Bull trout to be planted on the flanks of Mount Hood

Here’s a story from the Associated Press on efforts to restore bull trout in the upper reaches of the Clackamas River in Oregon:

Bull trout are going to be put back in the Clackamas River on the flanks of Mount Hood in Oregon after being gone for nearly 50 years.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Monday that bull trout from the Metolius River near Sisters will be transplanted into the Clackamas on the Mount Hood National Forest starting June 30.

Bull trout are a threatened species found in five states. Their demand for very clean and cold water put them at the center of a court battle that ended up restricting logging, mining and grazing on federal lands in the West.

to be planted The last one was observed in the Clackamas in 1963.

Federal biologists hope to finish a plan this year for restoring healthy bull trout populations.

Bull trout are a threatened species throughout the West, but there are some areas where they are plentiful. I’m planning a high lakes trip later this summer to Cougar Lake and First and MIddle Hidden lakes in the Pasayten Wilderness north of Winthrop. Cougar has a lot of them, but it’s a 15 mile hike over two mountain passes, so you’ve got to want to catch one..