THE VOICE
OF THE
RIVER
HFF Director’s Parting Thanks
- Steve Trafton
I
have a distinct memory from my first week as Executive
Director of the Henry’s Fork Foundation, something that I said
to myself while I was driving from Chester to Ashton one
September morning. I looked east towards the Tetons across the
“I owe a great debt of gratitude to all of the people who
have made these past nine years so productive for the Foundation, and so happy for me.”
fields of the lower watershed, and I told
myself that I had to savor every moment
that I lived here, because someday I was
going to have to leave.
That moment has come. All of the standard
platitudes that we use in parting are true in
my case; my family and I have a terrific and
exciting prospect before us, and we are very
happy. But a couple of days ago, when my
youngest daughter and I took a favorite
outing to Seely’s for an hour and a half so
that she could climb trees and I could look
for trout, I realized that I didn’t know when I
would be back. I have not yet reconciled
myself to that.
I owe a great debt of gratitude to all of the
people who have made these past nine
The Henry’s Fork Foundation, September, 2002 – May, 2011
Organizational growth and development
• 2002 annual budget: $280,000; 2011 annual budget: $540,000.
• Staff in September, 2002: three full-time administrative (not including ED). Staff in 2011: six full time (ED, three
programmatic, two administrative), two part-time (administrative).
• Research and restoration program re-created from scratch and staffed.
• Stewardship program re-created from scratch and staffed.
• Full-time development (fundraising) program created and staffed.
• Event program scope, attendance, and fundraising capacity expanded. (In 2002 the single HFF event – Henry’s Fork Day –
grossed $16,885. In 2011, four events – Salt Lake City, Boise, Henry’s Fork Day, and San Francisco – are budgeted to gross
$250,000.)
(continued on page 3)
Message From the Chair
Henry’s Fork Foundation
Board of Directors
(Year term ends in parentheses)
—Layne Hepworth
Chair
Layne Hepworth (11)
Island Park, ID
Vice-chair
Bruce Raskin (12)
Palo Alto, CA
Secretary
Tony Rampton (10)
Salt Lake City, UT
Treasurer
Jeffrey Roberts(10)
Medina, WA
Steve Born (11)
Madison, WI
Jim Drake (11)
Atherton, CA
Robert Dotson (11)
Bellevue, WA
Mike Engel (13)
Alexandria, VA
Yvonne Ferrell (11)
Boise, ID
John Harrington (11)
Mack’s Inn, ID
John Hoagland (13)
Salt Lake City, UT
John Hudgens (12)
Island Park, ID
Margaret Kruke (11)
Park City, UT
Martin McLellan (13)
Idaho Falls, ID
Kim Montag (12)
Mc Allister, MT
Ed Opler (12)
Wilson, WY
Rich Paini (12)
Island Park, ID
Dirk Reinhardt (13)
New York, NY
Denny Shelton (12)
Plano, TX
Thaddeus Sweet (11)
Scapposse, OR
HFF Office
606 Main St.
Ashton, ID 83420
208-652-3567
hff@henrysfork.org
2
HFF friends,
The first time I met Steve Trafton was seven or eight
years ago when I applied for an HFF Board position at
the Ashton office. René Harrop provided a letter of
reference introducing me to Steve, as I'd had no direct
contact with him before. My first and lasting
impression of Steve was, and will always be, of his
smiling face and words of welcome. At the end of our
meeting, there was no question in my mind that I wanted to work with him and
contribute to the HFF's efforts. His inspirational leadership has helped move the
Foundation to an unprecedented level in its 27-year history, in its impact on the
watershed and in accomplishing its mission statement to conserve, protect, and
restore the Henry’s Fork.
Recently, Steve contacted me at my Boise office and told me he had business in the
area and would like to drop by for a short visit. Upon his arrival, that same friendly
smile greeted me in my office, but his expression spoke of the reason for his travel.
