Challenges in Desert Pupfish Management in Salt Creek and San Felipe Creek, Riverside and Imperial Counties of California

Authors: Sharon Keeney

Year: 2018

Abstract

Salt Creek and San Felipe Creek are two drainages that constitute much of the existing habitat for Desert Pupfish (Cyprinodon macularius) outside of their occurrence in the Salton Sea, agricultural irrigation systems and refuges. Salt Creek is a natural drainage supplemented by mitigation water. San Felipe Creek is an entirely natural drainage that includes the only designated Critical Habitat for the species. As the Salton Sea increases in salinity, the Sea will become unsuitable for the species to utilize, isolating the two watersheds. Management challenges have been changing during the past five years in these watersheds, and this talk discusses these changes and the subsequent actions taken by California Department of Fish and Wildlfe and by partner entities.