Cole Ranch on Salmon River
Location: 5 miles south of
Salmon, Idaho on Main Salmon RiverLand Size: 301 acres
Year: 2010
Dr. Jesse Cole of Butte, Montana donated a conservation easement on 301 acres of his 580-acre
ranch on the Main Salmon River. The ranch historically has operated as a working cattle ranch. Paul Edwards currently grazes and hays the property year-round.
Lemhi Regional Land TrustPO Box 871 Salmon, Idaho 83467(208) 756 - 8879info@lemhilandtrust.org
PO Box 871 Salmon, Idaho 83467(208) 756 - 8879info@lemhilandtrust.orgProject Summary
In late 2010, LRLT closed a conservation easement on 300 acres of beautiful Salmon River frontage located just south of Salmon, Idaho. The property borders over three miles of the Main Salmon River. Donated by Dr. Jesse Cole of Butte, Montana, the property has functioned as a working ranch for hay production and cattle grazing for more than a century.
The lower 300-acre portion of the 580-acre ranch contains irrigated grazing meadows and acres of healthy cottonwood galleries shading the Salmon River. The property contains a network of irrigation ditches, upwelling groundwater, two ponds, and Gorley Creek runs through the property into the Salmon River.
The property is home to a variety of wildlife, including whitetail and mule deer, rabbits, beavers, squirrels, fox, coyotes, wolves, black bears, moose, and a variety of birds. Most notably, one of few heron rookeries located on the Main Salmon River is located on the property (see the picture below).
Above: Aerial Map of Cole Ranch Properties
Below: Heron rookery located on the Cole Ranch Conservation Easement.
