Trout Unlimited and Shoshone National Forest have released a new film documenting a major river restoration project at Wapiti Ranger Station, located along the East Entrance to Yellowstone National Park.
Wapiti Ranger Station was built in 1903 and was the first ranger station built in America. Over the past few decades, the North Fork Shoshone River has migrated more than 850 feet, and after flooding in 2022 impacted three campsites near the station, Trout Unlimited and Shoshone National Forest set out to fix it.
The result is two miles of restored river, built with about 1,000 logs and 400 root wad structures sourced from the national forest. The structures are designed to withstand a 100-year flood, protect the ranger station, campgrounds, and highway, and improve habitat for native Yellowstone cutthroat trout.
The project’s project manager grew up fishing with her grandfather at the exact location she ended up restoring in partnership with Shoshone National Forest. Footage at the beginning of the film shows this connection.
By the Numbers
- 2 miles of river restoration
- 1,000 logs
- 400 root wad structures
- 850 feet of river migration toward the highway near the East Gate of Yellowstone National Park
- 10+ partners
Watch the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLnMdPK69Kw
Read the press release: https://www.tu.org/press-releases/wapitirangerstation/
View a photo album of the project: https://trout-unlimited.smugmug.com/Rocky-Mountain-Region/Wapiti-Ranger-Station
