Cutthroat Stalker » Conservation

Save the Paiute Cutthroat (Again)

Cutthroat Stalker (Scott) — Mon, 03 May 2010 02:54:40 +0000

We went through this (last year or year before), and it looked like we had things wrapped up until a last second (literally) call stopped the project. If you are in the least bit interested in native fish, this is an important species to help. The few remaining fish in their native range in the entire world are in just several miles of creek in the High Sierras of eastern California.

Read more about Apache Cutthroat on Gary Marston’s blog.

Being the lazy guy I am, I’m just going to copy an email I received from Gary concerning your role:

——————–

There is an open public comment period to the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed restoration of Paiute cutthroat into Silver King Creek below Llewellyn Falls till May 10th 2010. I strongly recommend that everyone write in support of this as this will be the LAST chance to get our voices heard before the final decision comes down!

For more information

http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/2010-7952.htm

To see the EIS

http://www.fws.gov/nevada/protected_species/fish/species/pct.html

You can address your comments to:

Robert D. Williams, State Supervisor

Nevada Fish and Wildlife Office, 1340 Financial Boulevard
Suite 234, Reno, NV 89502

telephone: 775-861-6300
fax: 775-861-6301.

Gary Marston
http://www.nativetroutflyfishing.com

Ted Williams’ – Wildlife Fauxtography

Cutthroat Stalker (Scott) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 20:40:29 +0000

Ted Williams exposes the seamier side of “wildlife” photography, citing examples of different game farms catering to photographers looking for a “nature” shot. He cites Animals of Montana, Inc. as one such farm. Check out his article. It’s unfortunate that glory seekers do this, both photographers and hunters/fishers. How many “amazing” fish shots have actually come from a pay-n-catch river? I can say that I have not faked any of my pictures on this site (who needs to fake a 12″ cutthroat).

Conservation News – Native Cutthroat

Cutthroat Stalker (Scott) — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 15:03:17 +0000

A couple of native trout conservation topics to keep tabs on. One is the continuing problem of rainbow trout in the South Fork Snake River. It appears the numbers of rainbow and cuttbow are on the rise again. Sam Snyder, of Headwaters blog, has a great piece on it (including some info about the “prizes” for catching certain rainbows).

Yellowstone NP is making another concerted effort to stem the tide of non-native fish within the park, called “The Native Fish Conservation Plan.” There are several sources to find out more. The Island Park News has a quick overview of what the park is doing. The park has a home page to find out more. They are currently taking public comments, and you can go to this page to add your voice. You can see the detailed letter sent from Walter Wiese, Head Guide at Parks’ Fly Shop in Gardiner, MT to get some ideas (if you need them).

IFWF 2010 Trip Auction Open for Bidding

Cutthroat Stalker (Scott) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 14:05:04 +0000

42 great experiences are still open for bidding (most bids start at a very reasonable price). If you aren’t familiar with the Idaho Fish and Wildlife Foundation, you should get to know them! They do some great work to help preserve and protect fishing and hunting opportunities throughout Idaho through conservation education and by backing projects that support their mission. This year’s auction offered 43 excellent opportunities to get outdoors and experience Idaho. Many of the trips include hanging out with biologists as they work. The first item to be sold outright was a wolf pup count for two people in the Sawtooth National Forest for $900. As much as I would have loved to win that bid, it’s a little out of my price range. Most of the trips are under $100 for starting bids, and quite a few below $50. I won’t tell you which one Cutthroat Stalker bid on (but if you know me at all, you can probably guess). Get over to the Bidding for Good website (that’s who is handling the auction), check out the cool trips (jet boat patrol on South Fork Snake River, Hells Canyon white sturgeon research, guided fly fishing on Silver Creek, elk calf capture, back country lake fish planting by horseback, several spawning surveys, etc., etc.), and bid on something for a great cause. 8 Days left.

California’s DFG’s Hatchery Stocking Report

Cutthroat Stalker (Scott) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 01:33:10 +0000

For those of you concerned about the impact of hatchery released fish into native fish habitat in California, the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) released their Environmental Impact Report (EIR) / Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on January 11. It’s a weighty tome consisting of over 25 PDF files. The reason for the EIR/EIS is because of a lawsuit filed by the Pacific Rivers Council and the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) in which they said that the CDFG’s stocking program failed to meet the standards of California’s Environmental Quality Act. The CBD released a statement January 18 responding to the EIR/EIS in which they said, “Although the report disclosed many severe impacts of the program, it failed to analyze the full impacts of stocking or adopt adequate measures to reduce the program’s harm.”

