The goal of the project is to develop a long term population monitoring plan for native resident fish in the Malheur River Subbasin.  The draft Native Resident Fish Monitoring Plan developed in FY 2007 will be shared with local fish and land management entities. The Tribe will coordinate with local entities, such as the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Burns Paiute Tribe, and Malheur Watershed Council, for overall comment to the plan and identify relevant M&E responsibilities of each entity.  Population status and trend information is critical in evaluating management effects on the resource.

Long term monitoring of native resident fish, redband trout in particular, is needed to track the status of populations into the future.  The Tribe shall Implement the first two years of population monitoring according to the draft Malheur River Subbasin M&E Plan.  A total of 36 will be sampled in FY 2008 according to protocols and work schedules outlined in the draft M&E Plan.  The technical staff of the Tribe will also participate in annual bull trout spawning surveys on Lake Creek, Big Creek, Meadow Fork Creek, Snowshoe Creek, Elk, Little Crane, Sheep Creek, Swamp Creek, Deadhorse Creek, and North Fork Malheur River.  The data collected will be utilized as trend data for adult bull trout and incorporated into the Malheur River Native Salmonid Monitoring and Evaluation Plan.  


In 1992, ODFW initiated spawning surveys for bull trout within the North Fork and Upper Malheur river system.  Since 1999, Tribal staff has played an important role in assisting ODFW in conducting these surveys.  These surveys are only possible with the cooperation of all of the local agencies and the many volunteers that participate.  

Redd count surveys are to be conducted bi-monthly.  Bull trout spawning ground surveys will be conducted from mid-August through mid-October.  Survey crews will be thoroughly trained in the identification of bull trout redds based on standard methods.  All surveys will be conducted walking upstream, generally in the center of the channel, or when two surveyors are required, each surveyor on opposite side of the stream.  All surveyors will be equipped with polarized sunglasses.  All redds in the survey reaches will be marked with survey flagging so they are not double-counted.  In addition, a GPS reading will be taken at each redd identified.  The GPS unit will be set to record the coordinates in decimal degrees or decimal minutes and the datum to NAD 1983.  A chronological record will be kept of each redd and the visibility of each classified every survey.