Friday, March 01, 2002
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
Survey: Road repairs didn't harm bull trout
Jarbidge's West Fork called suitable habitat for threatened fish although none found there
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ELKO -- The threatened bull trout was not harmed by controversial repair work on the South Canyon Road along the Jarbidge River last fall, an inventory of the fish concludes.
The survey by a U.S. Forest Service contractor last fall said the West Fork of the Jarbidge River appears to be suitable habitat for the bull trout but documented no fish there and found only a dozen in neighboring tributaries, the Elko Daily Free Press reported.
The road and the fish are at the center of a lingering dispute between the federal government and Elko County over jurisdiction of the road, which washed out in a flood in 1995.
Forest Service officials, who maintain rebuilding the road would jeopardize the survival of the fish, and the county both performed work on the road in 1998.
Forest Service officials feared the county's road grading below the level of the stream channel would set the stage for runoff of sent sediment into the stream in the spring.
The survey, however, "failed to demonstrate any appreciable accumulation of fine sediment that would degrade significant amounts of salmonid spawning habitat in the West Fork Jarbidge River."
The survey was conducted by Parametrix Inc. of Kirkland, Wash., under a contract with the Forest Service. It concluded that the tributary was "suitable" bull trout habitat although snorkelers failed to spot any of the fish there. They found one small bull trout upstream in Pine Creek and a dozen in the East Fork.
Surveyors blamed the results on cold water temperatures and the fact snorkelers searched in the daytime instead of the preferred technique of searching at night. As a result, the surveyors said their report "does not represent an accurate measure of habitat use or population size."
Nevertheless, Forest Service officials said they were satisfied with the results.
Jarbidge District Ranger Bill Van Bruggen said the report "was well done and should be very helpful in upcoming analyses for the area."
Four additional studies were conducted along South Canyon Road last fall and the results of those will be available soon.
"The up-to-date information from all five reports will position the Forest Service to respond timely to proposals that are presented to us, allow us to complete high-quality analyses, and assist the agency in making well-informed decisions regarding projects under consideration," Van Bruggen said in a written statement.
One of those projects is the rebuilding of a 1.4-mile section of South Canyon Road.
Despite a settlement agreement reached in the spring of 2001, the repair project remains in limbo as the county and Forest Service argue over interim work on a short segment of road.
Fish in the Jarbidge River have been the topic of more than two dozen studies over the past 40 years.
Although no bull trout were spotted by snorkelers in the West Fork during the survey, conducted from Oct. 9-21, three were found in a later electrofishing survey conducted by the Forest Service and Nevada Division of Wildlife.
This story is located at: http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2002/Mar-01-Fri-2002/news/18207416.html
The bull trout - a freshwater fish that is a char, a member of the salmon family - has disappeared from much of its historic range.
So let's just rewrite history. Everybody does it.
"We are trying to get them to design sales that do not harm bull trout,"
As a matter of fact, we're demanding obedience!
"The Forest Service knows there is a direct correlation between road density and survivability of bull trout populations,"
Teach them to look both ways before crossing the street!
and
The Fish & Wildlife Service recently issued a biological opinion concluding that the three remaining sales - Staley, Upper Liz and Happy Bird - "are not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of the bull trout."
Seems pretty open and shut...this suit should be thrown out based on the "biological opinion"
It is almost like these watermelon warriors never run out of cash for lawsuits...how many lawyers do this pro-bono for them? I always want to throw my shoe at the TV when Paul Newman comes on pitching for the Nature Conservancy.