He was there to personally inform me, face to face, of his decision to accept an offer
from Trout Unlimited as its new director of the Coldwater Conservation Fund, a
major career advancement. This was his "business" in Boise, rather than delivering
the news via a simple, and far less personal, phone call—a perfect example of Steve's
integrity, and representative of the many unique qualities he possesses.
Steve's leadership of the Foundation and his presence in the community will be
sorely missed. By the same token, consider that the Foundation and the watershed
have been the benefactors of his efforts for twice the national average for director
tenure in a small nonprofit organization. We are not losing Steve, but gaining a
strong advocate for HFF at Trout Unlimited, which bodes well when we partner with
them on future projects as we've done in the past. Steve's departure will lead to
some changes, inevitable when new leadership is installed, but be assured that the
HFF staff is running on all cylinders, even without his presence, due in large part, to
his ability to hire the right talent and personality types who work independent of
close supervision.
You can be confident that your HFF Board of Directors is actively engaged in the new
Executive Director selection process and will identify a candidate worthy of filling the
role Steve leaves behind. Look for more of the same strong results—now and in the
future—as we move forward with identifying the new ED for HFF.
Hope to see you on the river this summer!
Layne
(continued from page 1)
years so productive for the Foundation, and so happy for me. I
could not possible do that debt justice. Organizations like the
Henry’s Fork Foundation cannot exist, much less accomplish
their missions, without the support of the people who believe in
them. The “highlight” list printed nearby is not my list; it is what
the Foundation has been able to accomplish thanks to all of you.
I am very, very grateful to you.
Over the past few weeks I have been asked several times what I
think the Foundation’s most important accomplishment was
while I was here. The list mentioned above amply illustrates the
fact that there are plenty of options from which to choose, but I
believe that the list is most impressive because it demonstrates
that there is not a single aspect of the present and future
conservation of this watershed in which the Henry’s Fork
Foundation is not intimately, and positively, involved. That is the
role that our founders intended for us, and it is a tall order. But it
is what we are doing, and I am proud of that.
The future of the Henry’s Fork watershed, and the future of the
Henry’s Fork Foundation, are inextricably linked. I write that
sentence not as a bit of parting cheerleading, but as what I
believe to be an absolutely true, and sobering, statement of fact.
There is much to be done or initiated; there is also much to be
simply held together or protected. It is a huge responsibility that
only the Foundation can bear in its entirety. All of you make that
possible.
Thank you!
• Endowment campaign initiated to provide long term organizational sustainability.
• Membership program expanded through the reinvention of the Green Drake Society, member events, and acquisition efforts.
• Newsletters, appeal letters, and other written outreach means overhauled and improved.
• HFFs organizational standing raised, and its status cemented, among Foundation members and a broad array of partners,
including federal, state, and local agencies and entities, other nonprofit conservation organizations, local businesses, and the
public.
Programmatic
Research and Restoration (R+R):
• Watershed-scale approach to river conservation re-embraced, with projects and/or other R+R work on upper,
“middle” (Caldera), and lower mainstem Henry’s Fork, and on tributaries.
• Foundation’s commitment to native trout reaffirmed through assessment, reintroduction, restoration, and other research and
project work focused on Yellowstone cutthroat trout.
• Lower river unscreened diversions and other fish passage concerns related to irrigation infrastructure recognized as the
greatest fishery restoration opportunity (and challenge) in the watershed. From this organizational emphasis came the HFF’s
fish passage work at Chester Dam (screens and ladder), inventory and assessment work on the lower river, telemetry work
on the lower mainstem Henry’s Fork, and the otolith microchemistry experiment.
• Drought management planning process conceived through HFF and TU outreach to the irrigation community during the
Chester Dam title transfer process in 2002; process formally signed into law by the federal government in 2005. HFF has
been the lead conservation voice, with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, in this process from its inception; since
2003, winter flows below Island Park Dam have been managed for both fish and irrigation needs, and fish numbers in the
Box Canyon and Harriman State Park, and the quality of the angling experience in those places, have improved dramatically
as a direct result of this process.
