2023
Photos courtesy of Russell Japuntich, Bureau of Land Management.
Congratulations to the Bureau of Land Management – Gunnison (Colorado) Field Office for their successful application to WNTI for a 2023 small grant for interpretative signage for Colorado River Cutthroat Trout restoration in the Road Beaver Creek drainage. This WNTI small grant award will support design and construction on of interpretive signage overlooking Road Beaver Creek to increase public awareness of the interagency restoration projects benefitting local native cutthroat trout populations and to educate BLM public land users about the natural life history of Colorado River Cutthroat Trout along Road Beaver Creek.
The Road Beaver Creek drainage is known for its Colorado River Cutthroat Trout fishing, hunting and other recreational uses. Road Beaver Creek parallels along BLM road 3052 and feeds into the Cebolla Creek Valley nearby the town of Powderhorn, Colorado. Historically, Road Beaver Creek was inhabited by native green lineage Colorado River Cutthroat Trout until the invasion of non-native brook trout from Cebolla Creek or past stocking events outcompeted and eradicated the local cutthroat trout populations. Working alongside local landowners and with Trout Unlimited, the Bureau of Land Management designed and built a drainage diversion (2019) incorporating a fish barrier on the Deldorita Ranches private property preventing any further brook trout invasions into Road Beaver Creek. This was followed up by conducting a cutthroat reclamation project (2020) with Colorado Parks & Wildlife, removing brook trout and reintroducing historically native green lineage Colorado River Cutthroat Trout. The BLM is planning further restoration projects by the end of 2023, including replacing undersized drainage culverts along BLM road 3052 with appropriately sized bottomless culverts designed for fish passage as well as establishing Beaver Dam Analogs (BDA) to promote overwintering habitat for the native cutthroat trout.
The Western Native Trout Initiative’s Small Grants program is funded through public and corporate donations and Western Native Trout Challenge registrations.
WNTI would like to thank all applicants who applied for the 2023 small grants program funding. We appreciate your efforts to conserve western native trout!
WNTI gratefully thanks our partners at Running Rivers (Rocky Mountain Flyathlon), RepYourWater, California Fly Fishers Unlimited, Wilderness Lite Float Tubes, registration fees from our Western Native Trout Challenge participants, and all our individual donors for supporting our Small Grants Program.
2022
The Western Native Trout Initiative (WNTI) awarded $23,550 out of its small grant program for six projects in ten western states and one Canadian province, which will be matched by $29,360 in other public and private funding. The community-based projects were selected because of their emphasis on citizen science and outreach to help address challenges facing the restoration and recovery of our focal western native trout species.
WNTI gratefully thanks our partners at Running Rivers (Rocky Mountain Flyathlon), RepYourWater, Arizona Fly Shop, Upslope Brewing, Wilderness Lite Float Tubes, registration fees from our Western Native Trout Challenge participants, and all our individual donors for supporting our 2022 Small Grants Program.
Colorado/Utah/Wyoming
Get to Know Your Native Trout Colorado River Cutthroat Trout poster
Applicant: Colorado Trout Unlimited.
The Get to Know Your Native Trout series of posters have proven to be a popular vehicle for public education and engagement around native trout conservation in the western states. This project creates a poster for Colorado River Cutthroat Trout (CRCT), a species with native range in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. Under this proposal, Colorado Trout Unlimited will collaborate with the fish management agencies for the three states in which CRCT are found to develop appropriate content, design the poster, and print 2000 copies for distribution across the three states. In addition, recognizing the significant Spanish-speaking population within the CRCT’s historic range and the value of making this information accessible across language barriers, we will translate and produce a Spanish-language version of the poster with 500 copies available for distribution. Both sets of posters will be disseminated through state fishery agencies, federal agency partners, WNTI, and other nonprofit collaborators that are recruited to participate.
Idaho
Rainey Creek Restoration Kiosk
Applicant: Henry’s Fork Foundation.
The Henry’s Fork Foundation (HFF)-South Fork Initiative (SFI) and partners have been restoring lower Rainey Creek (tributary to the South Fork Snake), an important tributary for Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout and other cold-water aquatic species since 2018. Rainey Creek is one of four major tributaries to the South Fork Snake River, but is currently the least productive due to historic land practices resulting in an over-widened channel, slow water velocity, shallow depth, sparse riparian vegetation and very little habitat complexity. HFF-SFI have been working with state, federal, conservation partners, and landowners since 2018 to restore heavily degraded stream reaches in the lower 5 miles of Rainey Creek. The Rainey Creek-Phase 1 restoration site is located in downtown Swan Valley, Idaho, near the general store. Due the location of the project site and the walkway along the creek, there is a high concentration of pedestrians. HFF-SFI will construct an educational kiosk to provide information regarding the life history stages of Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout, the need for high quality stream habitat, and before and after photos of the Rainey Creek restoration projects. This educational kiosk will showcase the stream restoration projects on Rainey Creek and how the community is committed to protecting, restoring and preserving our natural systems and Idaho’s native Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout. READ the final report.
Native Trout Education
Applicant: Orofino High School.
Orofino Junior Senior High School is located in a remote town with a population of 3,109 people and a student body population of approximately 300 students. During the 2021-2022 school year, Orofino Junior Senior High School started a natural resource class that encompasses fisheries, wildlife, and forestry. In the past the course offerings strictly revolved around wildlife and forestry. In a town that supports a federal fish hatchery (Dworshak National Fish Hatchery), a state hatchery (Idaho Fish and Game Clearwater Hatchery), and several tributaries significant to both salmon, steelhead, and native trout migration, the development of this course was instrumental to educating young minds of a significant natural resource right in our community. Project goals include developing a curriculum that allows students to experience first-hand the habitat parameters that promote healthy native trout species. Grant funding will be used to implement a stream habitat assessment comparing stream health in a public use area compared to an area located in a low public use area. The benefits of this project include: educating students on the components needed to sustain and conserve our native trout species, promoting future employment in a natural resource career, and developing a greater appreciation for native trout species.
