Indian Creek Bull Trout Population

Overview

Indian Creek flows into the northwest end of Rimrock Reservoir, which inundated an extensive meadow complex known as McAllister Meadows after impoundment in 1925. Before impoundment Indian Creek was a tributary of the North Fork Tieton River. It becomes one again each year when the reservoir is drawn down and the North Fork Tieton River flows across the dry bed of the reservoir, usually between late September and mid-October. Fish passage conditions at the mouth of Indian Creek can deteriorate during this time period in dry years, although bull trout access was precluded only in 2001. Indian Creek originates in the William O. Douglas Wilderness Area, and approximately five miles of the stream is accessible to bull trout below a waterfall that is a total barrier to upstream passage. The lower four miles of this reach is on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, with the upper mile in the wilderness area. Several springs contribute flow to Indian Creek in the accessible reach; other than these no perennial tributaries enter the Indian Creek below the barrier waterfall. Short reaches of the creek can experience dewatering in extremely dry years.

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Population Information

Population Distribution and Life History

Indian Creek supports a single local population of bull trout, which displays an adfluvial life history type. It is possible that a resident component exists although this has not been confirmed. The primary spawning area for this population extends from the U.S. Highway 12 bridge to the barrier waterfall 4.3 miles upstream although occasionally a few fish have been observed spawning a short distance below the bridge, usually within about a tenth of a mile (the distance from the bridge to the mouth of the creek is about a half mile). Between 2.0 and 2.5 miles above the bridge several springs enter the creek. Two of these in particular All three springs contribute significant flow and are utilized for spawning. Juvenile bull trout use the entire length of Indian Creek for rearing. Rimrock Lake provides FMO habitat for subadult and adult fish (Figure 11). Adult bull trout enter the creek in late August/early September just prior to commencement of spawning (James 2002a). In 2024 during a culvert replacement on Andy Creek (a seasonal tributary to rimrock lake only 0.25 miles from Indian Creek) the Washington Department of Transportation found several sub-adult bull trout taking refuge in the pool below the culvert. More surveys are needed to collect genetic and distribution data, however, it is likely the bull trout originated from Indian Creek.

Natural Barriers limiting distribution

Approximately five miles upstream of the confluence with the North Fork Tieton River, there is a waterfall that is thought to be a total barrier to upstream passage. However, in 2022 two surveyors from Mid-Columbia Fisheries noted a probable bull trout redd not far upstream of the falls?? (zac??). At the barrier falls, the majority of the flow comes from a steep cascade on river-right which originates from another spring while the remainder of the flow falls down a different cascade on river-left and originates from Apple and Pear Lakes.

River-left barrier falls on Indian Creek

Population Genetics

The Indian Creek population is genetically distinct from all other populations in the Yakima Basin including the other adfluvial populations residing in Rimrock Lake to which it is physically connected (South and North Fork Tieton rivers). All genetic samples that have been analyzed to date were collected from post-spawn adults captured in 1996 in a box trap deployed in the creek, although additional juvenile samples were collected in 2011. Anything to edit or add from updated USFWS genetic collection?? Connectivity and thus the potential for genetic exchange with downstream populations in the Naches River fluvial system was eliminated by the construction of Tieton Dam in 1925. Recent work by USFWS (grey literature? citation?) suggest entrainment rates are higher than previously thought. Bull Trout entrained through Tieton dam may be contributing genetics to fluvial populations in the Naches river system.

Population Monitoring

In 1982 a snorkel survey was conducted on Indian Creek and found bull trout and cutthroat trout but no brook trout (Plum Creek TImber Company 1993). Shortly thereafter in 1984, exploratory spawning surveys began with complete surveys conducted since 1988. The Indian Creek bull trout population has received considerable attention since. In 1994, when Plum Creek Timber Company returned and conducted night surveys, only bull trout and whitefish were observed (Plum Creek Timber Company 1995). In work for her CWU Master’s degree, Sexauer studied life history aspects of bull trout in several Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest streams including Indian Creek, reporting on juvenile bull trout population densities and habitat use (Sexauer 1994; James and Sexauer 1997; Sexauer and James 1997). A CWU graduate student, Brenda James studied the feeding ecology of juvenile bull trout in the stream (James 1997). Paul James (2002a) studied the population status and life history characteristics of the Indian Creek population. To determine genetic variability within bull trout populations in the Yakima River basin, Reiss (2003) analyzed genetic samples collected from post-spawn adults in Indian Creek in 1996. WDFW snorkeled and electroshocked Indian Creek in 2003 as part of a project to develop a bull trout presence/absence sampling protocol (Hoffman et al. 2005). Larsen et al. (2003) examined these data in more detail with Peterson et al. (2005) providing final analysis.

