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- - -- --~ ~~ Council goals: ^ To better understand and manage the watershed antl its resources ^ To promote cooperation across jurisdictional boundaries ^ To review antl prioritize proposed watershed projects ^ To identify and coordinate funding for research, planning, implement- ing and monitoring programs ^ To abide by all local, state and federal laws ^ To serve as an educational resource on the Henry's Fork Basin Henry's Fork Watershed Council, Idaho and Wyoming The Henry's Fork Basin encompasses more than 3,000 miles of rivers, streams and irrigation canals in eastern Idaho and western Wyoming, including the southwest corner of Yellowstone National Park. The basin, with a population of about 40,000, supports numerous fish and wildlife populations, including several threatened and endangered species. Mainstays of the local economy include irrigated agricul- ture, recreation and tourism, government and timber products. Within this area, the Henry's Fork Water- shed Council is agrass-roots, consensus- based forum composed of diverse interests seeking to advance the ecological health of the Henry's Fork Basin and the economic sustainability of its communities. Partici- pants include farmers, conservationists, agency and community representatives, elected officials and others who "reside, recreate, make a living and/or have legal responsibilities in" the 1.7 million acre Montane Henry's Lake • it No n , Idaho ' i nB N Y~t Island Park ti Island Park Reservoir ,Laatcha'nca 'N` ~ I I Y `a ~ 1~{° m A/; M U.1 R HII O.N .Ashton ~ G~ er P~ fiv yon NenN St. Anthony Tnon Rive r Rexburg Tetonia Driggs ' Victor N 10 miles 36 basin. Members of the Council are orga- nized into three component groups: ^ Citizen's Group: Members of the public with commodity, conservation and/or community development interests; ^ Technical Team: Scientists and techni- cians from government, academia and the private sector serving the Council as resource specialists; and ^ Agency Roundtable: Representatives of all local, state and federal entities with rights and responsibilities in the basin. The Council was founded in 1993 as an alternative to the conflict and polarization that had marked resource management debates in the basin for decades and had grown especially intense in the early 1990s. Formation of the organization was prompted by a critical need for more basin-wide agency coordination within the watershed following severe sediment discharges into the Henry's Fork River in 1992. The Council's founders drafted a charter and mission statement that the Idaho Legislature adopted in 1994. Meetings of the Council are co-facilitated by members of the Henry's Fork Founda- tion, aleading conservation organization in the basin, and the Fremont-Madison irrigation District, which represents 1,700 farmers who rely on water stored in the watershed's reservoirs, including some of the oldest irrigation interests in Idaho. The Council encourages these and other once- bitter adversaries to work together in a non-hostile setting to develop common goals and objectives for the Henry's Fork Basin. The Council creates a relatively safe and friendly forum for discussing poten- tially contentious issues, thereby expand- ing the ability of basin residents to discuss, evaluate and resolve issues and conflicts on their own.