Renew America Success Stories

The Henry's Fork Watershed Initiative

Description

The Henry's Fork Watershed Initiative is an innovative effort by the Henry's Fork Foundation to address land management issues, coordinate research and help develop natural resource policy in eastern Idaho's Henry's Fork Basin. Central to the success of the Initiative is the Henry's Fork Watershed Council, a diverse collection of scientists, federal, state and local agencies and concerned nonprofit organizations who have entered into an unconventional consensus-building process that enables even formerly adversarial entities to work productively together.

The Henry's Fork Basin, located in eastern Idaho and western Wyoming, encompasses 1.7 million acres and more than 3,000 miles of rivers, streams and irrigation canals. The headwaters area features high mountain streams and abundant spring sources, providing for healthy populations of fish and wildlife, including several threatened and endangered species. The three Idaho counties and one Wyoming county in the basin have a combined population of 40,000. As the population of the basin continued to increase (Teton County, Idaho is growing at an annual rate of 10.6%) and nationwide concern for the environment mounted, regional disputes over traditional land use and land management methods became more difficult to resolve.

During the summer of 1993, a number of federal, state and local agencies met to discuss these issues and they appointed the Henry's Fork Foundation and the Fremont-Madison Irrigation District, two former adversaries, to co-facilitate an effort to better appreciate the complex watershed relationships in the Henry's Fork Basin, to restore and enhance watershed resources where needed, and to maintain a sustainable watershed resource base for future generations. The result of this dual effort was the development of the Henry's Fork Watershed Council.

In addition to the Henry's Fork Watershed Council, the Henry's Fork Foundation is supporting watershed research within the Henry's Fork Basin, the Foundation has hired a Research Coordinator to provide a scientific review of agency proposals, and the Foundation is developing a comprehensive resource library and computer database for use by both the public and private sectors.

Program Highlights

The Henry's Fork Foundation

• The Henry's Fork Foundation supports research in the areas of hydrogeology, aquatic ecology and juvenile trout survival within the Henry's Fork Basin.
• To integrate research findings into agency policy and management, the Foundation has hired a Research Coordinator to supervise research projects, and to review the scientific basis for agency proposals.
• The Henry's Fork Watershed Resource Center is being established to house a resource library and a computer database for use by both the public and private sectors.

• The Council's charter identifies four major duties for the Henry's Fork Watershed Council:
• To cooperate in resource studies and planning that transcend jurisdictional boundaries, while respecting the mission, roles, water and other rights of each participating entity.
• To review and critique proposed watershed projects and Basin Plan recommendations, suggesting priorities for their implementation by appropriate agencies.
• To identify and coordinate funding sources for research, planning and implementation of long-term monitoring programs, with financing derived from both public and private sectors.
• To serve as an educational resource to the Legislature and the general public, communicating the Council's progress through regular reports, media forums and other presentations.
• The Council developed the Watershed Integrity Review and Evaluation (WIRE) Process to address social and cultural concerns, economic diversity and sustainability issues. The WIRE process is used as a tool to help the Council determine whether or not it can reach consensus on the issue at hand.
• An average of 60 individuals representing the scientific community and federal, state, local and tribal entities attend the Council's monthly meetings.
• At least 25 federal, state and local agencies were found to have management or regulatory jurisdiction in the Henry's Fork Basin, which was contributing to fragmented planning and decisionmaking and hindering progress in addressing soil erosion, water delivery and water quality problems. The unique structure and process of the Council has enabled it to reach a consensus on a variety of watershed issues, and to communicate that consensus to appropriate agencies.

Vital Statistics

Program Management/Partnerships: The Henry's Fork Watershed Initiative is a project of the Henry's Fork Foundation. The Foundation has entered into numerous partnerships, most particularly with the Fremont-Madison Irrigation District, to establish the Henry's Fork Watershed Council.

Budget: The latest figures are available by contacting the program.

Community Served: The 40,000 residents of the Henry's Fork Basin.

Measures of Success:

The Watershed Council has endorsed a plan for relocating the Trumpeter swan and authorized $5,000 from the Watershed Fund for its 1995-1996 implementation.

The Watershed Council has endorsed a plan for salmon recovery, water quality monitoring in the watershed and a grazing and fencing project on a local ranch.

The Watershed Council has endorsed projects to control soil erosion on irrigated and non-irrigated cropland.

The Watershed Council has encouraged new grazing systems to protect riparian zones and maximize range efficiencies.

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Success stories designed by Mark Nowak

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