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Kootenai Valley text template

   

Moose in Kootenai River Valley
Moose are just one of the many species that can be seen in the Kootenai Valley. Steve Grourke photo.

Visit Ball Creek

Ball Creek Ranch Preserve is open to the public for hiking, birding, wildlife watching and bird hunting. Visit this special preserve, and see how restored wetlands benefit people and nature in the Kootenai Valley.

Wetlands: Nature's Filters

Learn more about how wetlands around Idaho provide benefits for people and nature.

Biologist and distance runner Bernd Heinrich, in his book Why We Run, calls birds the ultimate ultra-marathoners. But they can only complete their journey if they have viable places to rest, feed and restore energy. The Kootenai Valley is one such place--a place where waterfowl and other birds can rest before continuing on migrations that can last thousands of miles.

Wetlands Return to the Valley
Beginning in the 1920's, wetlands were drained in the Kootenai Valley to make room for agriculture. More than 95% of the 22,000 acres in the valley were eliminated. But despite many changes, the valley remains remarkably intact. Some 200,000 wetland dependent birds still fly over the area, including about 67,000 ducks and geese.

And today, those birds now have the places to feed and rest before continuing their journeys, thanks to wetland restoration by The Nature Conservancy and its partners.

Four years ago, the Conservancy restored 500 acres of Ball Creek Ranch Preserve. The project balances this restoration with maintaining a working farm and ranch that operates on two-thirds of the preserve.

Other wetlands in the valley include the Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge and the Boundary Creek Wetlands, a cooperative project lead by Ducks Unlimited.

A Haven for Wildlife

The restored wetlands provide a haven for wildlife. They have been used by not only a great variety of waterfowl and shorebirds, but also by large mammals that use the valley to move between mountains, including moose, elk, deer and the occasional black bear.

In 2006, with a good water year, the wetlands looked better than ever. Conservancy staff is engaged in ongoing work--including planting native trees and shrubs for more cover--to ensure that they stay that way. Birders, waterfowl hunters, wildlife watchers and others are able to enjoy the abundant wildlife in a spectacular setting, and the wetlands provide a future of hope for this special valley.