• Major, multi-year research and restoration projects such as the Henry’s Lake Outlet project, the Caldera Project, the
Yellowstone cutthroat trout watershed status assessment, and lower river fish passage work, coupled with partnerships with
a variety of agencies and organizations and outreach to the scientific community, have established the HFF as a respected
leader in the field of coldwater fisheries research and restoration.
Stewardship:
• Starting in 2006, the HFF made the commitment to the protection of the watershed landscape through engagement, and active
participation, in all levels of Fremont County planning and zoning activities. HFF input played a significant role in the revision
of the county Comprehensive Plan and Development Code. HFF ED and Board members selected to sit on county Planning
and Zoning Commission.
• HFF actions to protect and enhance recreational river access include the purchase and donation to Fremont County of the
Stone Bridge boat launch site (2004-’05), negotiating and funding the conversion of the county gravel pit downstream of
Vernon Bridge into a public boat launch and parking site (thus relieving severe tension between landowners and the public),
working with Fremont County, the BLM, and IDFG to create a new boat launch and parking site at the Parker-Salem Highway
Bridge, funding and overseeing boat launch upgrades at the Box Canyon put-in and at Riverside Campground, and taking the
lead to find a cooperative solution to the potential closure of the Grandview boat slide.
• At Ashton Dam, the HFF played a leading role to bring about a process to assess stored sediment and plan for sediment
management as part of the dam repair process.
• HFF advocacy has set the stage for partner conservation entities, especially state and federal agencies, to increase their
participation in a variety of local resource management arenas, including Planning and Zoning processes and drought
management planning.
Left
Cross Cut Canal Fish Screen: Looking down the newly constructed portion of the Cross Cut Canal that contains the
fish screen. Once water is turned in, then fish will move
parallel to the diagonally placed fish screen and then enter a bypass pipe that flows back to the river below the
hydroelectric project. Irrigation water will pass through
the screens.
Fish Passage at the Chester Dam
Hydroelectric Project
Construction is progressing on the hydroelectric project,
including the fish passage features, at the end of April
2011. The framework and individual screens are in place
for the fish screen structure in the Cross Cut Canal (see
photo). A similar fish screen was installed in the other
canal at the dam during 2010 and functioned well. Both
fish screen structures will be operational this year during
the irrigation season and will prevent thousands of trout
from annually being lost from the Henrys Fork to the
canals. In addition, fish below the dam will be able to
move upstream through a fish ladder (see photo) this year.
The ladder will provide upstream fish passage to about 100
miles of river in streams in the Henrys Fork and Fall River.
These fish passage improvements will improve fish survival
and connection to seasonally required habitats - with the
end goal of more fish in the Henrys Fork above and below
the dam.
Above
Fish Ladder: The walls of the fish ladder are nearly
complete. The fish ladder entrance is in the lower right
corner and the fish ladder exit is in the upper left corner.
The 288 foot long ladder will span 13.5 feet in elevation.
Fish will move up through a series of 50 bays that have a
little over 3 inch difference between bays. Costs for the
fish ladder design ($69,000) and construction (about
$400,000) are being paid by funding raised by the Henry’s
Fork Foundation, Trout Unlimited, and the Greater
Yellowstone Coalition.
Board Member Election
Your voice is needed as it is time once again for Henry’s Fork Foundation members to vote for their Board of Directors. This
year we have four current directors wishing to serve another term.
The bylaws of the Foundation require that they be affirmed by a vote of the membership and allow for the Board of Directors to consist of up to 21 members. Confirmation of the candidates listed on the enclosed ballot will bring the board roster
to 20 members. Biographical summaries for board candidates are available on the HFF website’s Board Members page.
Please mark your votes and mail it to the HFF office by June 10, 2011 using the envelope provided.
We truly appreciate your continued support of the Henry’s Fork Foundation.
Visit us online at www.henrysfork.org
4
Dinner Tickets
$35 each
or
Table for 8 $300
ClackaCraft Drift Boat tickets
$100/each (only 125 available)
For a donation of $1,000 to
Henry’s Fork Day you will
receive your choice from 25
different Sage Z-Axis 4piece rods ranging from a 3
weight to a 10 weight, or
one of 13 different Sage Xi3
Saltwater rods ranging from
a 5 weight to a 16 weight.
