Sensitive Native Aquatic Species - Utah CBCP
Sensitive Native Aquatic Species - Utah CBCP
Sensitive Native Aquatic Species - Utah CBCP
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<strong>Sensitive</strong> <strong>Native</strong> <strong>Aquatic</strong> <strong>Species</strong><br />
West Box Elder County<br />
Paul Thompson<br />
<strong>Utah</strong> Division of Wildlife Resources
UDWR Philosophy - <strong>Native</strong> <strong>Species</strong><br />
UDWR Mission<br />
• To serve the people of <strong>Utah</strong> as a trustee and guardian of the state’s wildlife<br />
UDWR Resource Goal<br />
• Expand wildlife populations and conserve sensitive species by protecting and improving<br />
wildlife habitat<br />
My Personal Goal (which is parallel to the UDWR goal)<br />
• Keep any species from being listed as federally threatened or endangered<br />
o If a species becomes federally listed, we are not doing our job<br />
o If a species becomes federally listed, the state loses management authority and private<br />
landowners can be negatively impacted
UDWR Philosophy - <strong>Native</strong> <strong>Species</strong><br />
Ways to Meet Our Common Goal<br />
• Work cooperatively together<br />
• Introduce/reintroduce species to establish new populations<br />
• Increase/enhance remaining populations<br />
o Survey to find more populations<br />
o Enhance habitat, remove/build fish barriers, remove competing species, reduce other<br />
threats<br />
In my 17 year career, the following species have been petitioned to be listed as federally<br />
threatened:<br />
• northern leopard frog – FOUND NOT WARRANTED<br />
• Colombia spotted frog – FOUND NOT WARRANTED<br />
• northern leatherside chub – FOUND NOT WARRANTED<br />
• Bonneville cutthroat trout – FOUND NOT WARRANTED<br />
• Yellowstone cutthroat trout – FOUND NOT WARRANTED<br />
• Colorado River cutthroat trout – FOUND NOT WARRANTED<br />
• Least chub – found warranted, but precluded (candidate) – final decision in 2014<br />
• Boreal toad – currently petitioned and the USFWS is completing a 12 month finding
Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout<br />
UDWR State <strong>Sensitive</strong> <strong>Species</strong><br />
• Petitioned to be listed as a threatened species under ESA in 1998<br />
• USFWS found YCT not warranted for listing in 2006<br />
Still occur in every major drainage in the Raft River and in Goose Creek (not tributaries)<br />
I receive a half dozen phone calls per year from anglers wanting to catch a native YCT in <strong>Utah</strong><br />
• Many from out of state
Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout<br />
Major Conservation Actions in West Box Elder County<br />
• Have genetically tested 5 of 6 populations<br />
• pure YCT remain in all or a portion of the 5 drainages<br />
• Completed Environmental Assessment in August 2012<br />
• Proposing chemical renovation of George Creek<br />
• Need to install fish migration barrier prior<br />
• Proposing chemical renovation of Johnson Creek<br />
• Need to install fish migration barrier prior<br />
• Completed 6 electrofishing passes to remove brook trout<br />
in three miles of the Left Hand Fork of Johnson Creek<br />
• Installed temporary fish migration barrier
Lahontan Cutthroat Trout<br />
UDWR State <strong>Sensitive</strong> <strong>Species</strong><br />
• Listed as endangered in 1970<br />
• Downlisted to threatened in 1975<br />
<strong>Utah</strong> is not within this species historical range – but we have the purest remaining population in<br />
the Pilot Mountains
Lahontan Cutthroat Trout<br />
Major Conservation Actions in West Box Elder County<br />
• Worked with private landowner to build three hatchery ponds<br />
• LCT moved from stream(s) to seed ponds<br />
• Assist USFWS every spring to spawn LCT for the recovery program in Nevada<br />
• Obtained a variance from the Fish Health Board as well as USFWS approval to move LCT<br />
back into a stream that was lost in a 2006 fire (will occur next Monday)
June Sucker<br />
UDWR State <strong>Sensitive</strong> <strong>Species</strong><br />
• Listed as endangered in 1986<br />
Box Elder County is not within this species historical range<br />
A self sustaining population was established in a private irrigation reservoir near Etna in 1987<br />
• Population was lost due to a fire in 2007 and subsequent flood in 2008<br />
Three grow-out ponds were build west of Park Valley in 2005 – 21,000 June sucker were<br />
collected and moved to <strong>Utah</strong> Lake in September 2012
Least Chub<br />
UDWR State <strong>Sensitive</strong> <strong>Species</strong><br />
