUR WATERSHED IS FACING AND TO FOSTER COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS FOR CHANGE WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY. WE WERE AND WILL BE ACTIVELY PRESENT AT IF4, HAILEY ROCKS, AND RIVER FEST, FURTHERING OUR COMMITMENT TO ENGAGING WITH THE COMMUNITY AND ADDRESSING THE ISSUES AFFECTING OUR WATERSHED. PROJECT BIG WOOD PARTNERED WITH GUIDES AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO PRODUCE A FILM TO SHOW AT COMMUNITY EVENTS ABOUT THE BIG WOOD RIVER AND ITS CHALLENGES.