populations on lower Little Fish Creek include grazing impacts upon streamside 

 vegetation creating slumping banks and elevated sediment levels. Proximity to roads 

 from timber harvest also appears to contribute moderate levels of sediment to the channel. 



Elevation (ft) X 1000 



Fish Populations 



Population surveys (mile 0.3, 0.9 and 3.8) found only WSCT in Little Fish Creek. 

 CPUE for WSCT decreased 96% from 5.0 fish/100' in the upper section to 0.2 fish/100" 

 at the lower section (Figure 39). YOY densities were highest at the middle section and 

 absent from the lower 

 sample site (Appendix 

 A). We collected 27 

 WSCT genetic samples 

 from the three survey 

 sections, the results of 

 which are pending. 



2 3 



stream Mileage 



Figure 40. Longitudinal profile for Snowbank Creek. 



Snowbank Creek 



Snowbank Creek 

 is a 1^' order tributary to 

 Copper Creek, which is 

 an important spawning 

 and rearing stream for 

 fluvial WSCT and fluvial 

 bull trout of the upper 

 Blackfoot River. 



Snowbank Creek begins 

 on the eastern slope of Stonewall Mountain and flows northeast 4.4 miles through the 

 Helena Nafional Forest before entering Copper Creek at mile 5.9. Stream gradients range 

 from 9107mile in upper reaches to 2207mile near the mouth (Figure 40). 



Our assessments focused on identifying restoration opportunities at a defunct 

 diversion on lower Snowbank Creek. The diversion (mile 0.4) was constructed in 1962 

 to divert water to create a put-and-take fishery at Snowbank Lake. 



In August 2003, we conducted fish population surveys immediately above and 

 below the diversion (mile 0.4) and near the mouth (mile 0.1). Stream flow measurements 

 were also taken in Snowbank Creek below the diversion and in the ditch. Of the total 5.3 

 cfs, 4.1 cfs was diverted to Snowbank Lake, leaving only 1.2 cfs instream. 



Above the diversion, the stream channel has been moved and straightened with 

 berms for approximately 250' to accommodate the diversion. This was evident by the 

 observation of an old relic channel direcfly south of the existing channel. The exiting 

 channel shows signs of channel instability above and below the diversion. The riparian 

 zone is stable, supporting a moderate canopy of Douglas fir and lodgepole pine above a 

 dense under-story of rocky mountain maple and alder. Fish habitat is primarily woody 

 debris-formed scour pools. 



Fisheries related problems identified include: fish entrainment, fish passage 

 problems, and dewatering below the diversion. Entrainment of WSCT to Snowbank Lake 



54 



