

P.O. Box 200701 



Helena MT 59620 



406-444-7409 



October 2, 2003 



TO: Cliris Hunter, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks 



Virgil Moore, Idaho Department of Fish and Game 

 Mike Stone, Wyoming Game and Fish Department 

 Randy Radant, Utali Division of Wildlife Resources 

 Rich Haskins, Nevada Division of Wildlife 

 Todd Koel, Yellowstone National Park 

 Grand Teton National Park 

 Bruce M^y, U.S. Forest Service 



FROM: ken McDonald, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks 



Please find enclosed hard copies and an electronic copy of the Rangewide Status 

 Assessment for Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout. This assessment incorporates the collective 

 knowledge of biologists from Wyoming, Idalio, Montana, Utali, Nevada, and 

 Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. It represents the best available knowledge 

 on the status and distribution of Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout, and should serve as a 

 reference for evaluating the future status of the species. A similar effort recently 

 completed for westslope cutthroat trout was used extensively by the U.S. Fish and 

 Wildlife Service in their status review of that species, and to support a not- warranted 

 finding. 



Now that this assessment is complete, I recommend the agencies who signed the 

 Interstate MOU for Conservation and Management of Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout 

 reconvene in the near future to discuss the results and map out a course of action of 

 where we want to go from here. I will be in touch in the next couple of months to solicit 

 your thoughts about such a meeting and topics we should pursue. 



Please send copies of this assessment to others on your staff who might find it useful (the 

 electronic version can be copied or emailed, or can be used to print additional hard 

 copies). Thanks for helping to ensure this assessment was completed. 



