Washakie County Conservation District Home Page

Who We are & What We do

We are a local governmental subdivision of the state of Wyoming as defined and established by Wyoming Conservation
Districts Law. The Washakie County Conservation District's Board of Supervisors are elected by the people of Washakie County at General Elections by popular vote. Conservation District Board members are the only locally elected board charged specifically with the responsibility of representing local people on natural resource issues.

We do provide locally led leadership, encourage, and promote and inform through education, the conservation of natural resources. The Washakie County Conservation District assists landowners and land managers in practicing good natural resource stewardship and conservation for the long term benefit of the people by using monitoring, partnerships, staffing resources, and the taxpayer's money as efficiently and effectively as possible.

To learn more about Who We Are and What We Do, view our new story map by clicking on the image below.

News and Events

Gooseberry Creek Trials

Following seeding of forbs and grasses in fall of 2015, and planting of cottonwoods and woody species in May of 2016, its time for our final evaluations of the revegetation plots on Gooseberry Creek.

These research plots were designed to identify species suitable for revegetation after control of Russian olive and Salt cedar. The project was funded by grant money from the Agriculture Producer Research Grant Program, sponsored by the Wyoming Department of Agriculture.

Join us on July 11 as we conduct our final evaluations. We will leave the USDA Service Center at 208 Shiloh Rd, Worland, at 8:30 AM. Come prepared to spend most of the day out in the field.

Site visits will require walking over uneven terrain from parking areas to the sites. Some transportation between sites is available, but we advise bringing a high clearance vehicle.

RSVP by 4pm July 5 by calling 307-347-2456 EXT 121.

New Weeds
Identification Tool

Wondering what that weed is? There are twenty-six weeds declared as noxious in Washakie County. Prevention is the key to weed management. For more information on weed control go to our new weed management page and weed identification photos to see twelve of the most common weeds in our county.

WEEDS: Washakie Invaders

Current Involvements

Native Rock and Soil Utilized for Streambank Stabilization and Sewer Line Protection

An eroding bank on the Bighorn River exposed a sewer line north of Worland in the summer of 2017. Locally available, free construction materials were utilized to stabilized the streambank and secure the sewer line. Funding for the project was provided by a USDA cost share program sponsored by the Washakie County Conservation District (WCCD).

Record spring snow pack levels in the Windriver Mountains required large releases of water from Boysen Reservoir upstream from Worland, Wyoming. Peak inflows to the reservoir reached 20,000 cubic feet per second (CFS) in early June. According to the Bureau of Reclamation, the peak flows out of Boysen Reservoir into the Bighorn River during the last two weeks of June and early July measured over 9,000 CFS.

Reservoir releases upstream, combined with contributions from river tributaries, caused record high river flows where the Bighorn River passes through the town of Worland. The high flows worked to erode a segment of streambank running parallel to a main sewer line going to the city of Worland’s wastewater treatment facility, eventually exposing the line.

Flagging marks sewer main exposed by high water flows. Temporary rip-rap on the left marks bank location before erosion.

In mid-July, Jeff Schweighart, Director of Washakie County Emergency Management, alerted WCCD to the situation. WCCD, with the support of Washakie County and the City of Worland, began the application process for Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Program funds. The EWP is a USDA program designed to respond to emergencies created by natural disasters and is administered through the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS).

The program is designed to help people and conserve natural resources by relieving imminent hazards to life and property caused by floods, fires, windstorms, and other natural occurrences. EWP is an emergency recovery program. All projects undertaken must have a project sponsor. Eligible sponsors include conservation districts and other legal subdivisions of the state.

The responsibilities of the EWP sponsor include completion of application forms; securing landowner cost share agreements; obtaining the proper permits; securing contractor bids; and monitoring the project through to completion. The local NRCS office supplied technical assistance to engineer the project design and certify the project when completed.

Necessary permits were obtained from the Army Corps of Engineers and the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality in August of 2017 so streambank stabilization could begin. A boulder revetment roughly 500 feet long was built along the original bank. Boulder revetments dissipate water energy and provide long term bank stability. The Wyoming Department of Transportation cleared rock slides from Windriver Canyon earlier in the year and made the native boulders available for the project free of charge.

Native boulders being placed for streambank stabilization

A local contractor placed over 900 ton of native boulders according to NRCS engineers’ specifications. The land area adjacent to the revetment bank was backfilled by City of Worland dump trucks and staff, fulfilling a 25% in-kind match worth over $15,000. The new back fill reburied and secured the sewer line. The back fill was then top dressed with topsoil recovered from processing sugar beets at Wyoming Sugar; utilizing another free, local resource. Finally, the project area was seeded with grass species adapted to the site in order to help stabilize the soil above the revetment; blend the site with the surroundings; and reduce weed infestations.

The total project cost was over $62,600, and is an example of local partnerships working together to find solutions to local natural resource conservation needs.