Poor grazing practices on rangeland has also led to a substantial amount of range in poor condition causing soil erosion and loss of plant diversity. Flooding has caused massive log jams which threaten state and county highway bridges and are recurring problems. Agricultural land conversions along streams and tributaries have led to the loss of wetlands, degradation of streambanks, and loss of wildlife land. The conversion back to wildlife land is gaining popularity with the renewed awareness of its value. It is estimated that as much as 60,000 acres would be converted or maintained as wetland wildlife habitat on the Deep Fork.
Flooding is a continuing problem.
Efforts continue on the tributaries to build small flood control structures to prevent flooding. Due to the size of the watershed, it is apparent that flooding will continue on the Deep Fork As much as 60,000 acres of land could be converted to wildlife and wetland areas. This type of flood plain management should be promoted to limit farmer losses associated with farming. There is also the opportunity to partner with landowners to remove log jams responsible for flooding and scour erosion on the river. Limited financial and educational resources is a major cause for the continued resource degradation of all priority resource concerns.