Dutch Joe

Dutch Joe Fence Removal

About eighty (80) participants and staff will be needed to remove about a quarter mile of wooden and sheep wire fence in this area. The fences are located in open and wooded terrain, and a great vista of the Grand Tetons dominates the open landscape. The work crews will be using wire cutters and their strong backs to move the fencing material to a central location where the Forest Service will pick it up. The crews will be camping in a remote satellite camp. Participants will return to Jackson on Thursday evening to enjoy their recreation day on Friday.

Why Dutch Joe? "Dutch Joe" was actually Joe Himmersback, a settler from Holland in the late 1800's who made his living trapping and raising livestock. Dutch Joe is now the name of the Forest Service Guard Shack that will be the base of operations for five of the projects to take place next summer in the Bridger-Teton Forest. Nestled along the edge of the Bridger-Teton Wilderness with an elevation above 8,500 feet and stunning views of the Wind River Range, the Dutch Joe project will truly be a High Adventure experience. The project site is located approximately 3 hours southeast of Jackson, outside of Pinedale. This will be the most remote project site at the Bridger-Teton Project. The five projects for the Dutch Joe site include the Guard Station Fence Removal, Big Sandy Creek Debris Barrier, Big Sandy Buck & Rail Fence Removal, Big Sandy Enclosure Removal, and Sedgewick Meadows Fence Removal.

The Guard Station and Sedgewick Meadows Fence Removal projects consist of sheep wire fencing that
goes on and on and on. This fencing is hazardous to the livestock as well as the wildlife in the area, not to mention an eye-sore on the land. The project will consist of several squads working to remove the wiring as well as any metal hardware used to secure it. Some of the posts are metal and they will need to be removed, but most are wooden posts that will remain.

The Big Sandy Creek Debris Barrier project focuses on the building of a barrier using natural materials along the Big Sandy Creek. The Big Sandy area has long been used for sheep grazing and the sheep have worn down the banks of the creek to the point where an unhealthy amount of silt and dirt are now eroding into the creek. The silt and dirt are affecting a sensitive Cutthroat Trout species that lives in the creek and therefore requiring this project.

The Big Sandy Buck & Fence Removal project is set in a meadow with picturesque views of the Wind River Range. The fence is approximately halfmile long and completely rotten. The Forest Service has asked us to stack the wooden rails into piles to be burned at some point during the winter.

Just down the road from the Buck & Rail fence is the Big Sandy Enclosure Removal. This project consists of a sheep enclosure that encompasses approximately 40 acres. The enclosure is built of sheep fence and the Forest Service would like it removed in the same manner as the other sheep wire fence removals.

Management's goal for the week is to complete the Big Sandy Creek Debris Barrier, the Buck & Rail Project, and the enclosure, while removing as much of the other two fences as possible. The crews will be living separately from each other, but will eat dinner together with the entire staff at the Dutch Joe Guard Shack. Why Dutch Joe? Because it will be the place for the most unique wilderness experience in the Bridger-Teton National Forest and the entire ArrowCorps5 project.