Donors and Contributors
Thanks to the following friends who donated
$100+ in the period February 1—April 30, 2011
$5,000+
Peter Valenti
Mike Engel
Ellen T. Kirch
Lyman and Carol Casey
Nelson Ishiyama
Steve Schmidt
John and Vicky Hoagland
Jon Riche
Layne M. and Mary Hepworth
Todd Cromwell
Ken and Jennifer Williamson
$300+
$2,000+
Yvon Chouinard
Jim Vermillion/Sun Valley Tools
John Hepworth
Mark Rockefeller
Bob and Susan Rosenberg
Charlie and Bev Nightengale
Jerry and Lori Frank
Jeff and Amy Roberts
Bales Family Partnership
Ed and Laura Opler
$1,000+
Mr. Larry Evans
Craig and Jackie Mathews
Sallie Griffith
Rick and Shauna Williams
Mr. John Willis
Fred and Edna Zerza
Ralph and Vera Conner
Dirk Reinhardt
David Sanna
Jack and Janet Roberts
Roger A. and Sue Lang
Alan Spiegelman
M.R. Mickelson, M.D.
Yvonne Ferrell
Patrick Gibbons
Robert P. and Kellie Dotson
Eric Bailey
Terry Clifford
Dane and Emily Carlson
Tim Clark
Jack Mueller
Andy Anderson
Mark and Mary Thompson
Sumner Swaner
Bill and Debby Hackett
Dr. Clinton L. and Anna Dille
$500+
David Arndorfer
Thomas Carter
Jim Carter
Doug and Margie Eberhardt
Kenneth & Patricia August
Steve Bainbridge
Kim and Jeff Montag
Michael Wolfe
Paul Dremann
Mark Finco
Jim McGeever
Dave Conley
Jane Harrison & Jim Carter
Martin McLellan
William A. Arnold
John S Koch, M.D.
The Family of Eugene F. Quinn
Cliff Nowell & Laura Anderson
6
John H. Weis
David B. Wilkes
Rick and Michelle Atkinson
Kenneth and Carol Louder
Tom Schell
Dan Barr
Bennet Creek Farms
Robert J. Borgna
Steve Born
F. Robert and Emmalyn Degen
Andrew B. Haroian
Hank and Pat Hemingway
Jeffery J. Hepworth
Idaho Angler Inc.
Matt Ward / John Hancock Ins.
Victor and Ann Jones
Greg Kingdon
Geoff M. Lanfear
Anthony and Irene Rampton
Larry and Colleen Teply
Marcella Guttterrez
Alan and Trish Olsen
Steve and Wendy Zerza
William and Melissa Connelly
Marshall Garrett
Ed Inderrieden
Jerry Nielsen
Jerry and Robin Pulley
James Roberts
Bill and Ruthalie Bell
Lee Burke
Jim and Mary Ann Drake
Lon Richardson, Jr. and Zoe Richardson
Dean Pierose, III
Wm and Mary Bennett
Garth Blanchard
$100+
Eric Adema
Di Allison
AMFFA
Jim D. Anderson
Fred Badke
Brent Baranko
Jonathan Berg
Steve Botch
Jim and Glenda Bradley
Mike Brassey
Jack and Ruth Brown
Mike & Jeanie Casey
Jim Chandler
Suzie Coleman
M.E. Costello, Jr.
