wood and sod mats and perform other revegetation measures for 2.6 stream miles. The 

 project is to include land management (grazing and timber harvest) plans consistent with 

 project goals and objectives. ^ > , ». 



Fish Populations and other monitoring 



During the 2004 and 2005 project development period, we completed fish 

 population surveys, water temperature and discharge measurements, a pre-project habitat 

 inventory and whirling disease sampling. Fish population surveys at four locations 

 revealed very low densities of rainbow trout, brown trout and brook trout (Figure 24). 

 Flow monitoring near the mouth recorded a high of 1 1 .3 cfs in June 2004 and a low of 

 4.4 cfs in August 2004 during the peak irrigation season (Appendix D). Water 

 temperature studies completed in 2004 recorded maximum summer temperatures near the 

 mouth ranging irom 61.5 - 66.3 °F (Appendix H). The results of pre-construction habitat 

 survey for the lower 3,100' of channel are located in Table 2. Whirling disease testing of 

 the spring creek in summer 2004 showed a mild 0.13 mean grade infection. 



Keep Cool Creek '"''" >' - 

 Summery 



Keep Cool Creek is a largest spring creek in the Lincoln Valley. It forms north of 

 Lincoln irom both an alluvial groundwater aquifer and small basin-fed streams in its 

 headwaters. It is joined at the mouth by Beaver Creek (mile 0.7) and Lincoln Spring 

 Creek (mile 0.5) before entering the Blackfoot River at mile 105.2. The combined flow 

 of this stream system provides a significant percentage of the upper Blackfoot River flow 

 during low flow periods. Excessive livestock access to riparian areas has degraded 

 portions of Keep Cool Creek and tributaries therein. Other mainstem fisheries-related 

 impairments include channel alterations and irrigation practices. A middle reach of Keep 

 Cool Creek is now under more sensitive grazing. 



Fish Populations and other sampling 



Headwater tributaries in the Keep Cool drainage (Beaver, Theodore, Klondike, 

 Yukon, Stonewall Liverpool and Sucker Creeks) all support genetically pure WSCT. 

 Recently, radio telemetry confirmed bull trout from the Blackfoot River use the lower 

 portion of Keep Cool Creek (Pierce et al 2004). In 2004, FWP sampled fisheries in the 

 mainstem of Keep Cool Creek at one locafion (mile 1.8). The survey found a community 

 of sculpins and very low densities of brown trout (CPUE of 1 .7) and no young-of-the- 

 year brown trout. We measured discharge at 39.9 cfs on June 14"', 2004 at mile 1.9. 

 Water temperature monitoring at two locations found maximum summer temperatures of 

 75.2 °F in upper Keep Cool (at the Sucker Creek road) compared to a high of 62 °F at the 

 Beaver Creek Road. This cooling result fi-om large inflows of groundwater between 

 these two sites (Appendix H). 



Kleinschmidt Creek 



Restoration objectives: reduce whirling disease infection levels; restore stream channel 

 morphology for all life stages of trout; increase recruitment of trout to the Blackfoot 

 River; and restore thermal refiigia and rearing areas for North Fork Blackfoot River bull 

 trout. 



36 



