WORKING TOGETHER The Wood River Diversion project provided passage to more than 100 miles of habitat for Yellowstone cutthroat trout for the first time in more than 50 years. (Photo courtesy of Trout Unlimited) Long-standing partnership pays off for fish Game and Fish, Wyoming Trout Unlimited combine forces on more than 100 projects throughout Wyoming By Trout Unlimited staff F or the last 14-plus years Trout Unlimited and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department have established partnerships and implemented projects across the state to benefit cold-water fisheries and their habitat. Trout Unlimited depends on Game and Fish biologists and aquatic habitat specialists to provide technical and financial assistance to complete restoration projects that benefit native and wild trout for generations. The success and momentum of cold-water restoration in Wyoming depends on strong 14 | May 2022 relationships with landowners, volunteers, municipalities, industry leaders, federal partners and state entities like Game and Fish and the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust. Since 2007 Trout Unlimited and Game and Fish have worked together on projects throughout the Greybull River drainage to reconnect and protect habitat for Yellowstone cutthroat trout. Alongside the Greybull River Irrigation District there have been significant conservation gains for Yellowstone cutthroat. The trio worked together to remove the last barrier for cutthroat on the Greybull River and its major tributaries last fall. The Wood River is the largest tributary of the Greybull River in Wyoming and boasts one of the last strongholds of Yellowstone cutthroat in the state. The Wood River Diversion, located 14 miles upstream of the Greybull River/Wood River confluence west of Meeteetse, was built in 1972 and is operated by the Greybull Valley Irrigation District to fill Lower Sunshine Reservoir and provide irrigation water to nearby lands. The concrete structure spans the entire channel, is nearly 8 feet high and was a complete barrier for Yellowstone cutthroat and other fish since its original construction.