YCT Multi-state Assessment 



February 10,2003 



Land Use Impacts on Conservation Populations 



The approach taken to address the influences of land uses on YCT was too qualitative to 

 definitively link land use impacts to specific conservation populafions. Information was 

 collected for each occupied stream segment and there was a considerable amount of uncertainty 

 associated with the influence determinations that were made. Survey groups responded to land 

 use impact questions in different ways; some included past land uses to those currently 

 occurring. Others only identified current land uses. It was difficult to determine if the response 

 was related to the whole stream segment or only a portion of a segment. Because of the stated 

 uncertainties it is suggested that fiiture work to quantify the nature of land use impacts to YCT 

 conservation populations be undertaken. Even with these uncertainties, the information does 

 serve to heighten the awareness of the possible influences of land uses on YCT. Livestock 

 grazing was ranked as having the greatest influence on YCT conservation populations. This was 

 followed by roads, angling, timber harvest, stream de-watering and non-angling recreation as 

 major land uses (Table 15). We encourage caution when reviewing this information. At best 

 it provides a very qualitative picture of the nature of land uses on YCT conservation 

 populations. 



Table 15. Number and percentage (based on the 195 conservation populations that were 



evaluated) of designated Yellowstone cutthroat trout conservation populations where 

 human management activities were known or believed (possible) to have impacted the 

 population by type of management activity. 



Fine-Spotted and Large Spotted Forms 



There are two spotting patterns displayed by YCT within their current range. This assessment 

 made an attempt to partition the infonnation by asking the assessment teams to identify which 

 form was present in each stream segment. Additionally, in instances where both forms were 

 present within a stream segment most reviewers made comments on which form was dominant. 



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