| Fast Facts |
location
Hells Canyon Dam is 120 miles northwest of Boise
ecoregion
Middle Rockies-Blue Mountains
project size
1.15 million acres
preserves
Garden Creek Ranch
public lands
Nez Perce and Wallowa national forests, Cottonwood BLM district, Craig Mountain Wildlife Management Area, Nez Perce tribal lands
partners
Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, Idaho Fish and Game, Nez Perce Tribe, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
conservancy initiatives
Invasive Species, Fire
natural events
steelhead and salmon migration, spring; raptor and waterfowl migration, fall; winter range for elk and bighorn sheep, spring; wildflower blooms in the Palouse prairie and bluebunch grasslands, spring | |
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Hard work and high-tech tools are eradicating invasive weeds in North America’s deepest river gorge. |
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Looking into Hells Canyon.
© Richard T. Nowitz/National Geographic Image Collection |
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Two centuries ago, Lewis and Clark decided it would be easier going to cross the Bitteroot Mountains rather than this Snake River canyon running along Idaho’s western border. In 1895, McCurdy’s Marine History of the Pacific Northwest described an astonishing canyon in which “the river winds like a serpent and the rocks tower to such a height that they almost shut out the sun.” Settlers veered their wagons south to avoid the canyon on their way west.
Hells Canyon survives much as it did then—an untrammeled wilderness where bighorn sheep still spar on the rocks above whitewater rapids laden during migration season with salmon, steelhead and sturgeon. It is the deepest river gorge in North America— more than 1.5 miles deep and 10 miles wide—exceeding the Grand Canyon in depth by 100 feet. |
New lodgepole pines,
Wallowa National Forest.
© Scott T. Smith |
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Nine rare plants cling to life on steep canyon walls, and sweeping grasslands glow green in spring and turn rich browns and oranges by fall. In recent years, however, another color—yellow—has washed over entire mountain slopes and benches at an alarming rate. | |
Hells Canyon faces an invasion of yellow starthistle and other noxious weeds. Starthistle alone has spread from about 200 acres in the canyon to more than 10,000 acres in the past decade, and it continues to advance, particularly on steep southerly slopes. To counter this threat, The Nature Conservancy has enlisted the help of local partners and volunteers to implement a weed control strategy that includes protecting healthy plant communities, utilizing insects to control weeds and replanting native grasses. Conservancy scientists are pioneering the use of remote sensing tools like satellite imagery to track progress in controlling weed invasions.
Learn more about The Nature Conservancy's work in Idaho. |
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| Conservation Profile |
targets
bighorn sheep, mule deer, elk, golden eagle, bald eagle, mountain lion, black bear, bluebunch wheatgrass communities, Spalding’s silene, western ladies tress, stalk-leafed monkey flower
stresses
invasive species, altered flows on the Snake River, water pollution, large wildfires
strategies
combat invasive species, encourage conservation management of private land, engage community in management of natural resources, protect water quality, restore ecosystems
results
14,000 acres protected; extensive field surveys and mapping of rare plant occurrences and weed infestations completed | | | | |