Add a note about trap and haul efforts and PIT monitoring

Although no brook trout were observed in the initial 1982 snorkel survey of Indian Creek the species’ presence has since been confirmed by the Hoffman study cited above and by Polacek and James (2003) who reported that bull trout were the predominant species in the creek but brook trout were also present at much lower densities (along with cutthroat trout, mountain whitefish, and sculpin). It has also been confirmed that hybridization between bull and brook trout has occurred, although this confirmation comes from the analysis of just one genetic sample collected from a juvenile fish in 1998 (Small et al. 2009). Add section about further confirmation of Indian Creek hybridization (USFWS??)

As was noted above, Rimrock Lake bull trout are entrained in the outlet works of Tieton Dam. The population-scale impact of entrainment on the Indian Creek population or either of the other two adfluvial populations residing in the lake has not been quantified. Estimates have been derived on the number of fish entrained. Three years of entrainment monitoring occurred in the early 2000s. James (2002b) estimated that the number of bull trout entrained ranged from 46–87 in 2001 and Hiebert et al. (2002; 2003) estimated the entrainment loss to be 145 bull trout in 2002 and 140 in 2003. Underwood and Cramer (2007) used data from these entrainment studies, as well as James’ population data to create a life cycle model that was used to simulate effect of entrainment on long-term population dynamics. Any updated entrainment data?

During the 2005 construction of the Tieton hydroelectric project a fish salvage effort was conducted; 37 bull trout were captured in the stilling basin directly below Tieton Dam (Ackerman 2005). Genetic samples were collected from these fish, and 11 were assigned to the Indian Creek population (Small et al. 2009). Additional evidence of entrained bull trout surviving and migrating within the Yakima Basin comes from a single fish that was captured and sampled at Roza Dam in 2004. This fish genetically assigned to the Indian Creek population (see Genetics Baseline). Courter and Cramer subsequently reported on higher survival estimates for entrained bull trout post-construction of the hydroelectric project, with estimated mortality reduced from 85% to 45% (Courter and Vaughan 2011).

Anything about future Tieton Dam fish passage?

Figure 11. Indian Creek subwatershed - update maps??

Other Distribution Data (eDNA, etc.) ? or include in narrative above?

-WDFW demographic data 2022-2023

-USFWS Trap and Haul data

Redd Survey Data

The spawning period for the Indian Creek population occurs primarily during the month of September but can extend through mid-October. Complete redd surveys have been conducted on Indian Creek since 1988 from the U.S. Highway 12 bridge upstream to the barrier waterfall, a distance of 4.3 river miles. The index area includes a spring (South Spring) contributing single-channel flow, which enters the creek on the right bank at about the half-way point of the reach and another spring (North Spring) which enters from the left bank about a little further upstream. The latter is a spring complex with multiple channels of significant length, together totaling an estimated 0.25 mile? of spawning habitat. The surveyed index area covers nearly the entire length of the stream currently utilized for spawning. When did WDFW start monitoring the other spring? upper or lower south spring? Have they been lumped as one in the past?

Figure 10

The number of redds observed in Indian Creek rose steadily over the first eight years of surveys to average over 200 between 1995 and 2000 (Figure 10). At the time the Indian Creek population was considered the strongest in the Yakima Basin. In 2001, redd numbers declined to an average of 94 redds with two particularly depressed years. It is speculated that this may have been the result of the large winter flood in 1996 that scoured the primary spawning and rearing area for multiple age classes. This could have affected adult recruitment five years later. Redd counts have increased since 2009 from 2007 to 2012, although not quite to the level observed during the peak period. In 2013 a major landslide occurred in Indian Creek, xxx more info xxx, which crashed spawning to a historic low. In the past decade, redd counts have been steadily increasing again to a high of 177 redds in 2023.