Franklin Basin Allotment

Cutthroat Stalker (Scott) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 18:00:06 +0000

The federal government owns more than 57% of the state of Utah. The USDA, through the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) of 1976 (previously through the Taylor Grazing Act of 1934), manages the amount of grazing that is allowed on that land, called allotments. The purpose of the FLPMA is:

To establish public land policy; to establish guidelines for its administration; to provide for the manage ment, protection, development, and enhancement of the public lands; and for other purposes.(*)

The allotment “applies to livestock operations on the public lands or on lands within National Forests in the eleven contiguous Western States and which:

(1) prescribes the manner in, and extent to, which livestock operations will be conducted in order to meet the multiple-use, sustained-yield, economic and other needs and objectives as deter- mined for the lands by the Secretary concerned; and

(2) describes the type, location, ownership, and general specifications for the range improvements to be installed and maintained on the lands to meet the livestock grazing and other objectives of land management; and

(3) contains such other provisions relating to livestock grazing and other objectives found by the Secretary concerned to be consistent with the provisions of this Act and other applicable law. (*)

Allotments are granted setting the number of cattle/sheep for a given area. These allotments last ten years, but can be renewed. There are certain rules and guidelines for using these allotments.

One of my favorite homewaters is located in Franklin Basin, the headwaters of the Logan River, one of the last strongholds of the Bonneville cutthroat trout. This allotment has been getting overrun with cattle, which is wreaking havoc on the riparian areas. (See the data pictures [PDF] of two weeks into the grazing season and at the end of the grazing season). The National Forest Service Ranger District’s District Rangers are in charge of establishing viability of the land for grazing.

The environmental assessment for the most recent renewal of the Franklin Basin allotment found it to be only 20% capable of supporting grazing, but the District Ranger went ahead and granted the same amount of grazing as in past years. The Western Watersheds Project (and some others) filed an appeal [PDF], which was ignored. On December 9, 2009, the USDA, through the Forest Supervisor, Brian Ferebee, sided with WWP:

After considering your issues and the project documentation, the ARO recommends the District
Ranger decision be reversed. A copy of the recommendation is enclosed.

After careful consideration of the above factors, I agree with the ARO that the decision needs to
more clearly define how the 500 acres of unsatisfactory rangeland will move toward a
satisfactory condition.

I reverse the District Ranger’s decision to implement the Franklin Basin Allotment Project.
My decisioQ constitutes the final administrativedetermination ohhe Departm-ertlofAgricultore
[36 CPR 215.18(c)].(see the full letter here [PDF])

I’m hoping one of my favorite places to fish gets a little relief this year. Thank you WWP! (The Utah Director for te WWP, John Carter, only lives a few block from. But I’ve never met him. I need to go over and give him a handshake.)

See the WWP’s brief on this victory.

* Taken from The Federal Land Policy and Management Act http://www.blm.gov/flpma/FLPMA.pdf

Colorado River Cutthroat Trout – Suit Aims for Protection

Cutthroat Stalker (Scott) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:18:16 +0000

Yesterday, the Center for Biological Diversity filed suit against the USFWS to seek protection for the Colorado River cutthroat under the Endangered Species Act. They claim that the USFWS dened the protection in 2007, it was based “on a flawed Bush-era policy that allowed the agency to look only at current range when considering whether the trout is endangered.” The CBD would like a more expansive interpretation used, reflecting the historical range of the fish. (See a pdf file containing the full suit here.) “The Center for Biological Diversity has been actively working to overturn Bush-era decisions limiting protection for endangered species, including suing to overturn decisions affecting 54 species. To date, this campaign has been highly successful, with the Obama administration agreeing to reconsider 45 of the 54 decisions.”

South Fork of the Snake & Teton Rivers – Scenic or Recreational Waters?

Cutthroat Stalker (Scott) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 14:08:57 +0000

Things to keep an eye on. Anyone familiar with the Teton Valley or Swan Valley in Idaho knows about the rivers flowing through them: The Teton River runs through the former and the South Fork of the Snake River through the latter. The BLM is considering if parts of these two rivers should be designated as scenic rivers or recreational rivers. Here’s a nice article (from the Rexburg Standard Journal) about the efforts on these two rivers. This website has information about wild, scenic and recreational designations of waters.

Local Cutthroat Rehabilitation Project

Cutthroat Stalker (Scott) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 01:17:04 +0000

A local (just over the mountain) creek, Swan Creek, is being rehabilitated and restocked with Bonneville cutthroat. There are multiple ongoing projects to help Bear Lake’s feeder creeks. DWR will rotenone the creek this fall and then restock with Bonnies. For those concerned about “killing fish,” there is a pretty decent comparison in the article: “Just as rogue weeds that choke out native plants are eradicated
to preserve natural ecosystems, the alien hybrids in Swan Creek will be
wiped out to make way for natives.”

Fishing Imperiled in the Rocky Mountains

Cutthroat Stalker (Scott) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 22:14:05 +0000

Public lands are being leased for oil and gas extraction, just like they always have. However, over the next 20 years, “an estimated 126,000 new wells are planned.” Last week the Sportsmen for Responsible Energy Development (SFRED) published a report, “Hunting and Fishing Imperiled,” in which they name ten large parcels of public land that are under siege. The World Fishing Network has a nice overview of the report. You can get SFRED’s executive summary (4 page PDF file) or the full report (31 page PDF file).