Native Fisheries Restoration

Description

This project will provide recent college graduates with training and increased skill by supporting the fisheries management program at Great Basin National Park (GBNP). This collaborative effort involves the monitoring of fish populations to provide additional information on population status and trends, water quality and quantity, and habitat restoration. Work may include sampling for species presence and distribution, determining water quality and quantity parameters, and assessing and restoring habitat, data entry, data management, quality control and quality assurance. Fisheries management at GBNP focuses on two main issues: reintroduction of the Bonneville Cutthroat Trout (BCT) into its native range and maintaining recreational fishing for the visiting public. The commitment by the NPS to reintroduce BCT at GBNP has helped to forestall its listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The BCT is the only trout native to east central Nevada, and it has experienced major declines caused by natural and anthropogenic changes. This subspecies is endemic to the Bonneville Basin and is a relic of the ancient glacio-pluvial Lake Bonneville. The mission of the Great Basin Institute⿿s Research Associate Program is to ⿿provide research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, recent graduates, or experienced professionals looking to begin or enhance a career in resource management, conservation, stewardship, and other related fields⿝. The Institute focuses its research efforts on conservation and management of natural and cultural resource in the inner-mountain west, with special emphasis on the Great Basin and Mojave Deserts, as well as the Lake Tahoe Basin. The Research Associate Program provides opportunities related to inventorying rare plant communities, mapping and treating exotic species; conducting recreational use surveys, management of recreation on public lands, wildlife monitoring, cultural resource surveys, and monitoring and evaluating restoration initiatives. Our ecoregion provides substantial opportunities to work in mixed conifer forests, riparian and stream areas, and within a variety of arid land habitats. Research Associate Program project partners include the National Park Service (NPS), as well as numerous other federal, state and county agencies, and NGOs. Personnel from GBI and NPS will collaborate in all aspects of the development of a fish population monitoring and public outreach program. The objective of this project is to participate collaboratively in conservation activities to perform work associated with the monitoring of fish populations in the South Snake Range such as sampling for species presence and distribution ,determining water quality and quantity parameters, and assessing and restoring habitat, data entry, data management, quality control and quality assurance. This project will include fish monitoring in Great Basin National Park and the South Snake range. Travel may be required to visit with experts, attend meetings and symposiums, and to participate in collaborative research, training, and outreach with other agencies such as the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW), the US Forest Service (USFS), and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

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