Native Fishes of Idaho
Applicant: Idaho Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, Native Fish Committee.
The Native Fish Committee (Committee) of the Idaho Chapter of the American Fisheries Society (ICAFS) proposes to complete, print, and distribute a large, colorful and durable poster titled “Native Fishes of Idaho.” The poster would be a successor and update to a successful similar poster produced by the ICAFS in 1994, but would include images created by Joseph Tomelleri of all of the native fish species of Idaho, including several WNTI species. The poster would group the fishes by taxonomic family, and would include a brief description of the family or their ecology. The minimum goal is to produce enough of the posters to distribute at least one copy, free of charge, to each elementary school in Idaho. The Committee and ICAFS believe that this detailed and visually striking poster provide an introduction to Idaho’s native fish fauna, and this awareness should provide a starting point for Idaho youth to learn the value of native fish diversity and conservation. VIEW THE POSTER READ the final report
Montana
Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout and River Etiquette Sign Project
Applicant: Joe Brooks Chapter of Trout Unlimited.
Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout (YCT) are the iconic fish of the upper Yellowstone River, but their presence is often overlooked in favor of brown or rainbow trout. The Joe Brooks Chapter of Trout Unlimited hopes to increase awareness and appreciation of YCT through creating signs utilizing WNTI’s existing YCT posters placed at river access points and boat launches. This project will be a collaboration between TU National; the Joe Brooks TU local chapter in Livingston, MT; and the Upper Yellowstone Watershed Group. The YCT signs will be installed in conjunction with a sign designed by the watershed group to educate the public about proper use of the river including boat ramp etiquette, how to respect private property, indigenous peoples and history, and leave no trace principles.
Multi state (Alaska, British Columbia, California, Oregon, Nevada, Washington)
Coastal Cutthroat Trout Outreach and Communication Poster Project
Applicant: Alaska Trout Unlimited.
Coastal Cutthroat Trout (CCT) are an important subspecies of North American trout that occur in coastal watersheds from Northern California to South Central Alaska. They are important ecologically and are a popular sport fish. The goal of this project is to elevate public awareness of the habitat needs, life history, and threats and opportunities to better manage and conserve CCT across their range. This project creates and distributes a CCT poster that is part of the “Get to Know your Native Trout” series. A secondary goal is to establish partnerships and relationships among NGO’s and agencies that have a shared interest in CCT including (but not limited to) the Western Native Trout Initiative, Trout Unlimited, the CCT Interagency Commission, the USFS Tongass and Chugach National Forests, the Southeast Alaska Fish Habitat Partnership (SEAKFHP), the Coastal Cutthroat Trout Coalition, and the Copper River Watershed Project. The requested funding will support shipping and distribution of 2,000 posters. VIEW THE POSTER
2019
The Western Native Trout Initiative (WNTI) awarded $19,750 out of its small grant program for five projects in six states, which will be matched by $115,800 in other public and private funding. More than $135,550 in conservation efforts benefiting western native trout will occur as a result. The community-based projects were selected because of their emphasis on citizen science and outreach to help address challenges facing the restoration and recovery of western native trout.
WNTI gratefully thanks our partners at Rocky Mountain Flyathlon, RepYourWater, Basin+Bend, California Fly Fishers Unlimited, Sierra Pacific Fly Fishers, and all our individual donors for supporting our 2019 Small Grants Program.
Alaska
Going To Extremes Exploring the Northern Extent of Alaskan Trout Species
Applicant: Copper River Watershed Project
This project will implement up to five field trips for 75 local students in the region to learn more about native trout species ecology and biology, in particular Coastal Cutthroat Trout on the Copper River Delta and rainbow trout in the upper Copper Basin (additional species include Dolly Varden, Arctic Grayling, and other salmonids). Read the final report.
California
West Hills College Coalinga Citizen & Undergraduate Science Project
Applicant: West Hills College Coalinga
This project educates 141 students and citizens on Coastal Cutthroat Trout through guided undergraduate level research and delivery of findings at a conference. This project is supported by a comprehensive network of collaborators including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the National Park Service, and the Community College Undergraduate Research Initiative. Read the final report.
Colorado
The Greenback Cutthroat Trout Exhibit
Applicant: Friends of El Paso County Nature Centers
Bear Creek Nature Center will add a new interpretive panel to the existing Greenback Cutthroat Trout exhibit that will address recent public questions to help better educate the public about this threatened species. Read the final report.
Montana/Wyoming
Yellowstone Fly Fishing Volunteer Program
Applicant: Yellowstone Forever Foundation
The objective of the Yellowstone Fly Fishing Volunteers Program is to engage volunteer anglers in collecting biologist data on Yellowstone’s Arctic Grayling, Westslope Cutthroat Trout and Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout fish populations to support the research and management efforts of the Yellowstone fisheries staff. Project was canceled due to COVID restrictions in Yellowstone National Park in summer 2020 and 2021.
New Mexico
Willow Creek Habitat Monitoring
Applicant: Gila/Rio Grande Chapter of Trout Unlimited and James Brooks
Grant funds support volunteer and undergraduate student training and sampling efforts that support two previous WNTI funded projects on Willow Creek in the Gila National Forest, to benefit Gila Trout after the 2012 Whitewater-Baldy wildfire. Read the final report.
2018
The Western Native Trout Initiative (WNTI) has awarded $23,205 out of its small grant program for 9 projects, which will be matched by $514,364 in other public and private funding for a total projects’ value of $537,569 in conservation efforts benefiting western native trout.
WNTI gratefully thanks our partners at Rocky Mountain Flyathlon, RepYourWater, Basin+Bend, and all our individual donors for supporting our 2018 Small Grants Program.
California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon & Washington
Bring Back the Natives – Redband Trout Poster Campaign
Grant Applicant: Idaho Trout Unlimited
Grant summary: This project is a coordinated education and outreach effort focusing on raising awareness for the native Interior Redband Trout in California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington states. Read the final report. Click here to see the poster!