Population Status and Trend

The USFWS (USFWS 1998) did not consider the Indian Creek population singularly, but considered the Rimrock “subpopulation” to be stable and increasing. Any new information from species status assessment?? WDFW similarly lumps the Rimrock adfluvial populations and rates the status of this stock as healthy (WDFW 2004). Given the spawning pattern evident over the last 25 years, it is difficult to determine a distinct trend for this population. To a great extent it appears to have recovered from the eight-year depression to be resilient enough to rebound from major disturbances. Counts obtained over the next few years may confirm this trend. At this point the population can still be considered one of the healthiest in the basin.

(Insert graph of redd counts; ideally via live link)

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Habitat

Habitat Overview

Indian Creek is a relatively high elevation stream ranging from 2,900 feet at its mouth to about 3,700 feet at the upstream end of the spawning area. As mentioned previously, the upper mile (approximate) of the reach accessible to migratory bull trout is located in the wilderness. The remainder of the creek flows through the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest and, with the exception of the half-mile reach extending from the US Highway 12 Bridge to Rimrock Reservoir, is also relatively undisturbed. There are several reasons for this: the lower section of the creek is paralleled by a Forest Service road (1308) for about three miles but its average distance from the stream is approximately 1,000 feet with a minimum distance of 300 feet (overall road density in the watershed is low); the most recent timber harvest in the vicinity occurred over 20 years ago and no harvesting occurred near the riparian corridor; livestock grazing has not occurred in the area to any significant degree for over a century; and residential development is non-existent. Anything to add about road/trailhead closure due to wash out? Habitat conditions in this reach were most recently reported in a 1999 stream survey report (USFS 1999). This report describes a stream with multiple channels occurring in 15% of the length surveyed (3.5 miles) having an active floodplain of variable width. The riparian corridor was healthy but often set back some distance from the active channel. Partly because of this, Indian Creek fell well below Forest Plan standards for LWD. Since the presence of LWD is closely correlated with pool formation, the creek also fell well short of the standards for pool frequency and depth. In considering these observations it should be noted that well over a mile of the creek’s mainstem at the upstream end was not surveyed nor apparently were the two springs previously mentioned (see Population Distribution and Life History, Trend). The quality of spawning and rearing habitat in these areas is considered excellent by local biologists. Anything to update here?

Habitat quality in the reach below the bridge is not nearly as good as above it and diminishes appreciably closer to the mouth of the creek. Not far below the bridge a few summer homes are located on the banks of the creek and Indian Creek Campground is situated close to the stream at the mouth. The bridge itself does not appear to restrict floodplain function, as it is located at a natural bedrock constriction of the channel. The riparian disturbance from the homes is minimal; some bank erosion occurs during snowmelt runoff in the spring. The campground does not significantly contribute to habitat degradation, but the activities of campers sometimes do. Wood, presumably for campfires, is often removed from the creek, but the larger issue is the construction of recreational dams that may impede upstream fish passage. These obstructions are found and dismantled regularly by WDFW fish passage technicians and Mid-Columbia Fisheries Bull Trout Task Force (BTTF). on an annual basis by biologists conducting redd surveys in September. A motorcycle race held annually in September on the dry bed of the depleted reservoir adjacent to Indian Creek is a concern. More recently, WDFW has made efforts to educate OHV users prior to the annual race and construct signage to direct them to designated bridge crossings of the creek. In 2023 BTTF technicians were on-site during the race to help keep racers out of the creek, but reported that signage was great and everyone was respectful of the rules. While efforts are made to avoid direct impacts on the channel the race undoubtedly potentially disturbs the behavior of migrating bull trout. ascending the creek to spawn. A final issue of moderate concern is passage conditions at the mouth of Indian Creek in late summer. Passage for pre-spawn bull trout may be impeded when flows and the reservoir volume are low such as occurred in 2001 when remedial measures had to be taken to reestablish connectivity. As of XXX year, WDFW fish passage biologists have monitored the alluvial fan of Indian Creek throughout the summer, opening passage or blocking of small braided channels to increase success of passage through one main channel.

A BTTF Technician sits below the barrier falls on river-right at Indian Creek

Extent of available spawning and rearing habitat

Check above under overview of population distribution and life history? Pull down description or remove this sub heading

Habitat Monitoring

Field Habitat Surveys

Mongillo (1982) measured water quality parameters and zooplankton densities for Rimrock Reservoir. Sexauer (1994) surveyed habitat use by juvenile and pre-spawning adult bull trout. James (1997) measured and summarized habitat parameters and water temperature in Indian Creek and the North Spring of Indian Creek. The Forest Service did a stream survey on Indian Creek in 1999, using Hankin and Reeves survey protocol (Hankin and Reeves 1988; USFS 1999). In these surveys, data were collected on pool/riffle frequency, riparian and channel condition, substrate, LWD, and temperature. Croci (2001) and Harvester (2007) summarized temporary measures that were implemented to alleviate upstream adult bull trout passage impediments due to drought conditions, resulting low flows, low reservoir levels, and a wide, shallow steam channel.

