Mill Creek, a tributary of the Upper Yellowstone River about 20 miles south of Livingston, is one of the best small streams to fish for Yellowstone cutthroat trout. But, catching the fish in its native habitat has gotten harder as other trout species have invaded the area.
Restoration efforts at Mill Creek are being led by a non-profit in partnership with the Forest Service.
Trout Unlimited’s Ashley Brubaker says four new wooden structures built on the edge of the stream on a ranch property mimic actual log jams.
She says crews drove wooden fence posts into the streambed to secure the logs.
“I'm hoping that other logs and debris that come downstream from upstream will catch on these like a natural logjam, just kind of accumulates more and more wood, and they’ll start to A look better, but also B, more importantly, function like natural logjams do and collect stuff and create these big, slower areas off to the side a little bit,” she said.
Brubaker says slower water is helpful habitat for Yellowstone cutthroat trout when they are raising their young, and the logs will provide overhead hiding areas for juvenile fish.
The Forest Service built a fish barrier on Mill Creek in the 1990’s, but rainbow trout and brook trout still managed to make their way up part of this prime Yellowstone cutthroat spawning area.
Brubaker says the rainbow trout hybridize with Yellowstone cutthroat trout and brook trout can outcompete them for habitat.
“We are working with the Forest Service and with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks to build another barrier in the headwaters. The nonnatives haven’t moved all the way up into the headwaters yet, so we’re racing against the clock to get that barrier in hopefully next summer” she said.
Funding for these projects is coming from a $22 million partnership between the U.S. Forest Service and Trout Unlimited to restore waters across the nation. River and stream projects in Montana are anticipated to receive close to $2 million of the $22 million agreement.
That agreement is being bolstered by the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure law.
