Compelled by continuing litigation from
environmentalists, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed two
populations of bull trout as threatened – one in Oregon’s Klamath
River Basin and the other in the huge Columbia River Basin,
reaching into Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana. The legal
battle was waged by three nonprofit groups – Alliance for the Wild
Rockies, Friends of the Wild Swan and Swan View Coalition (HCN,
12/9/96). They called the listing a major victory for watershed
protection in 32 national forests. Bruce Farling of Montana Trout
Unlimited says the listing requires greater cooperation among
federal agencies to protect bull trout and also obligates Fish and
Wildlife to scrutinize the impacts of mining proposals, such as
Montana’s controversial McDonald mine. Public hearings on the
listing will be held July 1 in Portland; July 8 in Spokane; July 10
in Missoula; July 15 in Klamath Falls, Ore.; and July 17 in Boise,
all at 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. Hearings on other proposed bull trout
populations will be held July 7 in Lacey, Wash.; July 9 in Mount
Vernon, Wash.; July 14 in East Glacier, Mont.; and July 21 in
Jackpot, Nev., at the same times. The decision appeared in the
Federal Register on June 10. Send comments before Aug. 12 to the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Snake River Basin Field Office,
1387 S. Vinnell Way, Room 368, Boise, ID 83709.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Victory for the bull trout.
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