During annual spawning surveys, the following observations have been made: low flows and split channels occasionally impede upstream migration, generally near Trail 1147 crossing at the end of the Indian Creek Road. Passage into the North Spring was inhibited by a natural woody debris jam starting in 2020 and became passable again in 2023. The upper extent of passage in the Lower South Spring is a large inactive beaver dam that has been documented since xxx? In 2010, a high intensity rain event caused a delivery of high sediment from upland areas into the spawning and rearing area adjacent to the North Spring area of Indian Creek. Another large weather event in 2013 caused XXXXX

Banish (2003) measured bull trout microhabitat and mesohabitat in 10 Eastern Washington and Oregon streams. Banish conducted day- and night-time snorkeling in Indian Creek. He pooled his data, however, and did not report results for individual steams. Polacek and James (2003) studied diel microhabitat use of age-0 bull trout in Indian Creek. Microhabitat variables included water depth and velocity, distance from the stream bottom, habitat and refuge use, substrate type, and substrate embeddedness.

Anything to add? Any surveys from Zac prior to SRFB request? Mention SRFB habitat request?

Stream Temperature Data

Indian Creek at the Highway 12 crossing was monitored for temperature via thermographs deployed during the summer low flow period in 10 out of 11 years from 1997-2007 (USFS 2011a). Other thermographs were deployed in and around the spring tributaries in 2000. Temperature data since from 2007 to 201X is a monitoring gap. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service started monitoring temperature again in 2020? at the site of their PIT antenna, 0.25? miles upstream of the US 12 bridge. In fall of 2023, Mid-Columbia Fisheries started monitoring temperature in the North Spring, with several more thermographs deployed in the other springs and the mainstem in April of 2024. Monitoring is expected to continue as long as there is funding for equipment, time and maintenance of thermographs.

The United States Forest Service NorWeST Stream Temperature Model predicts the coldest available habitat (0-8 degrees C) in Indian Creek to shrink by 2080, but remain less than 12 C throughout the next several decades. Recent temperature monitoring suggests that cold water (4-6 C) is consistently produced in the springs mentioned above, year-round.

With new temperature data showing consistent cold water habitat in Indian Creek, it is important to note the importance of this stream as a refuge as other nearby stream temperatures rise due to climate change.

Other Habitat Data/Monitoring

Anything to put here? Keep this sub-heading?

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== Threats ==

Tied to stuff from SSA

=== Connectivity ===

==== Fish Passage Barriers (Check/update FDSI) ====

==== Entrainment (Dams? Irrigation Diversions?) ====

==== Dewatering due to flow management ====

==== Other? ====

=== Land-use Issues ===

==== Forestry ====

==== Agriculture and Grazing ====

==== Recreation ====

==== Roads and Development ====

==== Mining ====

==== Other ====

=== Ecological Interactions ===

==== Brook Trout ====

==== Other Invasive Species ====

==== Diminished Prey Base ====

==== Disease ====

=== Water Quantity and Quality ===

==== Flow issues/dewatering ====

==== Current and modeled future temperature conditions ====

(iFrame of NORWEST results?)

==== Other changes in hydrology ====

=== Fisheries Impacts ===

==== Angling Regulations/Fisheries Use/Poaching ====

==== Fisheries Management/Monitoring ====

=== Other Threats ===

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== Summary of Primary Limiting Factors ==

(Look at threat summary table format and Teanaway example)

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== Recovery Strategy ==

=== Population-level Recovery Strategy ===

(High-level discussion of priority needs)

=== Monitoring Needs/Key Questions ===

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== Actions ==

=== Past Bull Trout Recovery Actions ===

(Mix of narrative and table, or could be a database)

=== Recommended Actions ===

(Link to or summarize BTAP database)

=== Actions in the Yakima Steelhead Recovery Plan that benefit this population ===

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== Update Notes ==

(Time, people, process for last major updates)