The Henry’s Fork Foundation (HFF), in partnership with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG), and Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (IDEQ), seeks qualified consultants or consultant teams (hereby referred to as “the consultant”) to develop an adaptation plan for the natural, engineered, and social resources of the Henry’s Fork watershed upstream of Mesa Falls. Anticipated additional partners in this effort include the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Idaho Department of Lands (IDL), Idaho State Parks and Recreation (IDPR), and Refuge grazing permittees, whose engagement will be a core responsibility of the selected consultant.

The intention is to identify, evaluate, and document restoration and management alternatives across two priority areas:

• Natural & engineered infrastructure: feasibility assessment and conceptual restoration designs for groundwater recharge, flood irrigation reactivation, process-based tributary restoration, and aging infrastructure.
• Social infrastructure: structured partner and stakeholder engagement to build and maintain productive working relationships across the watershed, combined with evaluation of management adaptations that could strengthen recreational, ranching, and ecological resilience under a changing climate.

Within these priorities, the consultant will evaluate project effects on visitor experience, revenue generation, ranching operations, and ecological value, and will identify cost-effective pathways to implementation.

The resulting adaptation plan is intended as an informed starting point for future decision-making, similar in character to a basin or watershed plan. It commits no partner to any specific action but establishes a shared understanding of costs, benefits, constraints, and viable pathways that can guide future funding pursuits and implementation decisions. Evaluating the full range of alternatives, including those that may not be universally favored, is a core feature of this process; documenting what is and is not feasible, and why, is what allows the most promising alternatives to advance with confidence.

Joint ventures and teaming arrangements are encouraged; proposals from teams should clearly identify the primary contractor and each team member’s role and qualifications. This work is part of the Developing Infrastructure to Reduce Temperature and Turbidity (DIRTT) initiative, a multi-objective program addressing water quality degradation in the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River.

To download the full Request for Proposals, click here.

An informational webinar will be held at 10:00 a.m. MDT on Wednesday, August 26. If you wish to attend the webinar, please contact Rob Van Kirk to obtain the webinar link and login information.