January 17, 2017

Caring for Our Waters

Over the years, many of our guests and team members alike have enjoyed wetting a line in Jack Creek, which traverses the MVR property ultimately meeting the Madison River. Tales abound at the MVR dinner table about that big brown lurking under the Jeffers Road Bridge. Our anglers have also surely noticed the vintage car bodies whose purpose of stabilizing the eroding bank line has long expired. Erosion of creek beds and banks is a natural process, but rates can increase significantly due to seasonal flooding such as runoff, active wildlife habitat and human activities. Under the direction of the Madison Conservation District (MCD) and in collaboration with our neighbors, the assessment of the Lower Jack Creek streambed pinpointed approximately 1,100 ft of failing and highly erosive bank lines in need of restoration. Madison Valley Ranch is excited about its commitment to work with neighbors and the MCD to restore a vital portion of lower Jack Creek. Instead of the traditional rip-rap, bioengineered methods and materials such willow stems and various types of local soil will be used to rebuild failing bank lines with a current vertical drop of up to 8 feet. The junk car bodies will be removed and a “micro-meander” is planned for a straightened section of the creek to help diversify the aquatic habitat and reduce channel energy during high flow events.Based on current plans and the ability to obtain sufficient supplemental funding, the project is scheduled to start in Spring of 2017.