Tongue River Watershed Meeting

The Sheridan County Conservation District Tongue River Watershed held its annual meeting on Thursday, March 2 at Ranchester town hall. Emerson Scott III, SCCD Rural Chairman, chaired the meeting and gave the reports on the 2022 monitoring results for Jackie Turner, who was ill, and the project updates for Carrie Rogaczewski, who was out of the town.

He mentioned several projects the district hopes to complete this year, including septic projects and the removal of Russian Olive trees, which are a fast-growing invasive species that overcrowds native vegetation, especially along waterways. They also plan to plant 750 feet of willow cuttings and fence them off to decrease animal depredation until the cuttings mature. Also discussed two stream stabilization projects, and two diversion projects, and irrigation/runoff improvements.

Emerson said that they are working on several outreach programs for the Tongue River Watershed, including newsletters; town council updates; several community events and presentations, such as the rotary club and Dayton Days.

Other topics discussed were creating more wetlands, with cattails and other water plants between the town and the river to decrease the pollution in the watershed. Mark Wallace, landowner and retired WYDOT, talked about some ways to help clean the water after it leaves the city storm drains and runs into Tongue River.

Emerson said it would be a major project to put in a wetland.

An on-going project is the Tongue River Restoration project, which would take place in the Welch Ranch Recreation Management Area, (SRMA) a 1757-acre BLM parcel located along Decker Highway approximately 10 miles north of Sheridan. Approximately 1.5 miles of Tongue River flow through the project.

Brent Sobotka Hydrologist at the BLM explains what happens when the riverbanks erode, as they are on that stretch of the Tongue River.

McKay Fleck, Range Technician at the BLM added this about the project.

Sobota said that they didn’t want any ‘rifraf’ left, on the banks, which meant no metal, or no concert. Fleck added that this would entail…..

To help stabilize the bank after the cars are removed, Fleck added,

Sobotka said that this project is now in the comment stage, and a comment sheet can be found at the Buffalo Office, BLM, under Tongue River Restoration. Email to BLM_WY_Buffalo_WYMail@blm.gov