• Petitioned to be listed as a threatened species under ESA in 2007<br />
• USFWS found least chub warranted, but precluded in 2010<br />
• Final decision on listing is scheduled for 2014<br />
No historical records exist for least chub in west Box Elder County<br />
Major Conservation Actions<br />
• The least chub conservation strategy calls for the replication of each of the 6 remaining wild<br />
populations<br />
• Nine least chub populations have been established in West Box Elder County<br />
• 2 on state lands<br />
• 3 on private lands (will be enrolled in CCAA prior to 2014)<br />
• 4 on BLM lands
Northern Leatherside Chub<br />
UDWR State <strong>Sensitive</strong> <strong>Species</strong><br />
• Petitioned to be listed as a threatened species under ESA in 2008<br />
• USFWS found northern leatherside chub not warranted in 2011<br />
Historical distribution is in the Snake River and Bear River drainages<br />
• No historical records in the Raft River Drainage<br />
• A small population exists in a tributary to Goose Creek<br />
• Access to survey Goose Creek was denied in the early/mid 2000s, have not attempted<br />
to gain access since<br />
• Still need to survey Goose Creek to determine NLSC distribution and population size
Bluehead Sucker<br />
UDWR State <strong>Sensitive</strong> <strong>Species</strong><br />
Populations recently discovered in the Raft River and Goose Creek (including tributaries)<br />
• Recent genetic work indicates that populations in the Snake, Bear, and Weber River<br />
drainages are a distinct species from the populations in the Colorado and Green rivers<br />
• Little information is known about populations outside of the Colorado/Green rivers<br />
• Could lead to future petition to list – makes surveys in Goose Creek more important<br />
• One major obstacle for this species is habitat fragmentation
Bluehead Sucker<br />
Major Conservation Actions in West Box Elder County<br />
• Recent discovery of a strong population in the Raft River<br />
• Recent discovery of a population in Goose Creek – population size unknown<br />
• UDWR/TU want to initiate an inventory of irrigation diversions that may be barriers to<br />
movement in the Raft River Drainage<br />
• Similar inventories have been completed in Rich County (Otter Creek – BCT) and<br />
Summit County (Yellow Creek – NLSC)<br />
• Following inventory, funding has been secured to make diversions passable with a<br />
side benefit of decreased maintenance/increased efficiency for landowners<br />
• No out-of-pocket costs to landowners unless they want something in addition to the<br />
passage project
Boreal Toad<br />
UDWR State <strong>Sensitive</strong> <strong>Species</strong><br />
• Petitioned to be listed as a threatened species under ESA in 2011<br />
• USFWS is currently completing a 12 month finding<br />
Many populations exist in West Box Elder County<br />
• Grouse Creek Range – likely the strongest population in <strong>Utah</strong><br />
• Lynn Valley<br />
• headwaters of Grouse Creek<br />
• Goose Creek Mountains<br />
• Raft River Mountains
Boreal Toad<br />
Major Conservation Actions in West Box Elder County<br />
• Thorough knowledge of distribution in <strong>Utah</strong> - surveys<br />
• Recent Habitat improvements<br />
• dredged 7 breeding ponds to enhance breeding habitat (BLM and private land)<br />
• 4 spring improvements (BLM and private land)<br />
• increased spring output<br />
• helped stabilize breeding ponds<br />
• Creation of 3 new breeding ponds (private land)<br />
• Built exclosure on 1 breeding pond (BLM land)<br />
• Introduction of 2 new populations (BLM land)<br />
• PIT-tagged approx. 2,000 BT<br />
• Documented extensive movements of up to 5 miles<br />
across sagebrush/juniper landscape<br />
• Documented life span of 13+ years for some toads
Northern Leopard Frog<br />
UDWR State <strong>Sensitive</strong> <strong>Species</strong><br />
• Petitioned to be listed as a threatened species under ESA in 2006<br />
• USFWS found northern leopard frog not warranted in 2009<br />
One population known to exist in West Box Elder County<br />
• Raft River
Bi-valves – California Floater and Western Pearlshell<br />
UDWR State <strong>Sensitive</strong> <strong>Species</strong><br />
California Floater<br />
• Few populations are know to occur in <strong>Utah</strong><br />
• Populations exist in the Raft River and Goose Creek including some tributaries<br />
Western Pearlshell<br />
• Three populations are known to occur in <strong>Utah</strong><br />
• A population exists in the Raft River
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