Colorado
Get to Know Your Native – Greenback Cutthroat Trout Poster & Printing
Grant Applicant: Colorado Trout Unlimited
Grant summary: Project funds support design and printing of a poster and high-profile restoration project brochure focusing on raising awareness of the native Greenback Cutthroat Trout in Colorado. Read the final report. Click here to see the poster!
Confluence Barrier-Disturbed Area and Riparian Rehabilitation
Grant Applicant: Five Rivers Trout Unlimited
Grant summary: Project objectives are to recover ground disturbed during the construction of the “Confluence” barrier on mainstem Hermosa Creek, the final barrier supporting 23+ miles of contiguous Colorado River Cutthroat Trout habitat. Site recovery will include planting of willows and native grasses.
Colorado Native Trout Outreach/Know Your Native Campaign
Grant Applicant: Colorado Trout Unlimited
Grant summary: The project seeks to strengthen new and existing partnerships, facilitate community dialogue and understanding of native trout recovery, and create and disseminate communications materials about native trout recovery and watershed health along Colorado’s northern Front Range. Read the final report.
Oregon
Match the Hatch
Grant Applicant: North Fork John Day Watershed Council
Grant summary: The applicant will work with partners to deliver an outreach and education program using classroom sessions, field site visits, fly tying and casting classes to teach the cultural, ecological, and economic importance of five native fish species to area youth. Read the final report.
Rapid Riparian Re-vegetation Beaver Dam Analogues
Grant Applicant: South Fork John Day Watershed Council
Grant summary: Grant funds will support purchase and installation of four temperature loggers to assess the effectiveness of Rapid Riparian Revegetation and installation of beaver dam analogues in restoring stream conditions to a 4 mile project site. Read the final report.
Utah
Sheep Creek Lake Fish Trap Construction
Grant Applicant: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
Grant summary: Grant funds support signage and public education for a fish trap critical to maintaining a wild brood stock of Colorado River Cutthroat trout essential for conservation and propagation in Utah. Read the final report. The finished kiosk. Enlargement of the sign about the fish trap. Enlargement of the sign about Colorado River Cutthroat Trout.
Washington
A Test for Trout
Grant Applicant: Okanogan Land Trust
Grant summary: Using eDNA (environmental DNA) sampling techniques, the applicant will determine presence or absence of Westslope Cutthroat Trout, Interior Redband Trout, and Bull Trout on four creeks in Washington, and work with interested landowners to conserve fish habitat. Read the final report.
Wyoming
Popo Agie Gold
Grant Applicant: ATLAS at Lander Arts and Sciences
Grant summary: The project raises awareness of water use through 4-12th grades and adult watershed education and exploration, and service learning opportunities stocking fish, planting willows and stabilizing riverbanks. Read the final report. City Park mural. Mural #2. Mural #3. Contact project applicant directly if you would like to receive a watershed handbook illustrated by Lander’s children.
2017
The Western Native Trout Initiative (WNTI) awarded $18,800 to 8 project proposals this year, matched by $98,014 in other public and private funding, for a total projects’ value of $116,814. WNTI gratefully thanks our partners at Rocky Mountain Flyathlon, Orvis, and all our individual donors for supporting our 2017 Small Grants Program!
Arizona and New Mexico
Get To Know Your Native – Gila Trout
Grant Applicant: Arizona Council, Trout Unlimited.
Grant Summary: This project is a coordinated education and outreach effort focusing on raising awareness for the native Gila Trout in Arizona and New Mexico. TU and their partners will develop a poster that educates the public about Gila Trout biology, evolutionary history, habitat needs, threats, current status, and support needed to eventually move Gila Trout from its current Threatened status. This will be the third poster in the “Get to Know Your Native” series. WNTI funds for this project will be spent on the printing of the posters to be distributed by the fish and wildlife agencies and partners at their discretion. The goal is to outreach to diverse organizations and communities – especially classrooms and youth groups. Read the final report.. Click here to see the poster!
California
TROUT at WHCCD (Transforming Research Opportunities for Undergraduate Training at West Hills Community College District)
Grant Applicant: West Hills Community College District (WHCCD).
Grant Summary: West Hills Community College District, a primarily Hispanic serving institution, services 3,464 square miles of California’s agriculturally rich but economically troubled Central Valley. The region encompasses extremes of geographic, economic, and cultural diversity. WHCC served an average of 4,700 students each year between 2009 and 2016. Recognizing a need for environmental change in the area, in 2015 WHCC applied for and received a Technical Assistance Grant from the National Park Service, Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program. Work with the National Park Service focuses on the establishment of an environmental education program and undergraduate research program focused on the biology and habitat of the Lahontan Cutthroat Trout, which is supported by this small grant. Read the final report.
Colorado
Habitat Monitoring and Stream Assessment Program
Grant Applicant: Colorado Trout Unlimited.
Grant Summary: As efforts to protect and restore native trout in Colorado continue to make progress in watersheds throughout the state, it is critical that stream habitats suitable for fish reintroduction are continuously identified and monitored. This project will coordinate efforts among Colorado Trout Unlimited chapters with input from state and federal agency partners to monitor water temperature profiles in existing Greenback and Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout habitat, use stream temperature analysis to identify new habitats that could support Greenback and Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout within their native ranges, and promote community engagement in native trout restoration through citizen science and public outreach. Read the final report.
Middle Fork Carnero Creek Culvert Replacement
Grant Applicant: US Forest Service – Rio Grande National Forest.
