Henry's Fork Foundation Agriculture and Irrigation Internship

We anticipate being able to offer an in-person internship in Ashton, Idaho. During the 2020 and 2021 seasons we learned how to safely conduct our business within the environment of COVID-19, and we plan to apply that learning to continue to conduct our 2022 field-season work safely.

With issues like drought, a changing climate bringing more variable weather, and less reliable water resources year-after-year, HFF is pushing the envelope with innovative solutions to match the pace and scale of the challenges we face. In 2018, the Henry’s Fork Foundation partnered with Friends of the Teton River, Trout Unlimited, and the Nature Conservancy to form the Upper Snake River Collaborative Farms and Fish Program, a first of its kind in Idaho. The program aims to bring benefits to both agriculture and fisheries through incentives to keep working farms working, protect rural landscapes, reduce delivery rates or the timeliness of water withdrawals, and keep water in Island Park Reservoir, the largest storage reservoir in the watershed.

The program works with local farmers and irrigators, on the ground, to change crop rotations and irrigation methods to reduce consumptive water use. The program employs a variety of tools, including voluntary irrigator-to-irrigator water leases and/or forbearance agreements, on-the-farm changes in crop production to match irrigation season with natural flows, soil health enhancement, and alternative crop markets. Finding common ground in an effort to conserve water can bring benefits to water resources and the health of the river at a more significant scale than ever before.

Past intern projects have identified that 1) cool groundwater flows into the lower Henry’s Fork, potentially providing thermal refuge for trout, that 2) groundwater input to the river system has declined, and that 3) these groundwater input declines may be linked to changes in water-efficient irrigation practices.

The primary focus of the Agricultural and Irrigation Intern will be gathering quantitative and qualitative data to further tell the story of flood-to-sprinkler irrigation conversion in the Henry’s Fork watershed. The intern will collect quantitative data from online reports and databases from federal agencies like the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, and US Geological Survey. Using existing HFF relationships, the intern will conduct interviews with canal companies and individual irrigators to collect qualitative data on when, how, why, and where they converted either company-wide or on-farm infrastructure. If time allows, the intern may also research 1) the history of irrigation equipment sales and 2) the impacts of sprinkler mechanization on the area’s agricultural economy through the reduction of labor and the increase of crop production. The intern will use the programming language R for quantitative analysis and data visualization of all data collected; training provided. This internship is an opportunity to interact with irrigation entities, gain familiarity with federal reports and databases, and learn about the connections between irrigated agriculture, groundwater, and surface-water to inform managed aquifer recharge strategies.

Christina Morrisett, christina@henrysfork.org

Christina is a first-generation college student, originally from rural Alaska. Christina first came to HFF as an undergraduate intern in the summer of 2015 and spent the subsequent year as a research assistant in HFF’s Science and Technology program. After earning an M.S. in Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington, she returned to the Henry’s Fork in 2018 as a Doctoral Research Associate at HFF and Ph.D. student in Watershed Sciences at Utah State University. She studies hydrology, water management, and climate adaptation, with geographic emphasis on the lower Henry’s Fork. Christina’s research is user-driven, interdisciplinary, and collaborative.

Daniel Wilcox, daniel@henrysfork.org

Daniel joined the Foundation as the Farms and Fish Program Manager for the Upper Snake River Collaborative in 2020. He was born on a farm and ranch just southwest of Rexburg ID, near the confluence of the Henry’s Fork and the South Fork of the Snake River. He obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Agricultural Systems Technology from Utah State University in 2014. He then worked as a sales representative at the local John Deere dealership for 5 years with a focus in precision agriculture. He brings an established professional network of farmers, ranchers, and landowners forward to the collaborative. He is a firm believer in sustainable agriculture and seeing family farms passed down to the next generation.

The 3,200-square mile Henry’s Fork watershed lies at the headwaters of the Snake River in eastern Idaho and western Wyoming. The Continental Divide, Yellowstone Plateau, and Teton Range form the watershed’s northern and eastern boundaries. Elevations range from 4,300 feet above sea level at the bottom of the watershed to over 10,000 feet along the Teton crest. Irrigated farms of potatoes, grains, and hay dominate land use in the lower half of the watershed. At higher elevations, National Forest and other public lands provide outstanding outdoor recreation, including hiking, climbing, camping, fishing, hunting, cycling, and snow sports. The watershed is very rural, with a total population of around 70,000 people. Agriculture and tourism are the largest economic sectors; HFF’s work seeks to maintain a balance between water use for agriculture and streamflow to support world-class fishing and related ecological resources.

All interns from out of the Henry’s Fork area will live in a co-ed dorm space at HFF’s campus in Ashton, a farming community of 1,000 people. The campus is housed in Ashton’s old community hospital, which was completely refurbished in 2017 to house HFF’s offices, laboratory, interpretive center, and intern/graduate student housing. The dorm space consists of two bunk rooms, two large bathroom/shower facilities, a large open kitchen, laundry facilities, and a living room. Bunk rooms and bathrooms will be gender-separated, but all other living space is shared. Housing, including linens and all kitchen implements, is provided by HFF, but interns are responsible for their own meals. If any intern would like to live in separate housing, it is their responsibility to find and pay for separate housing arrangements before the internship begins. They will also be responsible for driving to and from HFF in their own vehicle without fuel reimbursement.

