Tributary

Teton Valley, Idaho

Where recreation and restoration coexist

The Teton River Basin is a private land conservation priority area in the 26 million-acre Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Among its most important ecological features is Woods Creek Fen – a 4,000-acre peat-forming complex fed by groundwater from the distant Teton Range. Located at the edge of the Fen and the community of Driggs, this 1.2-acre Eastern Idaho garden reflects a landscape of minimal impact and purposeful stewardship. Envisioned as a home in nature, the home is inspired by adjacent rolling grasslands, ecologically diverse wetlands, and distant vistas. The planting palette mimics the indigenous landscape, blurring boundaries between gardenesque and natural landscape.

With a vision for a seamless transition between disturbed and preserved lands, the team proposed an atypical approach where macro-scale restoration strategies addressing landform, hydrology, soil, and ecology preceded design decisions, informing a symbiotic result between architecture and land. Tributary boldly redefines design guidelines, addressing sustainability measures of water consumption, stormwater management and groundwater recharge, wetland preservation, dark sky protection, migration patterns, and visual continuity of the rural landscape. The design restores 90% of the landscape, bolsters streamflow, and exceeds the required planting guidelines by 200%.

Services Provided: Landscape Architecture

Client

Confidential