A Colorado River cutthroat trout in the Uinta Mountains.
Salt Lake City — Five new conservation projects geared toward helping Utah’s native cutthroat trout were recently selected for this year, funded by the popular fishing challenge, the Utah Cutthroat Slam.
The projects were selected by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and Utah Trout Unlimited — the organizations that started the Utah Cutthroat Slam. Launched in April 2016, the slam is a fishing challenge that requires participants to catch each of Utah’s four native cutthroat trout subspecies in their native ranges. Roughly $19 of each $20 registration fee goes toward conservation projects for the native species.
The five projects being funded this year are:
- eDNA sampling on Fish and Clear creeks: This project will help effectively pinpoint the source of invasive trout in these two waterbodies (located in the middle Sevier River watershed) to improve the likelihood of success for future cutthroat restoration efforts in the area.
- Clear Creek beaver relocations: This project aims to relocate beavers from lower in the drainage, where they are negatively impacting river habitat and backing up water in areas with bridges and roads. The beavers will be moved to the headwaters, where there is plenty of forage. They will provide more benefit to the cutthroat population in that area by restoring water table levels, increasing floodplain connectivity and generally improving the river corridor habitat.
- Silver Creek aquatic sampling: This project will help determine the status of aquatic life in Silver Creek from before and after cleanup efforts in the area. The cleanup will involve removing mine tailings present in the area. The presence of young aquatic insects is considered a sign of stream health, and monitoring them will help determine how well the creek is responding to the cleanup efforts, and whether it can sustain additional aquatic life in the future.
- Fish trap operations at North Eden Creek: A recently completed fish-passage project on North Eden Creek has provided another tributary where Bear Lake cutthroat trout can spawn. This project will fund a Utah Trout Unlimited intern to assist with the daily operation of a fish trap to better understand fish migration in the system and monitor the use of the new fish passage by spawning fish. Wetland-friendly plants will be planted near the creek, and some additional restoration structures will also be built.
- Bear River cutthroat signs: This project will fund some improved signage in the Bear River drainage to educate area visitors about Bear River cutthroat trout and other restoration efforts.
Each project is receiving roughly $5,000 in funding from the Utah Cutthroat Slam.
“In the last 30 years, we have increased the range of each of our native cutthroat trout subspecies, and we’re working to stabilize the species throughout the state into the future,” DWR Sportfish Coordinator Trina Hedrick said. “The Utah Cutthroat Slam is vital in funding important projects that continue our restoration efforts for cutthroat trout. Anglers should consider participating in this fun challenge because their registration fee goes directly toward the conservation of cutthroat trout and helps us create better angling opportunities for this important species throughout Utah.”
To date, 5,885 people have registered for the slam, and the program has generated more than $130,660 for cutthroat trout restoration and outreach in Utah. There have been 2,110 completions of the slam.
Participants who complete the slam receive a certificate and can choose to receive one of four commemorative medallions, each highlighting a different cutthroat subspecies.
“The success of the Utah Cutthroat Slam is truly a testament to the partnership between our organizations,” Trout Unlimited Utah Director Jordan Nielson said. “The money generated through this program helps fund important conservation projects that directly benefit native cutthroat trout and promote fishing and conservation. We are so excited to see this program continue to grow and help with cutthroat trout restoration in Utah.”
Anyone interested in participating in the Utah Cutthroat Slam can register on the website and can also visit the Utah Cutthroat Slam booth at the Wasatch Fly Tying and Fly Fishing Expo from April 10-11 at the Mountain America Expo Center in Sandy.
