The following is a summary of emergency BAER treatments recommended 

 and largely completed by the USPS in September and October 2003. 

 Treatment areas were prescribed based on the potential for damaging floods, 

 loss of soil productivity, and for the mitigation of loss of life and property. 



The BAER Report Treatments are designed to: 



Mitigate hydrologic effects of high-density local roads and steep erodable 



slopes in old harvest units for the steep upper reaches of Deer Creek. 



Mitigate hydrologic effects of local roads in old harvest units for the upper 



reaches of Thompson Creek. 



Mitigate possible loss of Deer Creek culvert at confluence with Fish Creek 



(main Fish Creek road accesses homes). 



Mitigate sediment impacts to Fish Creek, a migratory route for bull trout. 



Roads Repairs 



Upper Deer Creek roads - remove culverts, rip road beds, straw mulch and 



seed disturbed areas where culverts removed. 



Deer Creek at the confluence with Fish Creek - remove culvert, construct 



temporary bridge above unstable alluvial fan. 



System roads on Thompson Creek - clean ditches, culverts, install drain 



dips. 



DNRC replaced three culverts in Deer Creek at risk of flood loss. 



DNRC grass seeded steep draws and streamsides in severely burned areas 



in section 16. 



3.2.1.3 Cold Water Fisheries 



Fish creek provides habitat and supports westslope cutthroat trout, bull trout, 

 and other salmonid fish species. One federally listed threatened fish species 

 (bull trout) and one sensitive species (cutthroat trout) occupy streams in the 

 Fish Creek Complex fire area. 



The entire Fish Creek watershed is listed as bull trout core area in the Bull 

 Trout Restoration Plan for Montana. DNRC is committed to the design of 

 forest management practices to protect bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout 

 habitat, pursuant to: 1) the Restoration Plan for bull trout in the Clark Fork 

 River, 2) MOU & Conservation Agreement for westslope cutthroat trout in 

 Montana, and 3) ARM36.11.436. Within the Fish Creek Complex fire area, 

 three watersheds are proposed critical habitat for bull trout. The proposed 

 watersheds are: the main stem of Fish Creek, South Fork Fish Creek, and the 

 West Fork Fish Creek. 



Westslope cutthroat trout are considered a sensitive fish species in western 

 Montana. The fire burned in the Fish, Deer, and Thompson watersheds all of 

 which are inhabited by westslope cutthroat trout. 



Fish Creek Salvage Environmental Assessment 



3-14 



