BECOME A RIVER GUARDIAN
“What was big was not the trout, but the chance. What was full was not my creel, but my memory.”
~ Aldo Leopold
Join the River Community
The reaches of the Henry’s Fork are links in a chain storied for its natural beauty and unparalleled fishing. Each is vital and all are needed to ensure the river’s health.
Become a River Guardian by sponsoring a reach and stand shoulder to shoulder with the other heroes who share your commitment to protecting and strengthening the Henry’s Fork.
Sponsor a Vital River Reach (sections bolded are already sponsored)
1 - Big Springs
2 - Mack’s Inn
3 - Flat Rock
4 - Coffee Pot Rapids
5 - McCrea Bridge
6 - Buffalo River
7 - Box Canyon
8 - Last Chance
9 - Log Jam
10 - Bonefish Flats
11 - Railroad Ranch
12 - Lower Harriman
13 - Osborne Bridge
14 - Wood Road 16
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15 - Riverside
16 - Hatchery Ford
17 - Cardiac Canyon
18 - Warm River
19 - Stone Bridge
20 - Jump Off Canyon
21 - Ashton Dam
22 - Ora Bridge
23 - Vernon Bridge
24 - Chester Dam
25 - Fall River
26 - Fun Farm Bridge
27 - Del Rio Bridge
28 - St. Anthony
Click to view full map with sponsors
Our Work for Wild Trout
The Henry’s Fork Foundation (HFF) uses a science-based collaborative approach to conserve these world-renowned fisheries. HFF has over 30 projects and programs ongoing on the Henry’s Fork, including:
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Aquatic insect monitoring
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Water temperature monitoring
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Sediment and nutrient sampling
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Water quality monitoring network
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Fish passage
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Precision water management
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Daily water reports and analysis
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Real-time river conditions
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Farms and Fish program
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Recreational use assessments
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PhD habitat research
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River clean ups and more!
Your Impact
Your donations have a direct, significant, and lasting impact on the health of the Henry’s Fork wild trout population. When you donate, you ensure ongoing joy—the transcendent connection to a river like no other.
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Your investment in HFF:
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Boosts winter flows for trout survival
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Increases trout populations above and below Island Park Dam
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Moderates irrigation-season flows to enhance the fishing experience
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Protects water quality by reducing sediment and organic matter
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Assures colder, fish-sustaining water coming out of Island Park Reservoir
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Conserves water in the Henry’s Fork to a degree unprecedented in the West
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What we are accomplishing for the Henry’s Fork—cooperatively, cost-effectively, and with measurable benefits for wild trout—has created an important model in the West. Other watersheds and organizations are looking to us. Help us continue to build a healthy future for the Henry’s Fork and light the way for other great rivers.
Meet Some of HFF's River Guardians
HFF’s Approach is the Crucial Difference
George Borkow, River Guardian
Like many anglers filled with reverence when landing a wild trout, George Borkow is reluctant to discuss that moment of “grace and beauty.” Too mysterious and exalted to interpret adequately he says demurringly. A threshold too personal to explain. But admiring words flow easily when you ask George how the Henry’s Fork, while called upon extensively to serve agriculture and hydropower, is enduring as one of North America’s healthiest fisheries while many famous trout streams struggle. Initially a cautious supporter, he gives full-throated credit to the Henry’s Fork Foundation:
“The approach they’ve taken is not only practical; it’s genius. Why not collect enough data, verify it, and present it to describe what’s at stake and how the river can be positively affected? Make it possible for more thoughtful and better decisions to be made to advance multiple benefits.” Read more from George Borkow.
The Pricelessness of Memories
The Lowe Family, River Guardians
Asked for a single word that encapsulates his lifelong love affair with the Henry’s Fork, Steven Lowe is silent for several seconds, his thoughts drifting across decades. He sees his grandkids wading into a sweep of clear water with excitement in their faces. He pictures his own kids, rods ready and overflowing with the same anticipation. Ultimately, he thinks of his father, Waynard “Doc” Lowe, climbing into a Model A during the Great Depression, driving north from his small town of Grace, Idaho to grace itself—a fishing trip to the Henry’s Fork that became a family legacy that today lives on in his great-grandsons.
“I think the word is…’memories.’ I’m 77 now. So, it was 60 years ago that I was introduced to the river by my father. All the memories are warm. Of a good place. I haven’t been anywhere more tranquil…pleasant…there’s a lot of adjectives that apply to the Henry’s Fork.” Read more from the Lowe Family.