Paiute cutthroat trout restoration in Alpine County begins this summer

Plans to restore one of the rarest trout species in America to a remote stream in Alpine County will begin this August. The Paiute Cutthroat Trout Restoration Project is a joint effort by the U.S. Forest Service, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The agencies are working together to restore this rare species to 11 stream miles of Silver King Creek and three of its tributaries in the Carson Iceberg Wilderness, according to a joint news release by the three agencies. The Paiute cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii seleniris) was listed as endangered in 1967. It was reclassified as threatened in 1975.

The objective of this project is to recover and reestablish Paiute cutthroat trout in its small historic range and to prevent additional hybridization with other trout species. This is a critical step to conserving the species and restoring it to a level that will allow it to be removed from protection under the Endangered Species Act.

Learn more about the Paiute cutthroat trout, this project, and read associated environmental documents here.