Fall Fires
It has been a while since we last posted. We have been focused on analyzing our aerial photos from this summer and preparing for the last shoot on the Henrys Fork before the snows come. We should have around 6,000 aerial photos hosted on the web and available to the community in the next week.
Fall in Wyoming is about as good as it gets. Mornings are usually around 32 degrees. And the afternoon temps usually get up into the 70s. We have a couple of major fires burning in the valley – one is a prescribed fire to burn off the ground cover, regenerate plants and trees. The one pictured above is just West of the Jackson Lake Dam in Grand Teton National Park. It has been burning a week now and they have just begun to fight it with water tankers. We are expecting rain and snow mid-week so they should get the fires under control by then.
Our work on the Henrys Fork continues to improve. We did another BAP aerial shoot 10 days ago on the lower section of the Ranch. The macrophytes were so thick and the water so deep that I could not cross in my waders. Carson went back tot he bank – took off his waders and did the chest deep wade across so we could shoot the far bank. Pictured below is McCain doing the crossing just above Transect 5A. Yes there is a major hatch going on. Fish were feeding like mad in the river.
We have a meeting with the US Forest Service, Idaho Fish and Game and Henrys Fork Foundation this week to talk about restoration plans for the Ranch. While there is much you could do to “restore” a river like add logs, boulders, dredge channels, we are more focused on understanding the basic ecosystem dynamics and leaving the river alone. Not sure the trumpeter swans or eagles or trout care about how many fish anglers catch on the river. We don’t either. They are just fish…
But the Henrys Fork Watershed is a special place as you can tell from our commitment to work and contribute to its well being. There is a new film being released in November from our good friends Andy and Gene Quinn. Will send the link when it is done. Trailer is pretty awesome. See you on the river…
