Bull trout critical habitat designation revised

By Joyce Campbell
    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed revising its designation of critical habitat for the bull trout and released a draft economic analysis on the potential cost of the revision.
    The USFWS is seeking comments on the proposed revision and the draft economic analysis until March 15, according to a news release from the agency. The proposed designation covers five states including Washington, where 5,233 stream miles, 82,610 acres of lakes or reservoirs and 985 miles of marine shoreline are included in the recovery efforts.
    Historically, bull trout were found in about 60 percent of the Columbia River Basin. Now they occur in less than half of their historic range. The fish depend on cold, clear water and are excellent indicators of water quality.
    Most streams and rivers on public and private land in the Methow Valley are included in the revision. Critical habitat for bull trout applies only to waterways, however, associated flood plains, shorelines, riparian zones and upland habitat are recognized as important, and activities in these areas may affect bull trout critical habitat.
    “If you don’t do work in the river or are not involved in a federally funded project, you shouldn’t be impacted,” said Jennifer Molesworth, liaison in the Methow sub-basin for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. That agency will have increased paperwork as the bull trout is protected by the USFWS and salmon and steelhead are under the jurisdiction of the National Marine Fisheries Service.
    The draft economic analysis estimates the potential cost of the proposed revised critical habitat at up to $7 million a year over the next 20 years. Many costs would be associated with additional consultation requirements for federal agencies. Most agencies are already managing for critical habitat designations for salmon and other listed species.
    Other potential costs are associated with improvements at dams and removal of culverts and reduction of sediment in forests.
The current 2005 critical habitat rule was challenged in court and an investigative report by the Department of the Interior found a former political appointee had interfered with the final rule by directing that large areas be excluded from the original proposal, according to the USFWS news release.
    The bull trout were listed in 1999 as threatened throughout their range in the coterminous United States. The cold-water salmonid is primarily threatened by habitat degradation and fragmentation, blockage of migratory corridors, poor water quality, past fisheries management and the introduction of non-native species such as brown, lake and brook trout, according to the agency.
    Information and maps relating to the proposal are available online at www.fws.gov/pacific/bulltrout. The agency has scheduled informational meetings including one from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 23 at the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest headquarters, 215 Melody Lane in Wenatchee. Written comments will be accepted at the meetings or online at www.regulations.gov or by mail at Public Comments Processing, USFWS, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 222, Arlington, VA 22203.