Oregon / Northern California Area Report, November 2007-2008

Authors: Paul Scheerer, Alan Mauer, Stewart B. Reid, Dave Hogen, Tim Walters

Year: 2008 (xl)

Abstract

The northwestern extreme of the desert region includes six endorheic drainage subbasins in Oregon and northeastern California (Fort Rock, Chewaucan, Goose, Warner, Catlow, and Alvord). This region supports remnant fish faunas that once inhabited extensive pluvial Pleistocene lakes. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) conducted distribution surveys and obtained population estimates for Interior redband trout, conducted population surveys and radio tracked spawning migrations for lake-dwelling Warner suckers, operated a upstream and downstream migrant traps for Warner suckers, Catostomus warnerensis, and redband trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, in the Warner Basin, obtained a population estimate for Borax Lake chub, Gila boraxobius, in the Alvord Basin (see presentation by Scheerer), and treated a 13 mile section of upper McDermitt Creek to remove non-native rainbow, brook, and brown trout from Lahontan cutthroat trout habitat. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), ODFW, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) designed a restoration project to expand habitat for Foskett speckled dace, Rhinichthys osculus ssp., at Dace Spring. Work will be conducted by the BLM crew with funding assistance from USFWS and will be completed in 2009 and fish will likely be introduced later in the year, or early 2010. USFWS completed a Five-Year Status Review for Hutton Springs Tui Chub, Siphateles bicolor ssp., in accordance with the Endangered Species Act. The review supports recommendations by the recovery working group to set up a long term agreement with the landowner to secure an easement to conserve Hutton tui chub and its habitat. The Natural Resources Conservation Service will contact the landowner regarding interest in enrolling the habitat in the Wetlands Reserve Program, under which the landowner could be reimbursed for a 30 year or permanent easement. ODFW re-discovered a second spring, referred to as 3/8-Mile Spring, which contains Hutton Tui chub (last documented 30 years ago). The USFWS also initiated Five-Year Status Reviews for Foskett Specked dace and Borax Lake chub. The U.S. Forest Service completed fish passage improvement projects and conducted Modoc Sucker snorkel surveys in the Goose Lake subbasin, completed a fish passage improvement project, a head-cut stabilization project, and a large wood restoration project in the Warner Lakes subbasin, and completed a stream bank restoration project in the Lake Abert (Chewaucan) subbasin. Stewart Reid, Western Fishes, developed survey protocols to monitor populations of Modoc sucker, Catostomus microps, and worked to remove nonnative fishes from its habitat in the Goose Lake subbasin. Stewart assisted the USFWS in completing a Five-Year Status Review of the Modoc Sucker which recognized the presence of the Goose Lake population in Oregon. Stewart was also involved in a redband trout genetics study of California and Goose Lake redband, designed in part to ascertain the potential uniqueness of the Goose Lake (Pit) redband trout.