Collaborative project Restoring Portions of the Yankee Fork River

For more than a decade, Simplot has collaborated with several state and federal agencies, and other organizations such as Trout Unlimited, on a major ecological restoration of the Yankee Fork River in central Idaho. This work is funded by the Bonneville Power Administration.

The video update shows the 2023 status of the Yankee Fork project. It also highlights project benefits such as beaver and side channels and discusses natural mechanisms operating to continue improvement and recovery of the area. Dredging in the mid-1900s removed fines, eliminated the floodplain, and left the river trapped between the dredge tailings and the mountain, necessitating restoration of this area.

The goal of the multi-year Yankee Fork restoration project is to significantly improve spawning and rearing habitat in the river for threatened and endangered fish species, especially summer Chinook salmon and steelhead.