The Caldera Project is specifically designed to address the questions of what the status of the wild trout fishery is and why, what could be done to change that situation, and what the quality of the angling experience is in the Caldera. In addressing these questions we will also examine and summarize the body of existing research that has been conducted in the Caldera to date.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Movement of Rainbows

The migration of the young of the year rainbow trout has begun. Flows out of Island Park dam are currently at 354 cfs, and younger fish are moving upstream to the warmer waters of the Buffalo for refuge. Monday at the Buffalo river dam, which was equipped with a fish ladder in 2005 to allow fish to access the habitat needed to complete their life cycles, was well packed with around 200 young of the year rainbow trout. Allowing fish access to these waters allows us to address the number one limiting factor of trout populations on the Ranch, which is getting the young trout through the harsh, predominant winter season. Winter in Island Park begins in November and snow-melt ends around early June. If you are around the area, now is a fun, prime time to see alot of fish moving upstream as a direct result of providing access.

Friday, May 1, 2009

The Ranch 1987 versus 2005

See below for aerial photo images of the Henrys Fork in the Ranch section of Harriman State Park that are overlain to compare changes within the river channel between 1987 and 2005. The release of an estimated 50 to 100 tons of sediment from Island Park Reservoir occurred in 1992. Two areas of the Ranch are shown in the video; Big Bend and Millionaires Pool. In both areas, the 1987 aerial photos seem to depict lush macrophytes and multiple complex deeper water channels, whereas the 2005 photos appear to depict more simplified habitat and sediment deposition. Brad Higginson, hydrologist with Caribou-Targhee National Forest, did all of the aerial photo work and developed the video.



A full screen viewing of this video can be seen with RealPlayer. If you have RealPlayer on your computer, then click on the pop up box that appears in the upper right corner of the video when your cursor is placed there. If you don't have RealPlayer then you can download a free version: http://www.real.com/

Friday, April 24, 2009

Angler Attitude Survey Results

We have some preliminary results for the Angler Attitude Survey of the Henrys Fork in Harriman State Park that was conducted by the Henry’s Fork Foundation in 2008. These results were presented to the Henry’s Fork Watershed Council on March 16, 2009. This presentation was converted to the slide show and text boxes (white or green) were added to the slide show to provide “narration”.