WOC frequently teams up with other conservation groups to work on common concerns and issues. The Wind River Alliance, a new organization advocating the health of the Wind River watershed in Fremont County, is one such group.

Ten river miles upstream of Riverton, the Wind River runs dry. Mud in the riverbed cracks in the hot summer sun while huge fields of emerald-green alfalfa stretch away from its banks.

Dewatering Wyoming’s rivers is not uncommon. In a land of little rainfall, any agricultural growth depends on irrigation for its viability. But the ecological impacts of the practice are stark. Riparian vegetation is destroyed or altered unrecognizably. Fish are trapped above and below the dry spot isolating populations and cutting off spawning runs. Anglers, boaters, even birdwatchers are affected by the changing river.

These are the kind of issues that spawned one of Wyoming’s newest conservation groups: the Wind River Alliance. The group formed in 2001, but it wasn’t until this past year that they hired any salaried staff. Now two full-time employees—Executive Director Tyrel Mack and Community Outreach Director JT Trosper—work out of an office located in Ethete on the Wind River Reservation. They focus on issues relating to the Wind River watershed, which is the state’s largest, draining just under five-million acres.

"You can have irrigated agriculture and a living stream," Mack says. "But instream flow is an incredibly contentious issue in Wyoming. You mention the concept and it leads to acrimony and bad feelings." Instream flow simply means leaving enough water in a drainage to sustain the surrounding ecosystem. "We have a unique opportunity on the reservation, however, because public participation can have such a profound effect on policy," Mach adds.

Alliance crosses cultural lines
The opportunity, Mack says, requires public education—specifically of the tribes and surrounding communities—on ways to use water that are compatible with a healthy stream. Armed with this knowledge, Mack believes people can advocate for change.

This goal by itself is not unique, other groups in the state—including WOC—have similar mandates. What does make the Wind River Alliance different is its focus on the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes. The Alliance is the first non-governmental conservation group to open up shop on the 2.2-million acre Wind River Reservation.

Although Mack is not Native American, Trosper, most of the Alliance’s members, and five of eight board members are. This profile makes the group unique in Wyoming. It also gives them clout in reservation politics.

"On the reservation, citizens have incredible power to influence decisions," Mack says. "Issues can be decided by a couple of votes. So if you show up with a 100 people, you can really have a voice. We’re working to use that voice."

Health of state’s largest watershed threatened
The dewatering of the Wind River is the most dramatic example in the watershed of jeopardizing the river’s vitality for agricultural use, but Mack says other rivers and streams in the area are equally impaired. Low flows in the Middle Fork of the Popo Agie create high concentrations of fecal coliform and algae blooms in the water making it unsafe for children to swim or play in the rivers. Water temperatures go up with decreased volume damaging native fisheries. Low-head dams block spawning runs and sediment builds up behind diversions. These issues are not unique to Fremont County. They happen throughout the West wherever there is irrigated agriculture.

Currently, Mack says, the group is focused on educating the public about these issues. To do this, they have held meetings, organized stream clean-ups and riparian vegetation plantings, and sponsored training workshops. They are also dedicated to promoting research and communication. They work with all ages and hope to include historical insight from tribal elders in their vision for the future. Their goals do not seem overly ambitious or radical, but ultimately, if successful, they will require a fundamental change to business-as-usual for irrigators drawing water from the Wind River watershed.

"Eighty or 90 years ago, people pulled water right out of the river for their domestic use," Mack says. "You can see that in such a short time, we’ve done an incredible amount of damage to our water resource. "We want that to change. We want irrigation efficiency that ensures water is left in the river. We want a living river," he concludes.

"The Wind River watershed has long needed exactly such a tribal-led group to lead the way to restoring the health of the watershed," WOC’s Dan Heilig says. "WOC looks forward to a long, productive partnership with this exciting new organization."