Grant Summary: The objective of this project is the replacement of a 15-inch culvert that crosses Middle Fork Carnero Creek. The current culvert does not act as a fish passage barrier at most flows, but is undersized and represents a liability for future flood flows. In addition, the current configuration of the undersized channel has resulted in un-natural sediment transport and fish habitat within the vicinity of an important Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout population. The objective of this project is the replacement of the culvert with an open arch design which will provide for more preferred stream simulation while providing for road safety while re-opening 7.2 miles of habitat for Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout. Project partners will also include an educational / outreach component to the project by educating visitors to the Carnero Guard Station about the Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout and the culvert replacement projects in the drainage. Ongoing monitoring of the project site will be completed by project partners.
Butler Creek Riparian Restoration
Grant Applicant: Middle Colorado Watershed Council.
Grant Summary: Butler Creek is a headwater stream that contains a population of Colorado River Cutthroat Trout that is close to local extirpation attributed to habitat degradation – specifically sedimentation. In conjunction with U.S. Forest Service grazing management changes, this project will restore native vegetation along the riparian corridor by re-establishing native riparian vegetation, specifically willows. The recovery of this stream by planting willows will stabilize banks previously eroded by grazing and down-cutting associated with lack of vegetation. Colorado River Cutthroat Trout are the only fish species documented in Butler Creek and, due to physical barriers, not susceptible to competition from non-native species. However, improvement of sedimentation in this creek will positively affect native fish populations of Bluehead sucker, and federally endangered Colorado Pikeminnow and Razorback Sucker downstream. Project partners will monitor/evaluate the success of the project through electrofishing and water quality sampling before and after restoration activities have taken place and for five years annually. Read the final report. Read a news article about the project.
Idaho
Bates Access Signs and Stewardship
Grant Applicant: Friends of the Teton River.
Grant Summary: Project partners will print interpretive signage and construct 2 interpretive kiosks at a new Teton River access point bridge near Driggs, Idaho. Signage will focus on how the public can help to maintain the river resource, fishing rules/regulations, public access rules/regulations, and conservation and stewardship of water resources, including identification, ecology, and current efforts to conserve Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout. Partnering agencies and organizations will provide oversight and assist with signage installation at the site, which will be uninstalled and stored through the winter months, to save them from weathering. The kiosks and signage will provide outreach to an estimated 10,000+ individuals each year. Read the final report.
New Mexico
Gila Trout Restoration Project Informational Sign: Willow Creek New Mexico
Grant Applicant: Gila/Rio Grande Chapter of Trout Unlimited.
Grant Summary: Willow Creek, a tributary to the Middle Fork of the Gila River and native habitat to Gila Trout, has its headwaters located on several of the main peaks of the Mogollon Mountains and was seriously impacted by the Whitewater-Baldy Complex Fire (2012). Most of the upper watershed of Willow Creek was burnt at high severity resulting in a near wholesale loss of vegetation. The large area and severity of the burned area, in combination with steep slopes in this watershed, resulted in increased peak flows and magnified erosion that caused dramatic channel incision. Gila Trout were stocked in Willow Creek and protection afforded by installation of a WNTI-supported fish barrier completed in 2016, and ongoing monitoring has not detected non-native trout. Successful spawning of Gila trout was documented in 2016 and 2017. This project will create an informational sign, printed on an aluminum panel using a 4-color process. The location of installation in Willow Creek provides a dramatic backdrop illustrating the specific threats to stream habitats resulting from wildfire and the resulting aftermath of ash flows and erosion due to flooding, and highlighting the efforts to re-establish a population of Gila Trout with recent construction of a WNTI-supported fish barrier in 2016 and ongoing conservation and stream habitat restoration work. The sign will be a focal point for visitors with an estimated annual exposure of 5,000 visitor days. Read the final report. Click here to see artwork for the Willow Creek Sign.
Utah
Jacobs Creek Upper Culvert Fish Passage
Grant Applicant: Trout Unlimited.
Grant Summary: The main project objective is to improve accessibility of spawning habitat and fish migrations for Bonneville Cutthroat Trout through a culvert on Jacobs Creek, a tributary to the Weber River. This proposal specifically addresses the upper culvert of two road crossings occurring in tandem on Jacobs Creek. Sampling and research efforts since 2011 have clearly shown that, among the 8 small tributaries that enter this reach of the Weber River, Jacobs Creek is consistently the most-utilized tributary for this fluvial population of Bonneville Cutthroat Trout. Despite the high use of spawning fluvial fish in Jacobs Creek, two culverts, in tandem (within 400 feet of each other), have blocked most fish from accessing spawning grounds. In the fall of 2013, the lower culvert was replaced and made fish passable. Since that time migrating fish have been able to make it to the upper culvert unimpeded. Project proponents will modify the downstream approach to the culvert to allow better access for adult spawning Bonneville cutthroat trout by constructing 7-9 step pools, each with 15 inch drops, downstream of the culvert using imported boulders. This project is a continuation of work on the Weber River featured in the Blueheads and Bonnevilles film produced in 2016 by the Western Native Trout Initiative and Desert Fish Habitat Partnership and is partially funded by funds crowdraised specifically for additional conservation projects on the Weber River.
2016
The Western Native Trout Initiative (WNTI) awarded $31,965 to 12 project proposals this year, matched by $468,575 in other public and private funding, for a total projects’ value of $500,540.
WNTI gratefully thanks our partners at Bass Pro Shops, Orvis, Sierra Pacific Fly Fishers, Blue Valley Ranch, and all our individual donors for supporting our 2016 Small Grants Program!
Arizona
Arizona’s Apache Trout – Get to Know Your Native
Grant Applicant: Arizona Council, Trout Unlimited.
Grant Summary: This project is a coordinated education and outreach effort focusing on raising awareness for the native Apache Trout in Arizona. TU and their partners will develop a brochure/poster that educates the public about Apache Trout biology, evolutionary history, habitat needs, threats, current status, and support needed to eventually move Apache Trout from its current Threatened status. WNTI funds for this project will be spent on materials to produce brochures and posters to be distributed by the agencies and partners at their discretion. The goal is to outreach to diverse organizations and communities – especially classrooms and youth groups.
Click here to see the Apache Trout Get To Know Your Native poster.
