Thanks to a generous National Fish and Wildlife grant, CalTrout will be restoring 110 acres of land and removing approximately 145 decaying trees at June Mountain, working in partnership with Inyo National Forest and Mammoth Mountain Ski Area. Over 70 years of fire exclusion, combined with periods of extended drought, have resulted in unnaturally dense, stressed forested stands that are currently experiencing high levels of bark beetle activity. This has resulted in an excessive amount of dead and dying whitebark pine trees. Removing them will improve forest health, decrease the risk of high intensity wildland fires, and protect aquatic resources. These lands are critically important to watershed health and forest resilience at the June Mountain Ski Area. An untamed wildland fire in this area would have catastrophic effects to June Lake and downstream Grant Lake and Rush Creek watersheds; these waterways are historic spawning grounds for wild brown trout.
Dr. Mark Drew, CalTrout’s Eastern Sierra Manager, discussed how the non-infested trees will fare with the removal of damaged trees: “These trees are stressed due to drought. The best thing we can do is try to improve the health of the living trees and to remove dead ones to eliminate dead wood for the beetles.” Dead tree removal will begin in July 2017.
CalTrout will be working with the US Fish and Wildlife Service to monitor the plants before and after tree removal. In addition, we’ll be developing and implementing an education and outreach program centered on forest health and expected outcomes from this restoration project.
The June Mountain Ski Area Whitebark Pine Restoration Project was recently covered in the Sheet, “Save the Trees!”.
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Peter Moyle is the Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology and Associate Director of the Center for Watershed Sciences, at UC Davis. He is author or co-author of more than 240 publications, including the definitive Inland Fishes of California (2002). He is co-author of the 2017 book, Floodplains: Processes and Management for Ecosystem Services. His research interests include conservation of aquatic species, habitats, and ecosystems, including salmon; ecology of fishes of the San Francisco Estuary; ecology of California stream fishes; impact of introduced aquatic organisms; and use of floodplains by fish.
Robert Lusardi is the California Trout/UC Davis Wild and Coldwater Fish Researcher focused on establishing the basis for long-term science specific to California Trout’s wild and coldwater fish initiatives. His work bridges the widening gap between academic science and applied conservation policy, ensuring that rapidly developing science informs conservation projects throughout California. Dr. Lusardi resides at the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences and works closely with Dr. Peter Moyle on numerous projects to help inform California Trout conservation policy. His recent research interests include Coho salmon on the Shasta River, the ecology of volcanic spring-fed rivers, inland trout conservation and management, and policy implications of trap and haul programs for anadromous fishes in California.
Patrick Samuel is the Conservation Program Coordinator for California Trout, a position he has held for almost two years, where he coordinates special research projects for California Trout, including the State of the Salmonids report. Prior to joining CalTrout, he worked with the Fisheries Leadership & Sustainability Forum, a non-profit that supports the eight federal regional fishery management councils around the country. Patrick got his start in fisheries as an undergraduate intern with NOAA Fisheries Protected Resources Division in Sacramento, and in his first field job as a crew member of the California Department of Fish & Wildlife’s Wild and Heritage Trout Program.