Henry’s Fork watershed in eastern Idaho and western Wyoming has traditionally been irrigated farming country bordering the world class trout fishing river. As with many rural watersheds in the West, the Henry’s Fork is experiencing rapid replacement of agriculture with suburban, exurban, and resort development. This change in land use has resulted in alteration of water withdrawal, conveyance and use patterns that have altered ground-surface water interactions and increased the diversity of water users. Researchers and educators from Humboldt State University in California are conducting a National Integrated Water Quality Program (NIWQP) project funded for 2009-2011 by the USDA-NIFA (National Institute of Food and Agriculture) under Section 406 of the 1998 Agriculture Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act. The competitive grant program requires integrating research, extension, and education to better serve multifunctional agricultural activities. The Humboldt team, headed by Associate Professor Dr. Robert Van Kirk, is working closely with local stakeholders to develop water conservation strategies, promote effectiveness of those strategies, and train the next generation of water professionals. Henry's Fork watershed map. The objectives of the work in the watershed are: Develop quantitative models of ground/surface water use and flow pathways under historic, current, and anticipated future water/land use scenarios Identify socioeconomic and physical mechanisms that will encourage water conservation and efficient water management on developed lands Prepare and distribute to decision-makers, planners, and stakeholders educational materials describing the watershed’s hydrologic system and water conservation benefits and strategies Facilitate development by the Henry’s Fork Watershed council of a water conservation and management strategy to increase water availability for agriculture while enhancing ecological benefits in key stream reaches Provide experiential training to an interdisciplinary team of environmental science graduate and undergraduate students The past year, since the awarding of the grant, the main focus has been training students in the disciplines they will need to accomplish the goals and objectives of the grant proposal. The PIs of the grant have met with the local stakeholders for their input and inclusion in the outreach activities. The foremost local groups that are collaborating with Humboldt team members are Steve Trafton of Henry’s Fork Foundation, who is co-facilitating meetings of the Watershed Council and providing field area logistical support. Amy Verbeten of Friends of the Teton River is also arranging stakeholder meetings and organizing education/outreach forums. A long time partner of the Henry’s Fork stakeholders, Dale Swenson of the Fremont-Madison Irrigation District (FMID), is co-facilitating meetings and supporting the team’s efforts as well.

Pacific Northwest Regional Water Quality Coordination Project Partners Land Grant Universities Alaska Cooperative Extension Service Contact Fred Sorensen: 907-786-6311 http://www.uaf.edu/ces/water/ University Publications: http://www.alaska.edu/uaf/ces/publications/ Idaho University of Idaho Cooperative Extension System Contact Bob Mahler: 208-885-7025 http://www.uidaho.edu/wq/wqhome.html University Publications: http://info.ag.uidaho.edu/Catalog/catalog.html Oregon Oregon State University Extension Service Contact Mike Gamroth: 541-737-3316 http://extension.oregonstate.edu/ University Publications: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/ Washington Washington State University WSU Extension Contact Bob Simmons: 360-427-9670 ext. 690 http://wawater.wsu.edu/ University Publications: http://pubs.wsu.edu/ Northwest Indian College Contact Charlotte Clausing: 360-392-4319 cclausing@nwic.edu or http://www.nwic.edu/ Water Resource Research Institutes Water and Environmental Research Center (Alaska) http://www.uaf.edu/water/ Idaho Water Resources Research Institute http://www.boise.uidaho.edu/ Institute for Water and Watersheds (Oregon) http://water.oregonstate.edu/ State of Washington Water Research Center http://www.swwrc.wsu.edu/ Environmental Protection Agency EPA, Region 10 The Pacific Northwest http://www.epa.gov/r10earth/ Office of Research and Development, Corvallis Laboratory http://www.epa.gov/wed/ For more information contact Jan Seago at 206-553-0038 or seago.jan@epa.gov
	Dr. Van Kirk has been working on water management in the Henry’s Fork Watershed since 1994, when he became the first research director of the Henry’s Fork Foundation. His knowledge of the watershed and the interaction of the water users are derived from a long history working with the stakeholders and investigating the hydrologic interactions within the basin. The results of these investigations have formed the scientific basis for conservation and management efforts throughout the watershed, including the Henry’s Fork Drought Management Plan that was mandated by federal legislation authorizing transfer of title of some irrigation infrastructure in the watershed from the federal government to FMID. Project Faculty: Dr. Mark Baker, Dr. Yvonne Everett, and Dr. Rob Van Kirk. One of the major outputs of these research effors is a large database of calculated natural flows for every major stream in the watershed. Dr. Van Kirk has also collaborated with the University of Idaho’s Water Resources Research Institute and Idaho Department of Water Resources on research projects. The present project is divided into three major annual objectives: Hydrologic model development. The hydrologic model will begin with the natural flow data already compiled by Van Kirk. These data are in the form of estimated daily flow in every major headwater ground and surface water source in the watershed over a 30-year period. Identification of water conservation and management mechanisms. Based on information needs and challenges identified by stakeholders and decision-makers in phase one of the stakeholder involvement, the team will investigate potential physical, economic, regulatory, and social mechanisms that could be applied in the watershed to promote water conservation and efficient management on developed lands. Preparation and dissemination of educational materials. Driven by information gathered from stakeholders and decision-makers in phases one and two, the team will develop and disseminate educational and informational materials summarizing our research findings in formats appropriate to each stakeholder group as part of phase three. Some of this information will focus on steps individual landowners can take to conserve water and help ensure efficient management of existing irrigation systems. To learn more about the project and the project team, please visit http://www.humboldt.edu/~henrysfk. All photos courtesy of Dr. Rob Van Kirk, from the noted web site.
	National Water Quality Program Areas The four land grant universities in the Pacific Northwest have aligned our water resource extension and research efforts with eight themes of the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Animal Waste Management Drinking Water and Human Health Environmental Restoration Nutrient and Pesticide Management Pollution Assessment and Prevention Watershed Management Water Conservation and Agricultural Water Management Water Policy and Economics
	This material is based upon work supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U. S. Department of Agriculture, under Agreement No 2008-51130-4734.

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