Last Chance Ranch

The Pahsimeroi River historically had large runs of steelhead and summer run Chinook Salmon. Irrigation water withdrawals, unscreened diversions, fish barriers, and loss of habitat complexity in the region have contributed to the lower numbers of fish returns. In 2008, the Bonneville Power Administration signed into an Accord to allocate $900 million to implement projects benefiting Salmon, Steelhead, and other native fish and wildlife. Starting in 2019, state and private landowners started developing a habitat restoration project on 1.3 miles of the mainstem Pahsimeroi River at the headwaters of a large spring complex. This project improved local vegetation, bank stability, floodplain connectivity, sinuosity, thermal refuge, and much more.