Trout Unlimited launches film highlighting conservation efforts on Muddy Creek
On Nov. 4, Trout Unlimited (TU) launched a new film titled “Lifeblood,” celebrating the collective work and partnerships needed to revitalize Muddy Creek, an important tributary of the Colorado River Basin located south of Rawlins.
For decades, TU and partners such as the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wyoming, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and the Little Snake River Conservation District have been restoring vital habitat for Colorado River cutthroat trout in this watershed.
Home to four native fish species, Muddy Creek is part of the Little Snake River Basin. Through a feat of Western water engineering, the basin serves as both a headwater for the Upper Colorado River Basin and provides source water for the city of Cheyenne, which is outside of the watershed.
“Historically, Muddy Creek has always been an important water source for both wildlife and humans given its location in the high desert,” said Nick Walrath, Green River senior project manager for TU. “Tribal Nations, emigrants along the Overland Trail and even visitors to the landscape to this day have all relied upon this creek for water.”
Although restoration efforts have been happening in the area for years, recent federal infrastructure funding has supercharged this restoration work.
Utilizing funds made available by the Inflation Reduction Act, BLM Wyoming plans to invest $10 million dollars to repair habitats in the Muddy Creek Restoration Landscape in southwestern Wyoming, with over $1 million planned for stream restoration work.
Seeing the success for these efforts in recent years, corporate and philanthropic partners like Microsoft, the Water Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation also joined forces with TU to expand watershed restoration work, culminating into the revival of a historic watershed.
“I’m looking forward to telling future generations of Wyomingites conservation is as clear as Muddy Creek,” said Walrath.
To watch the film, visit prioritywaters.tu.org/lifeblood/.