 

Other than businesses oriented primarily toward tourism and agriculture (auto parts and repair, hardware, etc.), services in Ashton are limited to a small health clinic and pharmacy, one grocery store, a dollar store, and five small eating establishments (Mexican, three traditional American diners/drive-ins, and a pizza/sandwich shop). The grocery store is well stocked for a small town but does not carry much in the way of organic and natural foods and is difficult to access from HFF’s campus because of a busy highway crossing with no stoplight or pedestrian facilities. The nearest large supermarkets, Walmart, drug stores, and other business are located in Rexburg, about 25 miles southwest of Ashton. There are a few restaurants with broader menu options located in the tourist area of Island Park, 20-30 miles north of Ashton. The closest natural-food stores and restaurants, “finer” dining establishments, and “night life” (e.g., weekly outdoor concerts) are located in Teton Valley, 40-50 miles southeast of Ashton. The closest regional airport is located in Idaho Falls 53 miles southwest of Ashton. The closest international airport is located in Salt Lake City (SLC) 220 miles south of Ashton. The Salt Lake Express shuttle runs from the airport Salt Lake City International Airport to Rexburg several times a day, but should be booked in advance.

 

The west entrance to Yellowstone National Park is a one-hour drive from Ashton, and Jackson, Wyoming is about a 90-minute drive. The best climbing and hiking opportunities are 45-60 minutes from Ashton, although outstanding fly fishing can be found 5 minutes away from the campus. An out-of-state fishing license costs $108. Some of HFF’s boats and rafts are available for intern recreational use after hours and on weekends, when not being used for HFF’s field work. HFF provides company vehicles for work but does not provide vehicles for interns to use on their personal time. Although not required, a personal vehicle is strongly recommended to allow full enjoyment of the area’s recreational opportunities. Interns without vehicles must rely on those with vehicles for transportation to and from shopping and activities.

HFF is committed to supporting a diverse and inclusive workplace and to promoting careers in the environmental and natural-resource sciences among groups underrepresented in these professions.* Thus, we will make every effort to adjust assignments to accommodate strong applicants who may initially be uncomfortable with the work requirements described below. However, these adjustments are much easier to make during the recruiting process rather than after interns arrive for the summer, which is why we request that applicants contact us with questions before applying.

*To see HFF’s full policy on nondiscrimination diversity and inclusion please click here.

Interns are expected to work 40 hours per week, on average. Work weeks start with mandatory staff meeting at 9:00 a.m. on Monday. The other mandatory weekly event for interns is seminar, held from 4:00-5:00 p.m. on Tuesday afternoons. For additional information on HFF’s Summer Seminar Series and what they entail, please visit https://www.henrysfork.org/internship-program and click on the link under the Summer Seminar Series section. For the first 2 weeks of the internship, expect to work more than 40 hours, including some evenings and weekends. These weeks will be filled with orientation and training events—including CPR and first aid for those not currently certified—and with Henry’s Fork Days, a week of HFF’s most important outreach and fundraising events. During that week, June 13th – 18th, all interns will be expected to assist the fundraising and event team with no fewer than three events, including a donor reception, HFF’s annual fisherman’s breakfast and membership meeting, and a fundraising dinner and auction on Saturday the 18th attended by 600 of HFF’s most dedicated supporters. Work days during these first few weeks of the internship can begin as early as 6:30 a.m. and end as late as 10:30 p.m. Interns will be given extra time off around July 4 to compensate for the additional work time. Other than June 18th, weekend work will be rare, but it may be necessary to staff the interpretive center and accommodate availability of volunteers and shared equipment, vehicles, or lab space. During the first few weeks, all interns will also participate in educational short courses focused on hydrology and water rights, data analysis and statistics, and communications.

 

After the business of the first few weeks (and it is equally busy for staff), interns will settle into a weekly routine of field, laboratory, and office work, with individual schedules dependent on the particular internship position. All internships will require field work, which can vary between 25% and 50% of the intern’s work hours. Field work occasionally begins as early as 7:00 a.m. All field work will require driving to/from field sites, usually 20-80 miles one way. Some field work will be done in teams with the intern’s mentor and possibly other interns, staff or volunteers, while other tasks will require the intern to work alone in remote, rural settings. If you think you will not be comfortable working alone, please request more information about the particular internship(s) of interest to you before you apply.

 

Depending on the internship position, field work could include using a jetboat to collect data on Island Park reservoir, measuring various ecological and physical parameters in the river, assessing conditions of river access points, or maintaining fences to keep livestock away from streambanks. Field and laboratory work will include use of expensive high-technology equipment as well as boats, rafts, and other standard outdoor equipment and clothing. Field work will be done in all types of weather, aside from lightning and severe thunderstorms. In June, temperatures can be below freezing, and snow is possible at high elevations. During the rest of the summer, temperatures range from 40 degrees to 90 degrees, sometimes spanning that range in a single day. Expect wind, low humidity, and bright sun, all of which add to the physical stress of working at high elevations, especially for those not accustomed to the climate and altitude of the arid western U.S. At the same time, afternoon thunderstorms are possible on any given day, usually producing some combination of strong winds, heavy rain, hail, dangerous lightning, and sudden temperature drops of up to 40 degrees. Orientation and training will cover procedures for conduct under these conditions. If you have questions about field work and physical requirements of a particular internship, please request more information before you apply.

As a Henry’s Fork Foundation intern you must assist with fundraising and member events, education, outreach and other projects as needed, including water quality monitoring, field work in hydrology and stream ecology, maintaining fish passage facilities, installing/maintaining livestock fences, and staffing HFF’s interpretive center. Occasional evening and weekend work will be required on these tasks. Interns will contribute to the HFF intern blog where they will provide a weekly update on their work to our membership. Early in the internship, interns will select a topic for his/her seminar presentation, within the scope of the independent project of their internship. The intern will prepare to present on this topic in a seminar session structured like a professional conference, with a 15-minute presentation followed by a 5-minute period for questions. This seminar session will be scheduled during the last two weeks of the internship period.