Cache Creek Daylight Project underway in Jackson
JACKSON, Wyo. (KIFI/KIDK)-If you see some unusual sidewalk art on your next Jackson stroll, it is part of a the new Cache Creek Daylight Project.
Town officials say Jackson was built at the confluence of two streams, but one of them can barely be seen in town. Flat Creek is much more visible.
Cache Creek originates in the wilderness and runs in three pipes beneath the town. It does show up in May and Mike Yokel Parks, but even there, it is only a small percentage of its total flow.
Most of the creek runs under Kelly Avenue before reappearing in Karns Meadow and flowing into Flat Creek. The creek was diverted underground after severe flooding hit Jackson in the 1970’s.
Teton Conservation District
Flat Creek, meantime, is catching much of the town’s storm-water runoff. Sand, dirt, grit, oil and gas all end up flowing into the streams.
The “Cache Creek Daylight Project” came about as a joint project of Public Art, Teton Conservation District, and the Town’s Public Works Department and a realization that many Jackson citizens were unaware of the history.
“Daylighting” is a new approach being used across the nation to draw attention to urban streams and drainages.
The project will help increase public education about stormwater and flood management, inform people about what they can do to improve local water quality and start considering next possible steps.
“Our community has a strong connection with Cache Creek on the National Forest, but that appreciation is lost as Cache Creek enters the Town of Jackson and disappears into its subterranean flow-route, said Conservation District Water Resource Specialist Carlin Girard. “We hope this project sheds light on why Cache Creek is absent within the Town and helps invigorate an out-of-the-box conversation about how its ecological and community value might be restored.”
Using the new orange and blue stencils, you can follow the underground path of Cache Creek from above ground. It runs from Cache Creek Drive down Kelly Avenue and into Karns Meadow. You can learn more here.