California
Lahontan Cutthroat Trout recovery interpretive panel
Grant Applicant: Southwest Council of the International Federation of Fly Fishers.
Grant Summary: Silver Creek, a tributary to the West Walker River in Mono County, California, is a Lahontan Cutthroat Trout (LCT) Recovery water that was illegally stocked with brook trout several years ago. The International Federation of Fly Fishers and its local clubs, along with CalTrout and Trout Unlimited, mobilized volunteers and funds to support California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife during three successful years of electrofishing to provide a refuge for the LCT, with this coming season being Year Four. This grant is to fund an interpretive panel design/construction to inform and educate the public about the negative impacts of illegal stocking on native ecosystems, and urge fishermen to participate in the Heritage Trout Program, a program designed by California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife to restore opportunities for anglers to catch California’s native trout. The interpretive panel will describe 1) the recreational value of the LCT; 2) the uniqueness of the LCT and its habitat needs; 3) the multi-entity effort to sustain the LCT in its native range and the work done to remove the illegally planted non-native invasive Brook Trout in Silver Creek. Click here to see a pdf of the panel/poster.
Colorado
Restoration of Colorado’s State Fish, the Greenback Cutthroat Trout
Grant Applicant: Colorado Trout Unlimited.
Grant Summary: This project will support the increased survival of Greenback Cutthroat Trout raised in state and federal hatcheries, and provide outreach about the efforts to restore the Greenback Cutthroat Trout to the South Platte River Basin. Project proponents will 1) purchase small rearing tanks for the development of Greenback Cutthroat Trout fry at Mt. Shavano Hatchery in Salida, Colorado; 2) create signage about Greenback Cutthroat Trout and restoration efforts along the Colorado Front Range for placement at Mt. Shavano Hatchery, Leadville National Fish Hatchery, Zimmerman Lake, Herman Gulch and Rock Creek; and 3) create an information technology infrastructure to collect, store, analyze, re-use data, photographs and videos, and coordinate volunteer efforts in support of Greenback restoration. Read the final report.
Trout on Tejon
Grant Applicant: Cheyenne Mountain Chapter of Trout Unlimited.
Grant Summary: This project is one component of a multi-pronged outreach effort to the Colorado Springs, Colorado community about Greenback Cutthroat Trout and specifically the population of 600 Greenbacks that reside in Bear Creek, just outside of Colorado Springs. For this component of the outreach effort, a series of 12 metal Greenback Cutthroat Trout sculptures will be installed on Tejon Street (a main street in downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado) “hidden” in or around local businesses. A story about the Greenbacks and a set of clues will be included in the tourist bureau’s Visitor’s Guide/map of the city to allow adventurous tourists, locals, and children to discover these hiding places and learn more about the Greenback Cutthroat Trout. Read the final report. Read the Trout on Tejon game clues.
Bear Creek Watershed/Jones Park Restoration: Directional and Interpretive Signage
Grant Applicant: El Paso County, Colorado.
Grant Summary: Located west of Colorado Springs on the east side of Pikes Peak, the Bear Creek Watershed is home to what is believed to be the last known population of the genetically pure, federally threatened Greenback cutthroat trout, which Colorado designated as the state fish in 1994. Within the Bear Creek Watershed and completely surrounded by U.S. Forest Service land, El Paso County owns and manages 1,191 acres of property known as Jones Park, home to a very popular trail system. El Paso County Parks and a strong contingent of partners are working to maintain the integrity of the Jones Park and Bear Creek Watershed ecosystem. An objective of establishing stream functionality is to significantly increase pool habitat and cover for the trout, thereby providing substantially higher density and biomass than currently exists. The work will also include trail management such as closing and rehabilitating adjacent trails and/or rerouting the trails away from the stream. WNTI funds will be used to design, purchase and install 20 directional signs and 2 interpretive panels incorporating educational information designed to show the relationship of the Greenback Cutthroat Trout and its aquatic habitat to the surrounding ecosystems and recreational opportunities. Read the final report.
Montana
Sucker Creek Westslope Cutthroat Trout Passage Project
Grant Applicant: Big Blackfoot Chapter of Trout Unlimited.
Grant Summary: Sucker Creek is a third-order tributary to Keep Cool Creek in the upper Blackfoot River watershed north of Lincoln, Montana. The stream supports Westslope Cutthroat Trout which have been identified as a pure strain. This project has been identified as a priority under the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program and will address the existing stream crossing on U.S. Forest Service land that is undersized, impedes fish passage during high flow periods, and creates impairments to the channel. The existing culvert will be replaced with a pipe-arch that will allow uninhibited aquatic organism passage and replicate the stream bed up and downstream of the crossing. This project will restore access to 1.5 miles of habitat and is part of a larger effort in the Blackfoot Watershed to work collaboratively across the watershed with a diverse group of stakeholders. Tours will be led to the project site and will include local schools and members of the community to talk about the importance of native trout and limitations to their recovery. Local students will also help collect willow cuttings for the revegetation phase of the project. Read the final report.
Dry Cottonwood Cross-boundary Trout Conservation
Grant Applicant: Clark Fork Coalition.
Grant Summary: This project will address fish passage and habitat quality issues on private and public lands within the 23-square mile Dry Cottonwood drainage of the Upper Clark Fork River. Secured funding for this project will remove one of the major known fish barrier culverts in the drainage, to enhance a conservation population of Westslope Cutthroat Trout by reconnecting 3.2 miles of fish habitat to the mainstem of the creek. The WNTI Small Grant funds will be used to expand habitat assessment and monitoring of the Westslope Cutthroat Trout population in this drainage by the Clark Fork Coalition and University of Montana Ecosystem Science and Restoration Program. Read the final report.
Temperature and Sediment Reduction to Improve Stream Health and Fish Habitat
Grant Applicant: Bitter Root Water Forum.
