Bringing Back the Water

Cutting junipers is saving Idaho's rivers and wildlife

By Brian Rhodes

Out in southwestern Idaho, on the dry, rolling sagebrush rangelands near Marsing, a profound shift is happening with water.

It doesn't begin at the river's edge or in some hidden mountain spring. It starts higher up, where sagebrush hills stretch toward the horizon and chainsaws loudly cut through the quiet air.

This is the sound of restoration, the clear melody of rivers coming back to life. Precious water, once stolen by an expanding forest, now returns to fill dry springs, feed native fish and quench the land.

This effort does more than remove trees; it actively restores the natural balance of these arid places, ensuring vital water for all life that depends on it, from tiny soil organisms to large, migrating animals.

Meet the BOSH Project

The BOSH project, short for the Bruneau-Owyhee Sage-Grouse Habitat initiative, drives this significant effort. It may be the most essential habitat restoration project the West has ever undertaken.

At its heart, a simple yet powerful idea guides BOSH work: Strategically remove water-thirsty juniper and pinyon pine trees that don't belong here, and let the native plants, birds and streams flourish again. This targeted removal addresses tree species that have spread far beyond their historical homes, upsetting the delicate balance of the sagebrush landscape and changing fundamental natural processes.

Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever lead this effort, working closely with ranchers, biologists, the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Idaho Fish and Game and other partners.

BOSH is a true hands-on collaboration that mixes local knowledge with conservation science.

"Every project we do is a partnership in some fashion. We look to tie in the remaining private land while we are there to treat the large chunks of BLM land."

The partnerships in these sagebrush landscapes stand as firm as the land is harsh; each partner plays a role in work that reaches from private ranches to federal wildlands, creating a unified front against a widespread environmental threat.

Silent Usurpers: The Trouble With Juniper

At first glance, junipers don't seem like bad trees. But over the last 80 years, they have spread across millions of acres of the West, taking over sagebrush country one hillside at a time. This problem extends beyond North America; these trees spread globally, with growth rates ranging from 40% to 600% on nearly every continent.

Just one example is Oregon. Western juniper expanded from 1.5 million acres to over 6 million acres since 1934. As they spread, they displace the native grasses and shrubs that birds and big game need to survive, transforming open, diverse landscapes into dense, single species stands that offer little value to wildlife.

Even worse, junipers drink a considerable amount of water. A mature western juniper tree can pull over 30 gallons of water a day from the ground. That moisture used to feed springs and seeps, sustaining a vibrant network of wetlands and streamside areas. Now, it simply disappears into thick patches of these thirsty trees, never reaching the underground water sources or flowing into streams.

"Junipers just win," says White, highlighting the juniper's aggressive nature. "They outcompete everything else. And they suck the land dry while they do it."

That competitive advantage means junipers not only consume vast amounts of water, but also shade out and prevent the growth of beneficial plants beneath them, further harming habitat quality.

The amount of water these trees use is shocking.

"There are about 9 million acres of encroaching conifers just in the west/sagebrush landscape. If we assume five trees per acre, with a 300-day growing season, and that each tree uses as much as 30 gallons a day, that is 400 billion gallons of water used by conifers each year."

That immense water consumption dries out the ground and significantly alters how water moves across the land, disrupting the natural water cycle. The result? Stream flows drop by 20 to 40%, and there is increased fuel for fires, which increases the risk of severe wildfires in these critical areas.

Dense juniper stands act like fuel ladders, allowing smaller ground fires to quickly climb into the tree canopy, leading to more intense and destructive blazes that permanently alter the landscape.

But when crews finally cut down these widespread trees, something amazing happens. Water comes back. Springs that had slowed to a trickle or dried up entirely start to flow again with new strength, often within weeks of the trees' removal.

White recounts a story he heard from a rancher on a different juniper removal project in the Owyhees: "After we cut the trees and conducted the prescribed burn a juniper removal project, the landowner noticed a wet spot in their driveway. A new spring had popped up right in their driveway even though they were some distance away from the cut and prescribed burn."

Rancher Chuck Hall saw it with his own eyes. "I cut about 75 big trees, and within a week, 10 days, the spring came back. It always ran, but now it runs twice as much." His experience powerfully testifies to the immediate and clear benefits of this work.

From Saw to Stream: The Science of Restoration

One beauty of this kind of conservation work is that there are measurable results. Scientists have extensively studied the effects of juniper removal, providing a strong foundation for these restoration efforts. "I have seen water from springs pouring over what was dry land just days before when the trees were still there," says Connor White.

In one long-term study from Oregon's Camp Creek watershed, researchers carefully tracked water flow for over a decade. After cutting juniper, peak spring flows increased by nearly 48%, climbing from 182 to 269 gallons per minute over 13 years.

This significant increase clearly shows the direct link between removing juniper and having more water available. Other studies in Idaho and the Great Basin have consistently confirmed that removing pinyon-juniper trees improves soil water, significantly boosts the growth of other plants, and helps the overall water system function more effectively with minimal erosion risk.

In healthy areas dominated by sagebrush, streamflow can account for as much as 5.8% of the rain and snow that falls. But in places full of juniper, that number drops to a mere 0.3%. That's a massive difference for the fish, birds, and people who rely on that water, showing how juniper turns a water-producing landscape into one that consumes water.

Soil moisture studies support these findings. Juniper roots go deep, pulling water from far below the surface, often leaving deeper soil layers constantly dry. This severely limits the amount of water that can soak down to refill underground water sources.

After crews remove trees, water soaks into the soil more evenly and stays near the surface longer, feeding everything from spring wildflowers to nesting grass for birds like sage grouse. Removing mature juniper can result in an estimated 1.45 million gallons of water saved per acre.

