Non-native fish to be removed from Bare Creek in Wyoming Range
by Wyoming Game & Fish
August 18, 2015
Fish managers with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department will be removing non-native fish species from Bare Creek in the Wyoming Range west of Daniel August 24-28, 2015. As a result, managers are suggesting anglers and other outdoor enthusiasts help by planning to avoid Bare Creek during that week.
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is in the first year of a project to restore the native Colorado River cutthroat trout in the Bare Creek watershed. Bare Creek is a tributary to South Cottonwood Creek in the upper Green River system that includes nine stream miles of currently occupied trout habitat.
Colorado River cutthroat trout populations will be restored within their historic range in Bare Creek, where they can persist and be managed without continual competition and hybridization from non-native fish species. The plan calls for the removal of non-native trout species within the upper headwaters of Bare Creek. Once non-natives have been removed, a self-sustaining Colorado River cutthroat trout population can be re-established through transplants from nearby sources.
Fish managers will be treating the entire length of Bare Creek at one time. This will be done using the piscicide rotenone. This chemical has been used successfully in many stream restoration efforts and has proven highly effective at removing unwanted fish species from aquatic systems with no harmful effects to other plants and animals.
The entire project will continue for the next year with plans to restock native Colorado River cutthroat trout, as well as other native fish species, by the year 2017.
As a reminder, Bare Creek should be considered closed to all water activities during the treatment period from August 24 through August 28. If you were planning to recreate in the Bare Creek watershed during this time, please consider an alternate location. A few suggestions would be to camp and fish in the nearby North Cottonwood or North Horse Creek drainages.
For more information about the Colorado River cutthroat trout restoration project on Bare Creek, or for suggestions of alternate recreational locations, please contact Wyoming Game and Fish Pinedale Fisheries Biologist Darren Rhea at 1-800-452-9107 or 307-367-4347.
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