Fish and Wildlife Service Designates Bull Trout Habitat
The Associated Press
September 23, 2005

SPOKANE — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today said it will set aside about 3,780 miles of streams and 110,364 acres of lakes and reservoirs in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana as critical habitat for the threatened bull trout.

The final designation covers only areas that are occupied by bull trout and that contain physical and biological features considered essential to the conservation of the species.

"As a result of the extensive public comments we received, and peer review, we found there are many areas that already have conservation efforts in place and do not need to be designated," said Dave Allen, regional director of the service's Pacific Region.

In Idaho, the final designation covers approximately 293 stream miles and 27,296 acres of lakes or reservoirs.

In Montana, it is 1,058 stream miles and 31,916 acres of lakes or reservoirs. In Oregon, it is 911 stream miles and 24,610 acres of lakes or reservoirs.

In Washington, it is 1,519 stream miles, 26,542 acres of lakes or reservoirs, plus 966 miles of marine shoreline.

No critical habitat is being designated for the Jarbidge River population of bull trout in Nevada and southern Idaho, where the secretary of the interior determined that the benefits of excluding the area outweighed the benefits of including it, the agency said.

Critical habitat designations require managers of federal lands to consult with wildlife biologists on projects such as timber sales or livestock grazing plans that could harm protected species.

In October 2004, the Fish and Wildlife Service designated approximately 1,748 miles of streams and 61,235 acres of lakes in the Columbia and Klamath River basins of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho as critical habitat for bull trout. In response to a lawsuit, the agency agreed to review that critical habitat designation, and the new rules are the result.

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