Even the critical timing of water refilling underground stores improves. Studies using isotopes in these uplands have shown a remarkable speed of water connection, with winter water from treated areas reaching valley aquifers within 4 to 6 weeks. This directly connects restoration efforts in the highlands to crucial water supplies downstream, providing a quick benefit for springs and streams, where fish and aquatic insects depend on steady flows throughout the year, especially during dry summer months.

A Bounty for Outdoor Lovers

These significant changes in nature directly help hunters and anglers with what they care about most.

When water stays in the system longer, fish get a colder, cleaner place to spawn and survive. This means better conditions for trout and salmon to lay their eggs and for young fish to grow.

Big game animals find more forage as native grasses and shrubs return, providing essential plants they need that juniper once crowded out.

Upland birds from sage grouse to sharptails receive the vital grassland cover and diverse food sources they need to thrive, creating prime habitats for nesting and rearing their young.

We're not talking about some far-off benefit. This hard work makes real, immediate improvements for species essential to our hunting heritage. Biologists have observed a 12% increase in sage grouse population growth rates in treated areas, a crucial step toward helping this iconic species recover.

Connor White notes a promising sign for sage grouse.

"Fish and Game found several potential new leks this spring in prior treatment area. That's a huge win."

Winter survival for crucial big game species has improved, with a 15% increase in the overwinter survival of mule deer fawns, ensuring healthier herds for future seasons. The BOSH project also improves habitat for Hungarian partridge, California quail, and sensitive species like slickspot peppergrass and the rare Ute ladies' tresses orchid, found only in certain parts of Idaho.

Rivers Reborn: A Full-Circle System

It's easy to forget how connected everything is in the high desert. What happens on the hills affects what flows through the valleys. And when upland restoration is done right, it doesn't just bring back birds and grass; it brings back the rivers themselves, creating a chain of positive changes for the ecosystem.

Streams that used to dry up in July now hold water into August and September. This allows trout and salmon more time to migrate and spawn, extending their critical life cycles.

For anglers, this means more insects for fish, and more reliable fishing throughout the season. Streams that used to dry up into lively, year-round fishing spots. Increased water flows also boost the outdoor recreation economy, providing more reliable and extended flows for rafters and kayakers on iconic whitewater rivers such as the Snake, Payette and Salmon.

These revived waters also help native aquatic species, such as the Yellowstone cutthroat trout, northern leopard frog, Banbury spring limpet, Bliss rapid snail, and the threatened Snake River basin steelhead.

Even endangered species, such as sockeye salmon and the ancient white sturgeon, benefit significantly from cooler, steadier flows that are essential for their survival and recovery. At the same time, aquatic insects like mayflies and stoneflies — key to any good trout stream —thrive again in these healthier habitats.

Better insect populations also help upland birds rear their broods. All gamebird chicks depend on soft-bodied insects in their first weeks of life. Healthier streams directly help bring back more birds, completing a vital ecological cycle.

Jeremy Maestas, a rangeland ecologist working on the BOSH project, puts it this way: "The streams are coming back. Springs are returning. Wildlife is responding. That's what success looks like."

Maestas also highlights the monumental scale: "The BOSH project stands to be the largest single restoration effort we have ever undertaken in the sagebrush biome. Just to put this in context, it is five to six times larger than any similar area we have undertaken to address this conifer issue."

Hunters in the Lead: Preserving Our Sporting Heritage

If you hunt or fish in the West, you have a significant stake in this. This isn't just about saving water or restoring plants; it's about protecting a vital ecosystem. It's about preserving our sporting heritage, making sure that future generations can experience the same rich outdoor traditions.

Juniper removal is not glamorous work. It requires long hours, navigating rugged terrain that can be steep and remote, and consuming a lot of fuel to power the equipment.

But the rewards are enormous. With over 140,000 acres already treated and more planned, this project serves as a blueprint for restoring the best of the West for hunters, wildlife and future generations.

Connor White emphasizes the project's vastness: "It took me a year or two to digest it fully. We have 617,000 acres authorized for treatment, and we have only completed 216,000 acres of it. There is still much more to do. A lot of people don't fully appreciate the scale of the project until they come to take a tour, which is why I always encourage people to look at it on the ground if they can."

Pheasants Forever's team-up approach also ensures that for every dollar given, partners can realize a 10:1 match, making every conservation investment even more significant and stretching resources further for maximum impact.

These restoration efforts also strongly support cherished big game species such as mule deer, elk, and pronghorn antelope by opening up historic migration routes and improving access to seasonal food sources that dense juniper stands previously made unavailable.

Other important species, such as pygmy rabbits, burrowing owls and long-billed curlews, as well as many native pollinators, also benefit from the revitalized habitat.

And let's not forget the economic impact. More grass and gamebirds bring more hunters and bird dogs to small towns. More reliable streamflows mean longer rafting seasons, better fishing and more tourism … also good for local economies. Healthy rangelands support healthy herds, and that directly benefits local ranchers by providing better grazing land.

BOSH is a win for wildlife, a win for water, and a win for all people who work and love the land.

Addressing the Problem at Scale

"With dedicated individuals, partners and funding over multiple years to support large projects like BOSH, you can address the problem at a scale that matters. Many people in the West use heavy equipment to masticate conifers. But that is expensive and will not reach the scale we need. On BOSH, we do chainsaw cutting and prescribed fire. The prescribed fire is important for a longer treatment effectiveness by eliminating the seed source. The faster we can get through as many conifer treatment acres as we can, we can shift toward putting more of our budget toward the elephant in the room — invasive annual grasses — in places that matter, and in many instances, reinforcing our conservation investment from the conifer removal."

Brian Rhodes is a Working Lands for Wildlife Communications Specialist at Pheasants Forever.

This story originally appeared in the Spring 2026 issue of Pheasants Forever Journal.