This week, Sustainable Idaho continues its investigation of the Portneuf River Vision. Building from last week’s interview with Hannah Sanger from the City of Pocatello, Scott and Rachel speak to Matt Lucia, the Director of the Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust, about their new role in trying to make the River Vision a reality.
Last week on Sustainable Idaho, we spoke to Hannah Sanger from the City of Pocatello, about the Portneuf River Vision Project. Hannah told us that the Portneuf River Vision started as a collaborative project between the City of Pocatello and the Army Corps of Engineers, to find out what local people what from their river corridor. Through this consultation, it was clear that the people of Pocatello want a more natural river corridor, one with less concrete channelization, more access for fishing and floating, and improved ecosystem health.
The first hurdle has been cleared. As a community we have developed a strong understanding of what we want to do with the river moving forward. However, a number of hurdles still remain, including fund raising, land acquisition, and implementation.
Thankfully, to help clear these hurdles, the Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust, a non-profit conservation organization, has partnered with the City of Pocatello to offer its unique set of expertise. Traditionally, the Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust works with private land owners to place conservation easements on their lands, to conserve them and prevent future development. As a result, the Trust has expertise in land acquisition and fund raising, which will be fundamental to the ongoing success of the River Vision.
When we asked Matt Lucia, the Director of the Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust, why he was motivated to get involved with this project, he told us that Trust wanted to become more involved with community conservation projects, and the Portneuf River Vision presented the perfect opportunity to do so.
The Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust has signaled that it is serious about this collaboration with the City of Pocatello, with the hire of Jamie Campbell an ISU graduate in environmental anthropology, who will oversee the Trust’s involvement in the project.
Last week, we spoke to Hannah Sanger, about proposed changes to the river corridor, including the widening of the river channel and the creation of a wetland area near Centennial Park. During this interview, Hannah made it clear that the project will maintain flood protections, which is a major concern for local people. When we asked Matt Lucia if he believed the proposed changes were feasible, whilst maintaining adequate flood protection, he told us that there was strong precedent for this type of work in other areas. Matt also explained that an engineer would be brought in to ensure that flood protections were retained, whilst improving access for anglers and floaters, and creating a haven for wildlife.
We would like to thank Matt Lucia and Jamie Campbell for joining us this week. Next week, we will be finding out more about the broader work of the Sage Brush Steppe Land Trust. As well as Matt, we speak to a local land owner and two board members from the Trust.
If you are an ISU student interested in Sustainability, the sustainability club invites you to their zoom meeting this Friday the 29th at 4pm. The zoom link is available on the ISU sustainability club website, which is accessible by a quick google search or on the Sustainable Idaho Program page on KISU.Org.