Ed and Barbara Crutchfield
Bob Dibblee
Dave Engen
Paul L. Erwin
Mindy Fetterman
Brent Feulner
Bob and Kathleen Forsey
Richard Frencer
Shannon Gibbons
J. Wallace Graham
Richard G Griffith
Steven Harker
John and Nina Harrington
Terry Hartman
Richard Hemingway
Ann and David Hicks
Ed and Cindy Hikida
Bob and Michaeleen Hill
Earl James
Christopher Jones
James Kemp
Craig and Diane Keoun
Doug and Brigitte Kirk
Bob Kirkwood
Jane Ann Lamph
Dr. Austin & Mrs. Joan Larsen
Allan R. Larson
David L. Long
Tom and Mary Lyon
Clay Manley
Chris McDonough
Ed MCGough
Terry Mooney
Marguerite and Rex Naanes
Carolyn Pedone & John Rose
DJ Phimister
John Pressly
Mindy Ramsey
David Ream and Betsy Wolf
George Reichman
Scott and Leslie Rice
Gail Rushing
Bob Saks
John & Susie Schultz
Bill and Martha Scott
Mr. & Mrs. Matt Shilling
Randy and Jane Slickers
J. Martin Tingey, M.D.
Dennis Tyler
Ross Whitaker
Kem and Judy Williamson
Paul Wojcik
R. Clark and Kay Arnold
Lee Coppess
Robert Dunnagan
Edwin and Janet House
David Kilpatrick
George and Susan Mitchel
Alta Vista Consulting/Tom and Kathy Old
Matthew Smargiasso
Robert M. Zieserl
Bob and Chris Polk
Daniel P. and Amanda Conner
Henry and Flory Ellis
Jim and Polly Light
Evan G. Byers
Boyd and Gay Jeffery
William Layer
Thomas and Katherine Moriarty
Marvin and Beth Rallison
Todd Schaffler
Parmer and Mary Van Fleet
Duane D. Marler
Michael S. Nowels
Kurt and Heide Peterson
Dr. Robert Renger
Don Bruemmer
Mr. & Mrs. William P. Benson
Andy Brunelle
Robert E. Lynch
Kathryn Miller
Scott Olson
Dr. Mary Young
William E. Stratton
Sallie Griffith
Richard and Teena Palfreyman
John E. and Nancy Wilbrecht
Thomas Lark
David and Janet Shank
Dianne Anderson
John Cramer
Denny Crum
Milford W. and Sharon Dahl
Sara Ifft
Dave Moore
Robert Murdoch
Bob and Sally Neill
Thomas M. Place, Jr.
Gwen Springmeyer
Robert Sutton
Roselyne C. Swig
Robin Vaughan
William Marsden
Jim Ure
Scott and Teresa Barker
Alissa Black
Finley R. Degan
Bob Degen
Virginia Edwards
W. Jorman
Gregg B. Messel
John Moore
Jack and Alice Siefert
K.C. Walsh
Robert and Gwen Springmeyer
Steve Stoddard
David R. Streitwieser, M.D.
Paula J. Tordella
Ray and Effie Kaufman
Mary Ann Peters
Ryan Stearns
Ben H. Godfrey, M.D.
Jeff Anderson
Alan W. Bridwell
Greg Grimes
Dennis Harrigan
Steven F. Lowe
Magic Valley Fly Fishers
John and Pam McCosker
Calvin Nelson
Terry Stillo
Cary L. Stowe
Jane Harrison
John Wallace
M. Walker and Sue Wallace
Bill Williams
Travis Ruiz
Scott Tschirgi
Mike and Sheralee Lawson
Scott Nilsson
John and Peggy Stanchfield
Steven Steblay
Brian and Sue Schwind
A.T. Williams
Memorials Honoring:
Nancy Byers
Joan Lansche
A big thank you to Robert
Murdock for donating a Dell
laptop computer to the
Foundation.
Please note: every effort is made
to recognize our donors. If we have
overlooked your name, please let
us know so we can correct our
oversight.
Riffles
HFF Awarded RAC Funds for Multiple Projects
Idaho Loses Senator that Cared About Idaho’s Resources
At the recent meeting of the Eastern Idaho Resource Advisory
Committee decisions were made regarding which projects would
receive RAC funding for 2011 and 2012. These federal funds, part of
the Secure Rural Schools Act of 2008, are for projects to benefit the
natural resources on or adjacent to National Forest lands in eastern
Idaho. HFF staff worked closely with Caribou-Targhee National
Forest staff and Fremont County Commissioners to develop project
proposals that were supported by both the Forest and the County.
