Squaw Creek Cooperative Fisheries Restoration Project Project Coordinator: Westcentral Highlands RC

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Squaw Creek Cooperative Fisheries Restoration
ProjectProject CoordinatorWestcentral
Highlands RCDSupportDel Skeesick- Senior
ConsultantDoug Bradley- Boise N.FNate Fisher-
Gov. Office of Spp Cons.
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Payette River Basin
Horseshoe Bend
Squaw Creek Watershed
Boise
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Squaw Creek Watershed
Main Squaw
Squaw Butte
Second Fork
Ola
Little Squaw Creek
North
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Proposal Objectives

• Goal Provide a long-term, watershed-scale
  approach for improving the health and persistence
  of bull trout and rainbow trout within the Squaw
  Creek drainage
• Methods
• 1-Develop a cooperative relationship between
  private and public landowners to improve
  migration and habitat conditions for native
  fishes
• 2-Inventory aquatic habitat on privately owned
  lands
• 3-Integrate information from federal and private
  lands
• 4-Develop restoration plan and prioritize
  projects
• 5-Implement restoration projects
• 6-Monitor and evaluate effectiveness

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Conservation Plan

• 1995 FWS precluded listing of Bull Trout to
  review state efforts to protect the species
• 1996 Governor Phil Batts Bull Trout Conservation
  Plan established
• Mission Maintain and/or restore complex
  interacting groups of bull trout populations
• Intent provide a framework for local development
  of watershed-specific plans to maintain/restore
  bull trout and other native fish populations in
  ID
• Mechanism establish key watersheds and develop
  basin and watershed advisory groups to apply the
  plans, goals and objectives at a local level

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Key Watersheds identified within the
conservation plan

• State of Idaho
• 59 Key watershed IDFG/USFS
• Identified Squaw Creek as a key watershed
• Habitat loss
• Disruption of main-stem corridor

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Key Bull Trout Watersheds in the Payette River
basin
Gold Fork
UMF Payette
Squaw Creek
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WAG Problem Assessment

• Gold Fork and Squaw Creek Key Watershed Bull
  Trout Problem Assessment
• Within Squaw Creek
• Identified brook trout competition
• Fish passage
• Angler mortality
• Habitat degradation

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Other Supporting Documents

• Draft Subbasin Summary - NWPPC
• BA Ongoing Actions Federal Lands - BNF
• Draft Bull Trout Recovery Plan - FWS
• FG Management Plan 2001-2005
• Integrated Scientific Assessment - ICBMP
• Squaw Creek Beneficial Uses Assessment - DEQ
• Bull Trout BO - FWS
• TMDL Soldier Creek
• Comprehensive State Water Plan Payette River
• Boise NF Resource Management Plan

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Watershed Conditions

• Size and Land Ownership

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Squaw CreekWatershed
N
Sage Hen
High Valley
Ola
Soldier Creek
Sweet
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Watershed Conditions

• Size and Land Ownership
• Known Conditions

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Known Conditions
6ft.
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Squaw CreekWatershed
N
Sage Hen
High Valley
Ola
Soldier Creek
Sweet
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Watershed Conditions

• Size and Land Ownership
• Known Conditions
• Unknown Conditions

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Unknown Conditions What are the habitat
conditions on privately owned land?Is there an
adfluvial component to the bull trout
population?Where are the migratory
barriers?What is the influence of the sport
fishery?Where are brook trout competing with
bull trout?
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Watershed Conditions

• Size and Land Ownership
• Known Conditions
• Unknown Conditions
• Supporting Activities

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Supporting Activities

• Embrace a Stream Grant
• Trout in the classroom
• CRP (riparian lands) NRCS
• Env. Quality Incentive Program NRCS
• Forest Service Activities
• Watershed Analysis
• Fencing
• Culvert Replacement
• Kennedy-Cottonwood Stewardship Project
• Bull Trout Distribution Surveys

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Squaw CreekWatershed
N
Sage Hen
High Valley
Ola
Soldier Creek
Sweet
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Acknowledgements

• Governor's Office of Species Conservation
• IDFG
• WAG Members
• Squaw Creek Soil Conservation District
• NRCS