Forest Service's fisheries role

When local fish management issues surface, most of us think the major agency players are the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. But the third player on the team is the U.S. Forest Service, which employs two fisheries biologists locally.

Pat Van Eimeren, a 20-year veteran, works on the Hungry Horse, Glacier View and Spotted Bear ranger districts, while Beth Gardner handles the Swan and Tally Lake districts.

“When people ask how our mission differs from Fish, Wildlife and Parks,” Van Eimeren explained, “I tell them the Forest Service primarily manages habitat, while FWP primarily manages fish, through regulations and other methods.”

He continued, “The Forest Service’s fisheries objective is conserving a wild and self-sustaining population of native trout — and that means westslope cutthroat trout and bull trout.”

Van Eimeren listed several major management concerns. First, bull trout. Under the Endangered Species Act, forest activities that could possibly threaten bull trout must be presented to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for approval.

For example, the effects of road building as part of a timber sale must be studied, possibly amended, and approved. The Forest Service also conducts habitat surveys, such as measuring stream pool-to-riffle ratios and sedimentation levels, both of which play an important role in bull trout spawning.

“The percentage of fine sediment in many of the streams is less now than 20 years ago, primarily due to less logging traffic and road decommissions,” Van Eimeren said.

Another Forest Service fisheries issue is providing fish passage through road culverts.

“Many of the roads built along the Hungry Horse Reservoir area were constructed in the ‘50s and ‘60s when fish passage for spawning was not recognized as an important concern,” Van Eimeren said.

According to Van Eimeren, replacing an old culvert can cost between $30,000 and $100,000.

“We’ve worked closely with FWP on the South Fork Westslope Cutthroat Project, helping pack genetically-pure cutts out of the Danaher to start a new broodstock at Sekokini Springs Hatchery,” Van Eimeren said. “Offspring from Danaher Creek will be used to re-stock treated lakes in the Bob Marshall Wilderness.”

The Forest Service is also keeping a close eye on climate change.

“Long-term warming is changing the time of spring runoff, and we’re concerned about a decrease in bull trout spawning habitat due to higher water temperatures,” Van Eimeren said.