Protecting Silver Creeks riparian ecosystem

Silver Creek, a river located in central Idaho, has a high density of trout. Remaining unaffected by harsh winters, this spring-fed river is an angler’s paradise. However, various factors including high temperatures, intense fishing pressure and low discharges during summer are threatening this fragile aquatic habitat. Keeping in tune with an integrated water resource management approach, we developed a cohesive ecological, hydrological and water quality tool. This tool comprised our generic ecological modelling tool – MIKE ECO Lab – in the MIKE SHE modelling framework. This comprehensive tool enables the evaluation of alternative management strategies – to enable sustainable development, while preserving the unique Silver Creek ecosystem.