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JHTU Members, 

Please consider learning more about and supporting several SPET initiatives this election day, Tuesday, November 5th, that seek to improve our local coldwater fisheries and water quality. 

We are exciting about Proposition #10: Wildlife Crossings, which in addition to helping implement prioritized wildlife crossings structures identified in the 2018 Teton County Wildlife Crossings Master Plan, also includes funding for aquatics crossings. There are numerous county and federal roads that cross streams and rivers in and around Jackson Hole, many of which may be acting as partial or total barriers to fish passage as cutthroat trout and other native fish seek to migrate to  spawning, rearing, or seasonal habitat. Since these crossings were not assessed in the the 2018 plan, but are included in the scope of the 2019 SPET funding, our hope is that we can partner with Teton County to help identify, prioritize and implement fish passage projects along roadways in the near future if this proposition passes. 

Stormwater - water that flows onto impervious surfaces such as parking lots, sidewalks, and roads - is a major source of sediment and other runoff-based pollutants from the Town of Jackson into Flat Creek, our local "urban" stream that has been listed as impaired for water quality since 1996. JHTU has been collaborating with other groups as part of the Jackson Hole Clean Water Coalition and recognizes stormwater as an important area of focus for improving water quality in Flat Creek and other waterways near developed areas in Teton County. We commend the Town of Jackson for seeking to implement timely and important infrastructure upgrades that include stormwater treatment through Proposition #1:Town of Jackson Downtown Water Quality Improvement Infrastructure – Cache Creek Project; Proposition #6: Gregory Lane – Street, Stormwater and Sewer Infrastructure, and Safe Route to School; and Proposition #9: Teton County/Jackson Recreation Center Expansion and Renovation, Community Climbing Gym, King Street Extension, and Stormwater Treatment. Clean water benefits our local fisheries, bug life, and community members. For more information, please read Paul Bruun's column in last week's Jackson Hole News & Guide and visit the Town of Jackson SPET Information site.

You can vote anytime between now and before November 5th at the Teton County Administrative Office, 200 S Willow St, Jackson, WY 83001, or at the Teton County Library or Old Wilson Schoolhouse on November 5th. Thank you for taking time to be an informed and educated voter and member of our community!