Five of the six native Lahontan cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki henshawi)populations in Oregon exist in the Coyote Lakes basin of southeast Harney County.  The major drainages in the Coyote Lakes Basin are Willow and Whitehorse Creeks.  Both drainages originate on the north slope of Trout Creek Mountain, terminate in the dry Coyote lake bed and are currently isolated from each other or any other basin.  Populations of Lahontan cutthroat in Willow and Whitehorse Creeks have been protected under the ESA as a threatened species since 1991 and are also listed as threatened under State of Oregon statute. 

Along with changes in management and land use activities, the federal recovery plan for Lahontan cutthroat trout requires the assessment of habitat conditions and population abundance at five year intervals.  Population monitoring of cutthroat in Willow and Whitehorse creeks was initiated in 1985 and has occurred on a five year interval since then. 

In 2005 the Native Fish Investigations Project continued population monitoring by obtaining an estimate of Lahontan cutthroat trout in Willow Creek and Whitehorse Creek, and tested the application of the EMAP sampling design to obtain this estimate.  Additionally, we determined distribution of cutthroat trout in tributaries where presence was suspected but not verified, and monitored changes in distribution of the Antelope Creek population.

Annual Reports and Publications:

Gunckel, S.L., and S.E. Jacobs. 2006. Population Assessment of Lahontan Cutthroat Trout, 2005.  Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Annual Progress Report, Fish Research Project E-2-38, Salem.

Relevant Information: