BUFFALO - Generations of youngsters have enjoyed the fun of fishing from the banks of Clear Creek, which flows through downtown. Most use bait; some try flies. Some land a fish or two, while others end up wading.

However, in recent years, the chances of good fishing in that stretch of Clear Creek have grown slim, especially in the later summer and fall when the water level is extremely low.

For years, people complained about the low water to about everyone who might be able to do something, and they, in turn, held lengthy discussions, but no one had any answers. Until now.

After the Powder River drainage, of which Clear Creek is a part, was identified as a threatened aquatic system by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Lake DeSmet Conservation District - in cooperation with Game and Fish, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Trout Unlimited - began a concentrated effort with the city of Buffalo to find an answer to the problem.

"It wasn't just the low water flow that caused concern," said Phil Gonzales, NRCS district conservationist. "It was the increasing width of the creek in places and the lack of fish habitat resulting from the low flow. We recognized the problem - we just didn't know how to fix it."

But they found someone who did - Steady Stream Hydrology Inc. of Sheridan, whose expertise in stream restoration has been recognized and utilized frequently in recent years.

Cheryl Harrelson, hydrologist and owner of Steady Stream Hydrology, works closely with her engineer, Betsy Pearson, to restore streams to their natural channels.

"We spend a lot of time conducting studies on the stream to determine the natural width, depth and shape," Harrelson said. "We also want to make it a healthy stream, one that includes riffles, pools, runs, and glides."

The Clear Creek project created these habitat features using such natural materials as sod, willows and rock, with additional boulders hauled into the site as needed.

Steady Stream Hydrology hired Garber Agri-Business of Big Horn to bring in a trackhoe for the instream reconstruction work.

Before work could begin, Steady Stream Hydrology Inc., with assistance from the NRCS, did the initial mapping and analysis of the creek as required for state and federal permits. Meanwhile, the conservation district secured funding for the project which was estimated to cost right at $175,000. Nikki Lohse, district manager, said $20,000 grants were obtained from Wyoming Game and Fish and U.S Fish and Wildlife, and $2,500 from Trout Unlimited.

The conservation district itself contributed $7,000 generated from the auction of a big-game tag, but the biggest contributor was the city of Buffalo, which provided $94,000 worth of rocks and $34,000 in actual construction costs.

Phase one of the project began Oct. 3 on the west edge of town just beyond the Klondike Road bridge. It involved about a mile of Clear Creek and was completed in 20 days.

"This was one of the most pleasant jobs we have done," Harrelson said. "We had great cooperation from everyone involved, and we're proud of the end result."

So are the townspeople, according to Mayor Bruce Hepp.

"We've had a lot of positive response, especially from the fishing population," he said. "We had people catching fish in the upper part of the creek before the lower segment was even done."

Gonzales said phase two, located below the business district and ending at the east edge of Buffalo, will begin when full funding and another assortment of rocks are secured.

"The final phase, that segment of Clear Creek which runs through Buffalo's business district, will take some additional study and planning, as it poses a whole different set of challenges," he said.