Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Heed the call of Silver Creek

The Nature Conservancy sponsoring special event Saturday


By JASON KAUFFMAN
Express Staff Writer

Dipping her paddle into the slow-moving waters of Silver Creek, Trish Klahr, The Nature Conservancy?s watershed manager for the Silver Creek Preserve, glides along the silent waterway early Monday evening. The organization is sponsoring ?A Day at Silver Creek 2007? public event at the preserve this Saturday, July 28. Photo by Jason Kauffman

With the steady stroke of her paddle, The Nature Conservancy's Trish Klahr pushed away from shore and entered the slow-moving current of Stalker Creek last Monday evening.

Joining Klahr, the watershed manager for the organization's 880-acre Silver Creek Preserve south of Bellevue, was Assistant Preserve Manager Keri York.

Within seconds, the bridge across Stalker Creek near the protected area's western boundary disappeared behind one of the creek's many sinuous bends, leaving Klahr and York enveloped in the sights and sounds of the riparian waterway.

Crowding the banks of the creek, wispy reed canary grass, graceful water birch, willow bushes and cattail overhung the sweeping S-curves of the silent watercourse.

Beyond where Stalker and Grove creeks meet to become Silver Creek, mule deer bounded deeper into the protective cover of surrounding trees. Nearby, violet green swallows flitted along the creek's surface while numerous species of songbirds flew from tree to tree. Unseen on this day were the four or more moose that have reportedly taken up residence in adjacent aspen groves and along Silver Creek in the past few years.

Beneath the crystal clear, dark-colored waters, the silhouettes of small to medium-sized rainbow and brown trout raced away ahead of the canoe. Occasionally, really large, perhaps 20- to 24-inch-long, lunkers darted away into the protective cover of potamogeton, chara, veronica and other various aquatic water plants.

During the roughly hour-and-a-half long float through the Silver Creek Preserve, Klahr spoke with anticipation about the Nature Conservancy's forthcoming "A Day at Silver Creek 2007" celebration. The free event will take place this coming Saturday, July 28, beginning at 8 a.m.

Participants at the nearly day-long event will be treated to various activities like bird watching, canoe trips, nature walks and a barbecue lunch in celebration of the wonderful natural area that is the Silver Creek watershed.

"It's a neat opportunity," Klahr said.

In addition to providing people with a wonderful way to spend their Saturday, the event will also be an excellent educational opportunity for those wishing to learn about Silver Creek, its various management challenges and its amazing natural diversity, she said.

Among the many things people will learn Saturday, Klahr said they'll see that the Silver Creek Preserve isn't just a destination for flyfishing enthusiasts.

"You don't have to be a fisherperson to enjoy Silver Creek," she said.

Visitors to the preserve may also get a chance to look at some of the changes that took place in the watershed during last year's record-setting spring 2006 flooding event. The flooding, which was more readily apparent along the Big Wood River, also impacted the Silver Creek area, Klahr said.

To this day, sandy shoals that originated from the flooding can still be seen along the shores of Silver Creek. The areas may provide an opportunity for preserve managers in the future to plant vegetation along the creek in an attempt to narrow the stream channel and correct some of the detrimental effects grazing and other uses of the area had prior to the creation of the preserve.

Such a move would "get it narrowed and deeper like we presume it was," Klahr said.

Nearing the takeout point near the preserve's eastern boundary, she pointed to one such shoal that may provide an opportunity for streambank rehabilitation in the near future.

"Can we vegetate that?" Klahr wondered.

____________________________________________________

Celebrate Silver Creek

On Saturday, July 28, The Nature Conservancy will welcome the public to their "A Day at Silver Creek 2007" celebration. Those interested in attending the event should meet at the Silver Creek Preserve visitor center at 8 a.m. During the free event, the following activities will take place:

· Bird watching from 8-10 a.m.

· A scavenger hunt for children from 9:30-10:30 a.m. Kids will learn about Silver Creek while tracking down prizes, candy and other treats.

· Nature walks from 9-10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

· Barbecue lunch from noon to 2 p.m.

· Canoe floats from 9-11 a.m. and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. As of Tuesday, space was already very limited for the canoe floats. Call ahead to the Silver Creek Preserve at 788-7910 to see if any space remains for the canoe floats or for other information on the event.




 Local Weather 
Search archives:


Copyright © 2024 Express Publishing Inc.   Terms of Use   Privacy Policy
All Rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Express Publishing Inc. is prohibited. 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.