Nome Creek Watershed

Nome Creek supports a popular grayling fishery in the White Mountains National Recreation Area and is a major tributary of the Beaver Creek Wild and Scenic River. This area often sees high levels of visitation due to the nearby BLM designated campgrounds (Ophir Creek and Mt. Prindle), and recreation opportunities, such as hiking, gold-panning, and boating (White Mountains National Recreation Area | Bureau of Land Management).      

Like Wade Creek, Nome Creek has a rich history of placer mining and is the focus of several habitat improvement projects. Much of the past work is summarized in BLM Open File Report 113 (BLM 2007). Much like Wade Creek, this project seeks to continue the stabilization of closed federal claims and abandoned mine lands in the watershed and address stream alignment issues which contribute to erosion of the Nome Creek Road and risks to the bridge crossing. Unlike Wade Creek, Nome Creek has limited infrastructure in the valley and no remaining federal mining claims.    

Initial work began in 2023 with over 1,000 feet of stream channel restored to enhance habitats for Arctic grayling using a combination of proven techniques and experimental methods. The project included channel realignment to reduce impacts to the road and bridge supports. Work to restore both stream and floodplain conditions using a variety of various methods began in 2024 and will continue into the future. Like Wade Creek, the BLM developed a comprehensive monitoring program to assess the effectiveness of restoration along the 8-miles of stream planned for treatment. 

An aerial photo of a small section of rehabilitation work on Nome Creek.
A drone image of a section of Nome Creek completed in 2025. Note the transplanted vegetation mats placed along the stream and perpendicular to the stream on the floodplain (transplant wings). Random boulders are also visible in the image to improve the micro habitats within the creek and create conditions for the stream to naturally reorganize them to form pools.
Before and after shots of creek.
Left Image: Lower Nome Creek section prior to realignment and restoration. Extensive bank erosion and limited pool habitat dominated this section of stream. Right Image: Lower Nome Creek section after realignment to improve flow through the bridge span and improve the quality of pool habitats and bank stability.
Before and after photos of Nome Creek.
Left Image: Lower section of Nome Creek prior to realignment and restoration. Shallow stream conditions with limited habitat for Arctic grayling. Right Image: Lower section of Nome Creek one month after restoration. Increased pool abundance and vegetated streambanks to improve habitat for grayling. BLM photos.