Due to significant safety issues between different users of the McTucker Creek and Ponds recreation area, Idaho Fish and Game and the Bureau of Reclamation are proposing a unique solution.
While it isn’t uncommon to have a high water and low water boat ramp tandem system, it is rare for them to be separated by a road that is built to be submerged for part of the year.
With the existing system, there is a safety concern during late summer when the McTucker Creek is low. When jet boats launch they don’t have enough river depth to slowly motor down to the Snake River and the American Falls Reservoir. The only way they can navigate the shallow water is to go at high speed, which endangers the fishermen wading the same stretch of river.
By building a low water boat ramp on the nearby Snake River, this conflict of use between recreationists is resolved. It can also be an ideal place to retrieve those floating the river.
The lower boat ramp will also be a significant assist to search and rescue teams that need to reach the upper American Falls Reservoir. Currently, their boats have to launch from Tilden, 15 miles upstream. Even in a jet boat it takes about 45 minutes to reach the reservoir. The proposed second boat ramp will be about a mile from the upper reservoir and will cut response times dramatically.
Additionally, in the late summer low water season when many boaters are enjoying the McTucker Ponds recreation area, a second boat ramp will reduce the congestion of getting boats in and out of the water. A recent survey of vehicle traffic at the existing ramp during the summer counted an average of 99 distinct vehicles per day.
The plan is to add gravel to an existing unmaintained two-track dirt road that runs from the existing high-water ramp on McTucker Creek to the proposed site of the low water ramp on the Snake River. The goal is to keep the road level with the surrounding terrain so the water will flow freely across it during high water.
And yet, it needs a gravel base to withstand erosion. Other gravel roads nearby that seasonally withstand submersion have been studied and will be the engineering template for improving the 0.7 mile stretch between the two boat ramps.
Associated with the new ramp will be a parking lot, turnaround space, and double vault toilets. Mindful of high waters part of the year, the toilets will be located on a nearby road that is above high-water levels. The ramp is being planned to be next to an old bridge’s abutments to provide additional shelter from the river’s current. It also can be a place reservoir boaters can harbor.
The project is estimated to take about six weeks to complete, and the goal is to have it operational by April 2025.
The recent public open house on the proposal, hosted by the Bureau of Reclamation and Fish and Game, brought out local fishermen who came to learn the details and offer suggestions. Comments are being accepted through May 17 by emailing Amy Goodrich of the Bureau of Reclamation at sra-nepa-comments@usbr.gov or by mailing her at U.S. Bureau of Reclamation- Attn: Amy Goodrich, 230 Collins Road. Boise, ID 83702.
Since the project borders the Fort Hall Reservation, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes have also been notified of the proposal.
After all comments are gathered, the Bureau of Reclamation, which owns the land, will do an environmental analysis and present its official findings and decision this fall. Depending on the comments and its analysis, it may decide the project needs a more intensive environmental impact study, make revisions to the original plans, approve the plan as is, or decide to not pursue the project at all.
Construction is deliberately planned to be over the winter, primarily to avoid impacting the nesting season of the yellow-billed cuckoo who reside in the area, though they are usually further east where there are willows. Also of concern is the Ute ladies’-tresses, a rare orchid whose Latin name means “of the flood.” They are usually found on flood plains where the soil is moist. Both of these species are on the threatened list under the Endangered Species Act.
Should the project get a green light, then Fish and Game will begin its part of the project: engineering, designing, funding and constructing the road, boat ramp, parking lot and restrooms. Bingham County has already indicated it would assist with equipment and in-kind labor as its crews are available.
The McTucker Creek was possibly named for James McTucker, a Quaker and conscientious objector, who came to the Blackfoot area in 1866, after being discharged from the army as a civilian employee.
Come spring, the McTucker Creek-Snake River junction could have two access points for safer year-round recreation for all users. Remember to comment now if you have questions or concerns. More information can be found at usbr.gov/pn/programs/ea/idaho/mctuckerboat/index.html .
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