Response for project 200000400: Protect Wigwam R Bull Trout-Ko

Comment on proposed FY 2006 budget

The Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection (MWLAP) would like to renew our contract with BPA for our project (2000-004-00) for Fiscal Year 2006. The Fiscal Year 2006 proposed budget of $62,000 is consistent with our expectations.

Accomplishments since the last review

A total of 71 bull trout were surgically implanted with LOTEK radio transmitters in the upper Kootenay River between April 1, 2000 and September 25, 2001 and then the bull trout’s movements were tracked over a two year period and critical spawning and holding habitat were identified. A fence and trap were operated on Skookumchuck Creek for three years (fall of 2000, 2001 and 2002) to capture down-streaming post spawning bull trout. A total of 834 bull trout were tagged and passed through the fence during the three years of operation and another 127 bull trout were holding in a pool immediately above the fence when it was removed during mid October. A fence and trap were operated on the White River, near its’ confluence with the Kootenay River, in September and October of 2003, to capture down-stream post spawning bull trout. A total of 776 bull trout were tagged and passed through the fence during the first of a three year proposed operation. A fence and trap were operated on Gold Creek, approximately 2 kilometers upstream from its’ confluence with Lake Kookanusa, in September and October of 2004, to capture down-stream post spawning bull trout. A total of 61 bull trout were tagged and passed through the fence. Nine permanent sampling sites were established in the Wigwam (5 sites) and Skookumchuck (3 sites) river drainages. Three years of data have been collected at each site including juvenile (0+ and 1+ age classes) fish densities and stream habitat condition data (Rosgen Level 2 and Fish Habitat Surveys) were collected over two stream meander wavelengths. The second of three years of data (same data as for the Wigwam & Skook.) have been collected at three sites in the White River. 5 Years of McNeil substrate sampling in the Wigwam, White and Skook. drainages to monitor bull trout spawning substrate condition. 5 Years of bull trout redd counts in the Wigwam, White and Skookumchuck drainages.

FY 2006 goals and anticipated accomplishments

Install Fish Trap/Monitoring WeirOperate (year three of three) an upstream/downstream migration trap on the White River to catch post- spawning bull trout in Sept and Oct. of 2006. The trap will be located near the mouth of the White River near its’ confluence with the Kootenay River.
Collect/Generate/Validate Field and Lab DataBull trout redd counts in Oct 2006 on the Wigwam River and it's tributaries, Skookumchuck Creek, Blackfoot Creek and White River to assess the metapopulation strength of transboundary (British Columbia and Montana) populations of native bull trout.
Analyze/Interpret DataAll data from the past 5 years of the BPA funded habitat monitoring and bull trout fry and juvenile density programs on the Wigwam, Skook. and White drainages will be entered in a database, statistically analyzed/compared and then a report will be written

Also, long-term changes to bull trout spawning substrate condition will be monitored in the Wigwam (2 Sites), White (3 Sites) and Skookumchuck (2 Sites) River drainages by continuing McNeil core sampling at permanent sample sites. At each site, four samples will be collected from three transects (12 samples at each site—total of 84 samples)

Subbasin planning

How is this project consistent with subbasin plans?

The activities of this project fall within the "Prioritized Kootenai River Subbasin Objectives (Habitat and Biological)" called "Restore/maintain population size required for population to persist", which is found in the table on page 29 of the "Kootenai River Subbasin Executive Summary".

How do goals match subbasin plan priorities?

As indicated above, the activities of this project fall within the subbasin plan objective called "Restore/maintain population size required for population to persist". This subbasin plan objective received a priority score of U=Urgent, found in the table on page 29 of the "Kootenai River Subbasin Executive Summary".

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