 | | | | | | Opportunity Spawned: New Proposal Protects Bull Trout and Water | | NewWest Missoula | | February 05, 2010 2:11 PM | | | On January 13th, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) released a new critical habitat designation for bull trout throughout the Northwest, including western Montana. The new draft -- offering four-to-six times more protected waters than a previous proposal--includes 21,694 miles of stream habitat and 533,426 acres of reservoirs and lakes in Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Nevada.
Protecting and restoring bull trout habitat will help this threatened species recover. It will also improve water quality throughout the Northwest, spur investment in watershed restoration, and help support Montana's $226 million fishing industry. This designation goes a long ways towards achieving those goals.
In Montana, the proposal includes 3,094 stream miles and 223,762 acres of lakes and reservoirs. The plan covers federal lands, reservoirs and even currently unoccupied habitat necessary to maintaining migration routes between isolated species. The new draft is seen as an improvement over the last two proposals in 2002 and 2005. | | | Full Article... | | | Log in to comment... | | |
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