Welcome to Upper Salmon Basin Watershed Program

Our Mission

Protect and restore the region’s significant fish habitats through a partnership approach that respects agriculture and improves our way of life.

Merrill Beyeler wanted to improve habitat for the salmon that fought their way over epic hurdles to spawn in the Lemhi River. But Beyeler, a cattle rancher with generations of family history in the Salmon River Basin, needed help.

Betty and Dick Baker’s family have ranched 2,000 acres in the narrow East Fork Salmon Basin since 1880. When the Upper Salmon Basin Watershed Program began looking for ways to improve habitat for salmon, steelhead, and resident trout in the area, the Bakers were ready.

Peer into the cold, clear water of Iron Creek on the upper reach of the Salmon River and you may see the silvery flash of young chinook salmon and steelhead as they prepare for their journey to the sea. This is part of Clyde Phillips’ legacy.

As a native of central Idaho and water master for the Lemhi Basin for 20 years, Rick Sager has seen the Lemhi River through some of its best—and toughest—times.

Rancher Glenn Elzinga was torn between his interest in restoration and his need for economic survival. With assistance from the USBWP’s conservation partners, he found a way to a common-sense outcome.