Q: What does “relocation” mean?
A: Relocation means carefully moving wild trout from one part of our watershed to another under IDFG oversight. It is not hatchery stocking — these are wild fish from the same original lineage as the Henry’s Fork rainbows.
Q: What are the benefits of this approach?
A: The possibility for an immediate bump in angling opportunity, and high transport survival, based on past efforts (~98%).
Q: Why are you doing this?
A: To test whether relocation could be one more tool in our adaptive science toolbox. It’s a pilot experiment designed to learn, not a long-term policy.
Q: How will you measure success?
A: Monitoring survival rates, contribution to the population, and overall acceptance. Results will be transparent and guide future decisions.
View the joint press release from IDFG and HFF here.
Our Aquatic Ecology Program Manager, Dr. Jack McLaren, joined Idaho Falls city and FIPS-Mouche leadership at the opening ceremony parade along the Snake River Greenbelt to welcome competitors to the watershed and to make sure conservation was front and center.
Drone photo of Island Park Dam taken on September 9, 2026 Looking Back on September September brought lows and highs to Island Park. Island Park Reservoir started September at 29% full and quickly fell to a low of 12% full on September 19. The rapid drawdown of the reservoir was the result of managers needing to move water downstream to American Falls (to irrigate farms in the Magic Valley with senior water rights). Such low
This story was written by Audrey Hunter (2026 intern) and was originally published in the Fall 2026 Newsletter. It’s no secret that late summers on Island Park Reservoir haven’t been in perfect conditions in recent years. Warm, turbid, algae-filled water plague reservoir recreationists while diminishing water quality downstream. Cyclical algal blooms decrease water clarity and create less-than-ideal circumstances for the reservoir’s flora and fauna. What’s the solution? HFF’s DIRTT Plan. In-Reservoir Oxygenation Nutrients released from
Drone photo taken on September 9, 2026 The Henry’s Fork Drought Management Planning Committee met on Wednesday, September 16 2026 to develop an updated reservoir management strategy. Downstream of the Henry’s Fork watershed, lower-valley irrigation demand over the rest of the season is anticipated to be slightly lower than projected last week, so Island Park Reservoir and Grassy Lake (in the Fall River drainage) do not need to deliver any more water out of the
