Restoration Project

Goose Creek is a tributary to the Snake River that flows through Idaho, Nevada, and Utah and has a diverse native fish assemblage with some of the few remaining populations of Northern Leatherside Chub (Lepidomeda copei) and Bluehead Sucker (Catostomus discobulus) in the Upper Snake River basin. The Goose Creek Allotment is managed by the Burley Field Office (Twin Falls District, Idaho State Office) Bureau of Land Management. The allotment encompasses portions of Goose Creek mainstem as well as several perennial and intermittent riparian health and it now contains multiple livestock exclosures on the Goose Creek mainstem and key tributaries. However, off-stream watering infrastructure installed over 40 years ago has deteriorated and now requires more than annual maintenance and repair. Trout Unlimited,  BLM, and allotment permittees are proposing to replace livestock water infrastructure to ensure consistent water sources are available to reduce livestock reliance on streams for watering and use of riparian areas. Managing riparian health on Goose Creek and its tributaries will help maintain the few remaining populations of Nothern Leatherside Chub and Bluehead Sucker in Idaho, as well as other desert fish species, from sedimentation, nutrients, and reduced instream cover from excessive use of Goose Creek tributary streams by livestock.