the flill expression of life histories in salmonid populations requires free movement of 

 migratory fish (Reiman and Allendorf 2001), a condition critical to long-term persistence 

 of populations (Reiman and Mclntyre 1993). Maintenance of life history variation means 

 not only recognizing the importance (and recovery implications) to locally-adapted fish 

 (like the Copper Creek bull trout), but by necessity further involves social considerations 

 of a basin under mixed ownership where management of streams often conflict with the 

 fundamentals of long-term conservation, particularly for wide-ranging species such as 

 fluvial WSCT and bull trout. 



Fisheries impairment throughout the upper Blackfoot River watershed is 

 documented, with the majority of impairment occurring at lower elevations and primarily 

 on private land (Pierce et al. 2000; 2001; 2002; 2002b; Confluence 2003; this report). 

 Although public lands comprise a significant portion of the upper dramage, they also 

 comprise a limited amount of fluvial WSCT spawning sites, migration corridors and 

 wintering areas. Bull trout spawned exclusively on public land yet less than 25% of the 

 migration corridors and winter areas were on public lands. This disproportionate (and 

 variable) use of private land emphasizes the continued need to work with individual 

 private landowners at a broad scale in order to conserve and restore fluvial native fish in 

 the upper Blackfoot Watershed. 



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