Opportunities and Challenges in the Recovery of Desert Dace, Eremichthys acros

Authors: Todd* Gilmore

Year: 2015 (xlvii)

Abstract

Desert dace, Eremichthys acros, are endemic to thermal spring systems in Soldier Meadow, Humboldt County, Nevada. Desert dace is the only member of the genus Eremichthys of the Cyprinidae family and has the highest temperature tolerance of any minnow in western North America. At the time of listing in 1985, desert dace was primarily known from private lands where the diversion of spring outflows into irrigation ditches for agricultural activities and nonnative fish were identified as the primary threats to the species. When the final recovery plan was published in 1997, a more substantial proportion of the speciesÁ¢â‚¬â„¢ range was on public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), where additional threats related to increased recreational use had been identified. Neither the listing rule nor the recovery plan specifically mentions threats from livestock, feral horses or burros, but these animals have since become identified as a potential threat to the species and its habitat. A number of these threats are being addressed by BLM management actions including designation of the Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon-Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area, designation as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern, and additional planning documents. Other conservation and management actions that have been implemented to date include nonnative fish eradication efforts, fish barriers, and fencing around an occupied spring system. While there is still much to be accomplished, the Soldier Meadows Working Group (a group of federal and state partners charged with recovery of desert dace), are busy working to implement recovery actions to benefit desert dace.