Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (MFWP), Region One, is seeking public comment for a proposal to remove a northern pike population in Bass Lake and Mud Creek in northwest Montana using a combination of netting, trapping, and electrofishing, and restocking the lake with native westslope cutthroat trout. This project would be conducted within the Mud Creek watershed located approximately 6 miles southeast of the city of Eureka. The removal of northern pike would help restore native fish populations in the Tobacco River and Lake Koocanusa, which Bass Lake and Mud Creek feed. The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) is proposing to fund the project. The draft is out for a 30-day public review through June 8, 2013. Please contact FWP Fisheries Biologist Jim Dunnigan, (406) 293-4161, Ext. 200, or e-mail to jdunnigan@mt.gov with questions or comments.
(Restoration & Rehabilitation - 05/09/2013)

An Environmental Assessment (EA) proposes to remove hybridized cutthroat trout from Peet Creek (tributary to Red Rock River) using rotenone, and to replace with pure westslope cutthroat trout from remaining Centennial Valley populations.
(Restoration & Rehabilitation - 04/26/2013)

An Environmental Assessment (EA) proposes to introduce westslope cutthroat trout into 20 fishless streams across the Big Hole, Madison, Gallatin and Jefferson River drainages in an effort to conserve local populations that may be at risk due to competition and hybridization with non-native trout or other factors such as small population size, limited habitat and random events such as fire and floods.
(Restoration & Rehabilitation - 04/08/2013)

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) seeks public review of its proposal to conduct a forest salvage operation (harvest of dead or dying lodgepole pine timber) on approximately 80 acres within FWP’s 362-acre Stuart Mill Bay Fishing Access Site (FAS) in Deer Lodge County. The objective is to maintain the property over time so it: provides wildlife habitats; is a forest cover that is healthy and is insect, disease, and fire resistant, while giving consideration to aesthetic values; and is safe for public use. A draft environmental assessment (EA) has been prepared for this proposal.
(Restoration & Rehabilitation - 10/05/2012)

The enclosed Environmental Assessment (EA) has been prepared for securing the Chadbourne Diversion. This proposed action combines the interests of native fish conservation and irrigated agriculture. By securing the Chadbourne Diversion, water users served by the Lower Shields River Ditch would continue to receive water according to their water rights. The fisheries component would promote the persistence and protect the genetic integrity of Yellowstone cutthroat trout occupying approximately 375 miles of mostly connected stream habitat. The aging Chadbourne diversion suffers from several structural problems that threaten its long-term stability. Moreover, it has features that allow rainbow trout to breach the dam which threatens the genetic status of the Yellowstone cutthroat trout in the watershed above. Consequently, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) is collaborating with the Lower Shields River Canal Company on a series of proposed repairs and retrofits. The repairs would include addressing erosion and wear on the face and abutments, and elimination of a large scour hole that threatens to undermine the structure. The fish passage elements would include installation of retrofits to prevent passage of fish through an existing notch and elsewhere along the face of the dam. In addition, construction of a selective fish passage channel would allow native Yellowstone cutthroat trout to access the river upstream of the diversion whereas nonnative fishes would be returned to the river below. This document is an environmental assessment (EA) of the potential consequences of the various alternatives. EAs are a requirement of the Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) which requires state agencies to consider the environmental, social, cultural, and economic effects of proposed actions. This EA considers 3 alternatives: 1. repairing the structure and installing retrofits and the selective fish passage channel 2. no action, and 3. repair of the structure without implementing the fisheries components. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks invites you to comment on the attached proposal. The public comment period will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. August 10, 2012.
(Restoration & Rehabilitation - 07/19/2012)

The enclosed Environmental Assessment (EA) proposes to restore westslope cutthroat trout to the North Fork of Doolittle Creek and Sixmile Creek in the Big Hole River drainage. This project involves constructing a fish migration barrier in Sixmile Creek using explosives to enhance an existing waterfall (a barrier currently exists in the North Fork of Doolittle Creek), and removing non-native brook trout upstream of both barriers using rotenone in the formulation of CFT Legumine. The native fish and amphibians would be salvaged prior to non-native fish removal and held during the treatment of the stream then released. It may be necessary to import non-hybridized cutthroat to these streams to aid in repopulation and reduce the likelihood of inbreeding, due to the low cutthroat density in both the North Fork of Doolittle Creek and Sixmile Creek. This EA is available for review in Helena at FWP’s Headquarters, the State Library, and the Environmental Quality Council. It also may be obtained from FWP at the address provided above, or viewed on FWP’s Internet website: http://www.fwp.mt.gov . Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks invites you to comment on the attached proposal. Public comment will be accepted until July 27, 2012 @ 5:00 pm.
(Restoration & Rehabilitation - 06/27/2012)

Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP), Region One, is seeking public comment for the purpose of managing an infestation of Eurasian milfoil in Beaver Lake near Whitefish, Montana. The proposed action would involve using one or a combination of treatments, including placement of barrier mats, mechanical removal, and herbicide applications during summer months. An interagency working group will conduct surveys to determine the distribution of the invasive aquatic weed and develop a management strategy aimed at controlling and eradicating it. These activities may be conducted annually for up to five years. The draft environmental assessment is out for a 21-day public review through July 3, 2012. Copies of the draft are available at the FWP office, 490 N. Meridian Rd., Kalispell; Montana State Library, 1515 E 6th Ave., Helena; and the FWP website at fwp.mt.gov under Public Notices.
(Restoration & Rehabilitation - 06/13/2012)