Driggs, ID, September 9, 2025 

Teton Regional Land Trust (TRLT) and the Daw Family of Newdale, Idaho worked together to protect 654 acres of farmland in Fremont County along the lower Teton River. Conserved because of its agricultural value, scenic open space, wildlife habitat, and wetlands, the Daw Property is located between the Sand Creek Wildlife Management Area and Teton Basin. 

The Daw family have a special attachment to their farm on the lower Teton River. As a baby, Dale Daw and his mother were rescued from the roof of their family home, which was inundated by the floodwaters caused by the Teton Dam failure in 1976. Unfortunately, his grandparents were not as lucky that day and didn’t survive the floods. After the flood, his father had to sell off pieces of their century farm to make ends meet. 

Twenty-five years later, with a vision of buying back the parcels his father had to sell, the fifth-generation farmers started reassembling the family’s farm. The Daws only owned 200 acres at the time, but over the next twenty-five years, the family worked with multiple neighbors to purchase back the farm piece by piece, assembling more than 650 acres of the original farmstead. Working with TRLT and using private funding as well as funding from the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program administered by the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), the Daw family’s land on the lower Teton is now permanently protected as working farmlands and wildlife habitat. 

When asked why he chose to put his family farm into a conservation easement, Dale replied, “The deer and the ducks and the geese need a place to hide.” His newly protected land can provide that haven. 

The property benefits many other wildlife species, including several identified as Species of Greatest Conservation Need according to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game’s State Wildlife Action Plan. Those include moose, Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout, northern leopard frog, western toad, Trumpeter Swan, Sandhill Crane, California Gull, Franklin’s Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Common Nighthawk, little brown myotis, and western small-footed myotis.  

“We could not be prouder to work with the Daw Family to make their dream of permanently protecting their century farm a reality,” explained Kim Trotter, TRLT Executive Director. “I started talking with Dale Daw back in 2003. Conserving this land is a testament to his family’s perseverance. We are thankful that the Agricultual Land Easement program with the NRCS helped the Daw family to achieve their farm conservation goals.” 

Conservation of the Daw property builds on the protection of already conserved habitat and working lands that benefit people and wildlife. For 35 years, the Land Trust has worked with partner organizations and voluntary landowners to protect more than 43,000 acres in eastern Idaho through conservation easements and other voluntary conservation options.     

More Information 

To learn more about NRCS programs, producers can contact their local USDA Service Center.  Producers can also apply for NRCS programs, manage conservation plans and contracts, and view and print conservation maps by logging into their farmers.gov account. If you don’t have an account, sign up today.  

For more than 90 years, NRCS has helped farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners make investments in their operations and local communities to improve the quality of our air, water, soil, and wildlife habitat. NRCS uses the latest science and technology to help keep working lands working, boost agricultural economies, and increase the competitiveness of American agriculture. NRCS provides one-on-one, personalized advice and financial assistance and works with producers to help them reach their goals through voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs. For more information, visit nrcs.usda.gov.