This effort paid off when HFF was awarded $185,375 in funding for
eleven projects. HFF will use local contractors to complete most of
the work.
Several additional projects, proposed by other
organizations with HFF as a key partner, were also funded.
(The Henry’s Fork Foundation was saddened by the passing of
Senator James McClure recently. Because of his efforts to protect
the Henry’s Fork during the early years of the organization, we are
reprinting a letter to the editor published in The Post Register and
written by Mike Lawson .)
Six projects were funded in 2011 for a total $96,425. HFF was
awarded $20,000 towards construction of the Chester fish ladder
due to its importance for fish passage in the Henry’s Fork and Fall
Rivers. Other projects include fence removal and modification on
the Buffalo River, culvert removal and fencing on Henry’s Fork
tributaries, completion of improvements to the Grandview Boat
Slide, repairs to the HFF-maintained riparian fences along the
Henry’s Fork at Last Chance and Pinehaven, and design and
construction of a fishway at the Silver Lake Dam in Harriman State
Park. In summer 2011, HFF will also be completing about $25,000 of
work on several previously funded RAC projects in Island Park.
In the mid 1980s the section of the Henry’s Fork from Riverside
Campground downstream to Mesa Falls was threatened by a
number of hydro developments. The result could have dewatered
one of the most pristine wild sections of river in the country. This
threat prompted the organization of the Henry’s Fork Foundation of
which I am a founding member. In an effort to stay this threat the
Henry’s Fork Foundation contacted Senator James McClure. He had
never seen that part of the Henry’s Fork. I was asked to float him
with his wife Louise down the canyon from Riverside Campground to
Hatchery Ford. It was a special day for me as they both marveled at
the extraordinary beauty of the canyon.
Boat slide before improvements.
RAC funds were awarded in 2012 for five additional projects totaling
$88,950. Those projects are Yellowstone cutthroat trout habitat
restoration on Schneider Creek, trail and parking lot improvements
at the Coffeepot trailhead downstream of Coffeepot Rapids,
dispersed campsite improvements at the Harriman Fish Pond,
improvements to the spillway at the Harriman Fish Pond, and road
rehabilitation on the Sheep Falls Road.
Mike Lawson photo
Ashton Dam – Major Construction Begins in August
Construction activity at the Ashton Dam Remediation project will be
fairly quiet until late summer. The bypass tunnel construction and
installation of headgates is complete. In August or September, work
will resume on two major aspects of the project. The tunnel tap
between the reservoir and bypass tunnel will be completed and the
reservoir drawn down another 17 feet. PacifiCorp and Idaho
Department of Environmental Quality plan to closely monitor
sediment movement during this critical phase of the project, and will
adjust drawdown rates as needed to minimize sediment
movement. This is likely to result in fluctuating flows below Ashton
Dam when the tunnel tap and drawdown are in progress. A large
coffer dam will also be constructed in front of the old dam so the
actual dam remediation work can begin. However, until late summer
Ashton Reservoir will remain at the current level, nine feet below full
pool. The dam and spillway will continue to operate in run-of-theriver mode.
Senator McClure and his wife Louise floating the Henry’s Fork
When he left for Washington he assured me that he would do
everything in his power to protect the Henry’s Fork. He worked
closely with Rep. Richard Stallings to craft legislation to protect the
river from development.
Later that summer I received a call from Senator McClure stating
that the legislation had passed. I will always remember how he was
brimming with excitement. Today the wild canyon water that
includes Hatchery Ford, Sheep Falls and Upper Mesa Falls are forever
protected from development because of this effort. I never stand at
the brink of the big falls without reflecting on this great event. The
next time you stand at the overlook of Upper Mesa Falls, please take
a minute and give Senator McClure a moment of silence.
Mike Lawson
mike@henrysforkanglers.com
7
The Henry’s Fork Foundation
P.O. Box 550
606 Main St.
Ashton, ID 83420
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Photo from Member Wildlife Photo Gallery
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