Assessment of Organizations Working to Conserve the Snake River
Nina Bhattacharyya
(Note: Nina spent the summer of 2008 as an intern with NRCC. Her research was based on data collected by NRCC through the Greater Yellowstone Conservation Directory. Nina was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship in 2006-2007 to research the conservation of water resources in Trinidad and Tobago where she also participated in the patrolling and tagging of leatherback and loggerback turtles along the northern range of the island. Prior to living in Trinidad and Tobago, Nina joined the Worldwide Organization of Organic Farmers and worked on olive and citrus farms in the south of Spain. Nina received her B.S. in Biology and a minor in Mathematics from the University of Richmond in 2006. Her senior thesis involved preparing a floristic treatment for the species Acalyphafound in Yucatan, Mexico. Nina enjoys playing her viola, running, and traveling. She graduated in 2009 from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, where she focused on water resources management.)
I spent the summer in Jackson, Wyoming, researching how various organizations and agencies manage the Snake River. I chose the Snake River because it represents the multiple ways a river is used (e.g., irrigation and recreation), and the subsequent ecological and social outcomes based on the use of the river. I also was interested in the process a river goes through to be designated “Wild & Scenic,” and this summer I tracked the progress that has been made to designate the Snake under the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act. The main purpose of my research was to perform a network analysis on the management of the Snake River. My research included gaining background information on the issues facing the Snake River. I performed literature searches, read newspaper articles, and attended conferences (i.e., The Snake Summit and Idaho Water Rights Conference) to have a basis from which to formulate questions and choose organizations/agencies to interview. The interviews were conducted to see how organizations set goals, what specific action is taken to accomplish the goals, which organizations work together, and how successful the organizations have been in accomplishing specific goals.
I came up with a list of people I wanted to interview using the Rivers and Wetlands section of NRCC’s Greater Yellowstone Conservation Directory. My list of interview subjects grew through referrals from other organizations. I interviewed the Campaign for the Snake Headwaters, the Conservation Fund, Jackson Hole Weed Management Association, Scenic Preserve Trust of Teton County, Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Idaho Water Resource Board, the Aquatics Invasive Committee, the Bridger-Teton National Forest, Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance, Wyoming Outdoor Council, Bureau of Reclamation Snake River Office, Idaho Department of Water Resources, Idaho Department of Fish & Game, Jackson Hole Land Trust, Grand Teton National Park, Idaho Water Users Association, and the Snake River Fund.
The research I gathered has been very helpful in illustrating the way non-profits, government agencies, and local citizens function independently and as a group in helping to manage the Snake River. It is my hope that the information I have gathered can be used by organizations in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem to more effectively collaborate and create management plans that best serve the Snake River. I also plan to use the information I have gathered for my master’s thesis at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.