Grant Summary: This project’s goal is to effectively enhance and restore Westslope Cutthroat Trout and Bull Trout habitat along more than one mile of over-grazed land on the East Fork of the Bitterroot River. Specifically, this project will recreate a healthy riparian area and natural stream channel more conducive to trout health by: fencing out one mile of stream to prevent grazing, planting 600+ cottonwoods and native shrubs along the waterway, and narrowing the channel to a more natural width after years of widening (and therefore increased thermal loading). Six or more volunteer days on the project site will give community members firsthand experience and knowledge of the situation and their ability to make a positive impact for the fishery. The Forum will also outreach to area residents through newsletters, presentations to local clubs, press releases, Facebook posts, and e-newsletters. Read the final report.
Nevada
Exploration Lahontan Cutthroat Trout (LCT) Camp
Grant Applicant: Terry Lee Wells Nevada Discovery Museum.
Grant Summary: The Terry Lee Wells Nevada Discovery Museum is the only science center in Northern Nevada. The Museum recently created a pilot curriculum “Exploration LCT” Camp to engage students in learning about Nevada’s Great Basin watershed and local “Monster Fish,” the Lahontan Cutthroat Trout (LCT), living within its rivers and lakes. The core objective of this grant is to further develop, replicate and successfully deliver two additional weeks of the 5day “Exploration LCT” Camp in fall 2016 and/or spring 2017. “Exploration LCT” is designed to take 3rd through 7th graders deeper into the conservation and other issues surrounding the LCT, its habitat, and the larger watershed. The program engages 1822 “Exploration LCT” Camp participants during each 5day camp, covering information on LCT biology, stream habitat, native versus nonnative fish, and scientific tools for researching cold water species like the LCT. “Exploration LCT” explores the LCT and Northern Nevada’s watershed by physically traveling to locations including Lake Tahoe, down the Truckee River, and finishing at Pyramid Lake. This experience provides campers with a visual and spatial representation of the watershed’s directional flow and habitats in which the LCT lives. Read the final report. Click here to read the brochure about the Exploration LCT Camp program.
Oregon
Bum Creek Instream Restoration
Grant Applicant: Smith River Watershed Council.
Grant summary: This is the final phase of a multi-year collaborative effort to rehabilitate aquatic habitat conditions and aquatic populations in Bum Creek, Oregon. The objectives of this project are to improve instream conditions for the spawning and rearing of salmonids. Located 35 miles Northwest of Roseburg, Oregon, Bum Creek provides important summer and winter habitat for Coastal Cutthroat Trout, winter Steelhead, Chinook salmon, Oregon Coast Coho Salmon, an array of amphibians, pacific and brook lamprey. Willow cuttings, western red cedar, hemlock, grand fir and Douglas fir will be planted by project partners, school groups, and volunteers. Read the final report.
Sprague River Restoration 2016
Grant Applicant: Klamath Lake Land Trust.
Grant summary: This project is taking place on a 316-acre parcel of land that encompasses a mile of the Sprague River, located in south-central Oregon. It is part of a larger, three-phase project designed to recover fish spawning grounds and off-channel rearing habitat, improve water quality, and reduce thermal stress for native bull and redband trout. The project will add high-quality, complex habitat to an agricultural area that is otherwise marginal habitat. This section of the Sprague River is home to Upper Klamath Basin Redband Trout and is a migration route for Bull Trout and 10 other species found on the Oregon Conservation Strategy (OCS) list. Measurable objectives of this project include the planting of 2,000 native riparian plants, with a survival rate of > 50%.
Washington
Redband Trout Thermal Habitat Assessment
Grant Applicant: Spokane Riverkeeper/Center for Justice.
Grant Summary: The Spokane Riverkeeper will conduct a temperature study that will provide a reach by reach assessment of thermal regimes in order to prioritize the restoration of stream habitat that supports Columbia Basin interior Redband Trout. Thirty-five temperature loggers will be deployed in the main stem of Hangman Creek and several tributaries in order to assess temperature regimes in various reaches and tributaries in the Washington portion of the Hangman Creek Basin. Continuous water temperature data will be collected from six creeks and used to build an assessment of thermal conditions of existing habitats in the main stem of Hangman Creek and identified tributaries. A report will compare temperature data to Washington State standards for interior Redband Trout and identify the best and worst thermal reaches in terms of redband trout habitat, and data shared with the Spokane Tribe and the Spokane Falls Chapter of Trout Unlimited to generate thermal cover/riparian restoration priorities that can guide the long-term recovery of Redband Trout habitats in the watershed. Additionally, a short video will be produced to outreach to the public as to the status of native trout in the basin and recovery efforts. Read the final report.
2015
Kenai Watershed Forum (Alaska) – Stream Watch Volunteers: Making a Difference for Trout on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula
- Educate 4,000 members of the general public on river protection, fishing regulations, and fish habitat needs
- Conserve and protect 3 miles of trout habitat through riparian plant protection fence installation and maintenance
- Remove 600 pounds of riverside debris including fishing tackle to protect trout and other wildlife
- Install 50 linear feet of erosion control to improve water quality and trout habitat
Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust (Washington) – Forest and Fins Education Program for underserved youth
Grant Summary: The proposed activities will serve to educate 200 underserved youth in grades 4 – 12 and 50 parents/teachers about trout species native to the Puget Sound region of Washington State, their biology, habitats, habitat restoration techniques, threats they face and challenges for long-term survival. Each student will receive approximately 8 hours of inquiry-based education including 2-3 hours dedicated to hands-on habitat restoration totaling approximately 1,600 hours of high-quality conservation education.
Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (Washington) – Nooksack River Stewards program expansion
Grant Summary: Through the Nooksack River Stewards Program, NSEA will educate residents and visitors to the North Fork of Nooksack River in stewardship ethics that support native fish populations. NSEA will recruit, train, and supervise 4-5 volunteer community member representatives – River Stewards – to engage visitors and locals throughout the summer recreation months about local bull trout and coastal cutthroat species and what they can do to support fish populations. Volunteer River Stewards will engage with 1,500 community members and recreational users of all ages including rafters, campers, fishers, and naturalists at over 40 presentations and events. NSEA will target audiences for presentations and tours include commercial rafting groups, campers at National Forest and County campgrounds, school and summer camp groups, and the general public to raise awareness about the presence of these fish and to share stewardship practices. River Stewards will also lead interpretive river walks and staff an informational booth at the Forest Service’s Glacier Public Service Center in Glacier, WA, the local hub for visitors to the area.
Trout Unlimited Western Water and Habitat Program (Colorado and New Mexico) – Get to Know Your Native
Grant Summary: This is a coordinated education and outreach effort focusing on raising awareness for the native Rio Grande cutthroat trout (RGCT) by promoting responsible angling for RGCT in both Colorado and New Mexico. TU and their partners have developed a sign/poster that educates the public about RGCT biology, evolutionary history, habitat needs, threats and current status, and how to fish for them responsibly. WNTI funds for this project will be spent on materials to produce 6 vinyl on metal trailhead signs and approximately 1,000 posters. Posters will be distributed by the agencies and partners at their discretion. The goal is to reach diverse groups and communities and simply spread the word.
2013
Cook Inletkeeper, Pilot project to establish long-term stream temperature sites Kenai Peninsula
Grant Summary: The goals of this project are to make stream temperature data more accessible to fisheries managers and Alaskans, more cost-effective, and of high enough quality to be used for future climate change analysis.
Results: With support from the Kenai Peninsula Chapter of Trout Unlimited (KPTU) and WNTI, we have accomplished the following:
- Installed a real-time, year-round stream temperature site on the Anchor River on September 7, 2013.
- Performed maintenance checks and firmware upgrades.
- Secured a second year of online data accessibility with an Iridium satellite contract via BeadedStream.
- Presented Anchor River real-time data at a KPTU membership meeting in November 2013. Chapter members expressed interest in continuing to work together to establish more sites.
- Worked with BeadedStream staff to create a website portal for the Anchor River data:
- Worked with BeadedStream staff to develop widgets to allow us to stream real-time data on the Cook Inletkeeper website. You can see a time series graph, summary of current data and a link to export the data here:
- Contacted local area fisheries managers, fishing guides, and enthusiasts to share the online access to real-time data.
- Shared the online link via our facebook page and in our 2014 summer quarterly newsletter which goes out to more than 500 households in Southcentral Alaska.
Southcentral Alaska Chapter Trout Unlimited, Chester Creek, AK, streambank stabilization and restoration
Grant Summary: The project will restore native char habitat by stabilizing and re-vegetating the stream banks within the project area. This will reduce sedimentation by decreasing erosion, thereby improving water quality. The project will also improve instream habitat by adding natural features to the stream, which will reduce stream velocity and create habitat. The project is being conducted by the Southcentral Alaska Trout Unlimited Chapter, Anchorage Waterways Council, and Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game. Click here to read the final report.
Rattlesnake Creek Watershed Group, Rattlesnake Creek, MT, streambank and riparian restoration
Grant Summary: The project will stabilize an eroding streambank, organize volunteers to collect and plant riparian shrubs, plant four large trees, and support monitoring and maintenance efforts. By stabilizing the eroding streambank and planting native riparian trees and shrubs, it is anticipated that this project will significantly reduce point source sedimentation and improve water quality along a stream that serves as highly important aquatic habitat for bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout. Click here to read the final report.
Rio Grande Cutthroat trout angler survey and educational materials
Grant Summary: The goal of this project is to raise awareness among anglers who either visit or live in the Rio Grande Basin about the recreational and biological value of native Rio Grande cutthroat trout. The survey was conducted during the 2014 angling season in the Rio Grande river valley in Colorado. Copies of the informational brochure have been distributed in Rio Grande County, CO. A presentation about this project was presented at the January 2015 Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout conservation team meeting in Alamosa, CO.
Arizona Trout Unlimited 2014 Native Trout Management conference
Grant Summary: Grant funds were used to provide financial and in-kind resources to conduct a daylong conference with a full agenda of presentations on native trout recovery and conservation, and workgroup session to address the natural resource issues that could impact native trout. The conference was held April 24-25, 2014. The conference had 104 attendees representing over 30 different conservation organizations, state, and federal agencies. The conference keynote speaker, Chris Wood, Trout Unlimited CEO, gave an enthusiastic message of wild and native trout restoration and protection work. The conference also included two conservation awards to honor an organization and an individual “for their dedication to the conservation, protection and restoration of native and wild trout”. The Apache Trout Award was presented to White Mountain Apache Tribe Game and Fish for taking the first critical steps to conserve Apache trout in 1955 which led to the 1975 downlisting from endangered to threatened. The Gila Trout Award was presented posthumously to Dr. Robert Behnke. A one day field trip to Grapevine Creek to view Gila trout restoration project was included in the conference agenda. FINAL REPORT.
2012
Wild Fish Conservancy, Upper Wynoochee River, WA, bull trout population assessment
Grant Summary: The Wild Fish Conservancy will organize extensive night snorkel surveys of the Upper Wynoochee drainage to assess the presence or absence of bull trout in the river, and collect fin clips for genetic analysis. Click here to read the final report.
Friends of the Teton River, Canyon Creek Fish Movement Study and Fish Ladder Construction
Grant Summary: Goal 1: During the summer of 2013, Friends of the Teton River, with help from Idaho Fish and Game, the US Forest Service, and volunteers, spent several days in Canyon Creek and the Teton River below the Canyon Creek confluence, PIT tagging native and non-native trout to study how fluvial trout utilize this drainage. Goal 2: The informational kiosk signs were designed in September-October of 2013 and installed with the help of volunteers in late October adjacent to the Green Canyon Hot Springs Campground. Goal 3: Friends of Teton River completed design plans for the step pools in 2013 and was granted an extension to complete this portion of the project in 2014. Prior to construction of the ladder, cutthroat had to jump over a 3-foot dam in order to migrate upstream to spawn and to move upstream to cold water refugia in the summer. This project provided passage for cutthroat over the dam by installing 5 step pools below the dam reducing the amount the cutthroat have to jump to approximately 8 inches. Click here to view the final report.
