$1 MILLION for Henry’s Fork DIRTT Plan

Can we improve hatches and the Ranch fishery? Meet the new DIRTT Plan.

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Photo credit: Charlie Lansche and Devan Ence

The Henry’s Fork Foundation is honored to receive a $1 million federal grant from the US Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART program to develop the revolutionary DIRTT Plan: Developing Infrastructure to Reduce Temperature and Turbidity.

Water temperatures and changing hatches are at the forefront of anglers’ minds, and for good reason. Average water temperatures are increasing and may be the culprit in changing hatches. Plus, nutrient levels in the river are looking like the next big issue on the horizon.

It’s time to look at massive-scale engineering solutions, as well as grounded, nature-based solutions. We want to reduce the amount of sediment sent into the river, and to reduce water temperatures flowing through Harriman Ranch.

DIRTT aims to improve water temperatures and turbidity to build resilience for the river and the fish and insects that call it home. This might include variable-elevation withdrawal gates at Island Park Dam, tributary restoration, sediment stabilization, and deep-water oxygenation (adding oxygen to the reservoir for trout).

HFF is uniquely positioned – with the expertise, experience, data, and community – to be a leader in answering the difficult questions being asked across the fly-fishing world.

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Recent Posts

Recent Posts

Photo of confluence of Warm River and Henry's Fork

Fisheries

Water Supply and Water Quality Predictions for Summer 2026

The photo above captures the unprecedented situation we face at the beginning of April. The photo, of the confluence of Warm River and the Henry’s Fork, was taken on February 7 and shows the shocking lack of snow we experienced in the watershed all winter as a result of record-breaking warm temperatures. How will the warm winter and lack of snow affect water supply, water quantity, and fisheries? The highlights are below. If you want

Rob Van Kirk April 10, 2026

Person holding a rainbow trout.

Research and Monitoring

Water Year 2025: Everything you wanted to know and a lot more!

Every year since 2017, the Henry’s Fork Foundation Science and Technology Team has produced an annual technical report that documents all of our data collection and analysis activities for the year. Water and irrigation year 2025 was a very active year for the team, given one of the hottest and driest summers on record, our 11th year of aquatic invertebrate sampling, and the 20th year of monitoring the rainbow trout spawning run in the Buffalo

Rob Van Kirk April 1, 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

Q&A: Are We Seeing Fewer Bugs?

Are aquatic insects actually declining? Not in the way many anglers might think. After 11 years of data collected across six sites on the Henry’s Fork, we’re seeing that overall invertebrate communities remain abundant, diverse, and comparable—or better—than other top western trout streams. In fact, key indicators show improving water quality and habitat conditions over time. So why do hatches sometimes feel worse—especially at Last Chance? The short answer: it’s not just about insect

Jamie Powell March 30, 2026

Water Supply

Monitoring the Upper Snake Snowpack: Updates from the Field

Hello! My name is Otto Lang, and I am a postdoctoral researcher with Boise State University and the Henry’s Fork Foundation. I’m working alongside Rob Van Kirk at the HFF, Lejo Flores, Professor in Geosciences at Boise State University, and Sarah Newcomb at Trout Unlimited. Together, we are in the midst of a two-year WaterSMART project funded by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to improve predictions of snow water supply across the Upper Snake River

Otto Lang March 27, 2026