Bull Trout 



Bull trout are currently listed as a threatened species under the Federal Endangered Species 

 Act (ESA). To date, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has not yet developed a bull trout 

 recovery plan. However, the Montana Bull Trout Restoration Team has developed interim 

 guidelines in the Immediate Actions for Bull Trout and the State's Draft Bull Trout 

 Restoration Plan. 



The Deerlodge National Forest completed a baseline conditions assessment for bull trout in 

 the Upper Willow Creek watershed. This assessment was completed utilizing various species 

 and habitat indicators as outlined in guidance issued by the USFWS in "A Framework to 

 Assist in Making Endangered species Act Determinations of Effect for Individual or Grouped 

 Actions at the Bull Trout Subpopulation Watershed Scale" (USES 1998). 



Information for determination of the existing conditions for each indicator was based on 

 R1/R4 fisheries habitat surveys, walkthrough habitat surveys, electronic temperature 

 recorders, snorkel and electrofishing fish sampling, and bull trout spawning surveys. Where 

 specific data was lacking or insufficient, the Deerlodge Forest defaulted to a rule-set 

 developed by the Lolo National Forest for determining functional state of each specific 

 indicator. The rule-set uses GIS data and satellite imagery to calculate the number of stream 

 crossings, road densities, percent of streams with roads within a 300 foot buffer, percent of 

 streams without shade, percent of land in a vegetatively regenerated state, percent of private 

 land within the drainage area, and to identify sensitive land-types. 



The bull trout subpopulation indicators cannot be addressed at the watershed or sub- 

 watershed scale (6"' field hydrologic unit code scale). Therefore, the entire Rock Creek 

 drainage was used to assess the bull trout subpopulation. Habitat indicators were rated at the 

 more appropriate watershed and sub-watershed scale. Sub watersheds include: -01) The 

 headwaters portion of Upper Willow Creek located upstream from it's confluence with 

 McDermott Gulch, -02) That portion of the Upper Willow Creek drainage downstream from 

 McDermott Gulch and upstream of Alder Gulch, -03) That portion of the Upper Willow 

 Creek watershed located downstream of Alder Gulch and upstream of Scotchman Gulch, and 

 -04) Spring Creek and the lower reaches of the mainstream Upper Willow Creek. 



A summary of baseline determinations for the Upper Willow Creek are contained in the 

 following table: 



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