200 Acres Protected on the Pine Creek Bench

Thanks to willing landowners in Swan Valley, the Teton Regional Land Trust and the U. S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), another 200 acres of land is now available for wildlife habitat and public use on the Pine Creek Bench in Bonneville County.

Its sage- and grass-covered highlands easily visible from the South Fork Snake River between Pine Creek and Dry Canyon, the property provides habitat for Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, mule deer and elk. A very deep well and watering trough offers a potential watering hole for wildlife in an otherwise dry landscape.

The Teton Regional Land Trust facilitated the sale of this property to BLM. Because the property lies within a national Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC), the BLM’s management objectives for the property and surrounding public land along the South Fork Snake River are to maintain high quality riparian habitat, provide critical nesting and wintering areas for bald eagles, and maintain high quality big game winter range.