Upper Bear River Chapter Trout Unlimited (UBRTU), Upper Bear River Bonneville telemetry study
Grant Summary: Ten Bonneville cutthroat trout (BCT) were caught and fitted with telemetry tags in March and July 2013, and subsequently tracked. The Adopt-a-Trout classroom collected data and tracked Bonneville cutthroat trout movements. Data from telemetry tagging efforts have been used to successfully obtain funding to remove a diversion dam that is blocking access to traditional spawning grounds of Bonneville cutthroat trout in upper Bear River drainage. This diversion will be removed by January 2014, and result in the reconnection of 58 miles of river. Movements of the tagged Bonneville cutthroat trout will be monitored to ascertain the success of reconnection projects in Bear River. Click here to read the final report.
Wyoming Trout Unlimited, Telemetry study for Meeteetse, WY, Greybull watershed Adopt-a-Trout
Grant Summary: This study documents Yellowstone cutthroat trout (YCT) movement in the Greybull River drainage before and after the replacement of the Upper Sunshine Diversion and installation of a fish ladder. In addition, the study identified other potential barriers to YCT movement and diversions that may entrain large numbers of YCT. This project directly dovetails with previous Trout Unlimited and Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) efforts in the drainage. Telemetry tags were purchased and fish were tagged. Each trout tagged was adopted by the students and the movement monitored throughout the school year. Each month, WY TU and agency personnel updated students with fish locations, and provide a lesson to further student understanding of the resources and fish life cycles. Click here to read the final report.
Partnership for the Umpqua Rivers, Education and Outreach
Grant Summary: An all-weather display was created to support and educational station on invasive species and human behavior to prevent the spread of invasive species. Additional educational materials were created for a “What is Salmon” activity that explores the fish they call the Umpqua home. Lastly, educational materials were created to illustrate the value of barrier-free streams to salmon and trout. All materials have been made available for ongoing school use. Click here to view the final report.
Burns Paiute Tribe High Lake Brook trout removal and public outreach
Grant Summary: This project was amended to be completed in the summer of 2014. On August 16, 2014, the Burns Paiute Tribe Natural Resources Dept. hosted a competitive fishing event at High Lake in the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness. Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife fish biologists gave interactive presentations to participants highlighting the detrimental effects non-native brook trout pose to native trout in the watershed and also provided detailed information about activities underway to curtail the impacts of brook trout and to promote bull trout populations in the Upper Malheur River and its tributaries. Educational/informational materials were distributed and a local newspaper wrote a full-length article on current brook trout removal efforts the week prior to the event.
2011
Rattlesnake Creek Watershed Group, Community Stewardship Program
Grant Summary: Three community workshops were conducted in 2012, teaching 100+ citizens about stream health, plant and wildlife identification, threats to the creek, and restoration opportunities. Surveyed 5+ miles of Rattlesnake Creek and monitored invasive species, and collaborated with the Sussex School to coordinate the planting of 100+ native riparian shrubs as part of a restoration workday for 40 elementary students. Click here to read the final report.
Friends of the Teton River, Upper Teton River project
Grant Summary: This project made improvements to seven existing public access locations along the upper Teton River, in Teton County, ID. The improvements provided the public with bilingual fisheries conservation information, current Idaho Fish and Game fishing regulations and notices for the Teton River including trout identification, aquatic nuisance species information and prevention, and information regarding the importance of Yellowstone cutthroat trout protection and enhancement. The Friends of the Tetons coordinated the design and installation of interpretive signs and regulations translated into Spanish and printed on durable outdoor signs. Lastly, PVC fishing line recycling containers were installed and will be maintained by the local Trout Unlimited chapter. All of these activities will improve boater and anglers knowledge of the management and restoration of Yellowstone Cutthroat trout.
Partnership for the Umpqua Rivers (PUR), Education and Outreach
Grant Summary: PUR participated in the Umpqua Fisherman’s Association Canyonville Fish Release and taught over 250 5th and 6th graders about salmonids. At a second 4-day event, PUR taught over 1,000 5th graders about the difference between native and non-native trout, anadromous life cycles, and taught the students how to identify all Umpqua salmon and trout species. PUR hosted a booth at the Douglas County Earth Day fair to promote Umpqua River cleanup day, and a station to teach youth to fish. Lastly, PUR hosted an educational youth activity teaching youth the value of replacing small, elevated culverts with large, fish-passage-friendly culverts. Click here to read the final report.
White Mountain Montessori School, Trout in the Classroom Project
Grant Summary: The kindergarten and elementary students at White Mountain Montessori School in Lakeside, AZ, completed their raising of native Apache Trout in the classroom as per the project agreement. The students were actively involved in raising and monitoring the fish and studying their natural habitat, behavior, and health. Click here to read the final report.
Quivira Coalition, Surviving Climate Change: Building Resilience for the Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout
Grant Summary: Stream restoration specialists and volunteers spent two days monitoring and assessing the successes and failures of existing in-stream structures, providing a basis for creating and implementing a field season work plan for 2011. They also initiated a geomorphologic survey and monitoring program for the tributaries in the upper Comanche Creek Watershed and re-took photos at permanent photo-monitoring points along Comanche Creek to update existing (10 years) photo documentation project. The Quivira Coalition also continued efforts to restore and maintain the integrity of Comanche Creek Watershed for the survivability, adaptability, and health of Rio Grande CT and other native species. Lastly, in August 2011, a team of stream restoration specialists ran a weekend-long free workshop on stream and wetland restoration techniques for 30+ volunteers, accumulating a total of nearly 500 volunteer hours. Click here to read the final report.