Box Canyon Creek Bull Trout Population
Overview
Box Canyon Creek originates in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area and flows into Kachess Reservoir from the northwest near its northern end. The reach accessible to migratory fish is about three miles downstream of the wilderness boundary and entirely within the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. This reach is relatively short with an impassable waterfall (Peekaboo Falls) located at its upstream end approximately 1.5 miles above the reservoir. No significant tributaries enter the creek in the accessible reach. Complete dewatering at the mouth of Box Canyon Creek has been known to occur in late summer during dry years when streamflow is low and the reservoir level has dropped significantly due to irrigation demands. There have been emergency fish passage flumes built in 2001, 2003, 2005, 2015, 2019, 2023, 2024, and 2025 to get fish past the dry section.
Population Information
Population Distribution and Life History
The Box Canyon Creek population displays an adfluvial life history type. It is possible that a resident component exists as well although this has not been confirmed. The spawning area extends from Peekaboo Falls downstream to Kachess Reservoir. Juvenile rearing occurs in the entire 1.5-mile accessible reach. The lake provides FMO habitat for subadult and adult fish (MAP). Adult bull trout typically move into Box Canyon Creek in mid-July to mid-August, prior to spawning, and numerous fish migrate to and hold in the large pool directly below Peekaboo Falls. However, migration timing may be changing due to flow and temperature conditions in Box Canyon Creek (mean August temperatures averaging 13.5-14.5°C between 2016 and 2024). Few adult bull trout have been seen in spot checks at Peek-a-boo falls during July and August of 2022-2025 (see population monitoring section below) (Scott Kline, personal communication). Summer demographic surveys showed only 6 adults in 2022 and 1 adult in 2023 staging in the system prior to spawning. Finally, fewer adults have been seen staging in the pool below "big pool falls" during the first pass redd surveys (Aimee Taylor, BTTF, and Marc Divens, WDFW, personal communication).
Natural Barriers limiting distribution
There is an impassable waterfall (Peekaboo Falls) at 47.37606, -121.2584672 about 1.5 miles upstream of the reservoir (Figure 1). There have been many discussions about the feasibility of introducing bull trout above Peekaboo Falls to increase spawning and rearing habitat. See Peekaboo Falls Fish Passage Discussion for more information.
Population Genetics
Early results of genetic analyses showed the Box Canyon Creek population is genetically distinct from all other populations in the Yakima Basin (Reiss 2003; Small et al. 2009). Genetic samples for the baseline were collected from juveniles during a snorkel survey in 2001 (Reiss 2003; Small et al. 2009). Connectivity and thus the potential for genetic exchange with downstream populations in the Yakima River fluvial system was eliminated by the construction of Kachess Dam in 1912.
From 2019-2021, the USFWS collected five adults of Box Canyon Creek genetic origin, four adults of Kachess River-origin, and two adults with mixed origin probabilities in Box Canyon Creek. An additional Box Canyon Creek origin fish was collected below Keechelus Dam in 2021. One of the Box Canyon Creek-origin fish collected in 2020 was recaptured at Peekaboo Falls in 2021. Two of the fish had mixed origin probabilities: one fish had a 0.90 probability of Box Canyon Creek origin and a 0.10 probability of Kachess River origin while another had a 0.53 probability of Box Canyon Creek origin and a 0.47 probability of Kachess River origin. These mixed probabilities suggest genetic introgression considering the absence of barriers between spawning populations and the relatively large number of Kachess River fish detected in Box Canyon Creek. An updated baseline assessment with contemporary genetic samples is needed as none have been collected since 2021.
Population Monitoring
The first known documentation of bull trout inhabiting Kachess Reservoir came in 1941 from creel data collected by WDFW (then known as the Washington Department of Game) between 1937 and 1966. Interestingly, very few bull trout (referred to as Dolly Varden) entered the creel during that time period. In 1982, four bull trout were captured by the agency in gillnets set in the lake (Mongillo 1982), and that same year the species was observed, apparently for the first time, by snorkelers in Box Canyon Creek. As noted above, spawning surveys were initiated two years later, beginning the period of consistent monitoring of the Box Canyon Creek bull trout population that continues today. In 1994, Plum Creek Timber Company conducted night snorkel surveys, observing cutthroat and bull trout (Plum Creek Timber Company 1995).
The Forest Service conducted snorkel surveys in Box Canyon Creek in 1991 and 1993, observing relatively small numbers of bull trout. CWU researcher Paul James unsuccessfully attempted to trap post-spawn bull trout near the mouth of the creek in 1999; the next year he observed adults while snorkeling in the summer to determine spawn migration timing (James 2002a).
CWU graduate students Yuki Reiss and William Meyer both spent time snorkeling Box Canyon Creek. Reiss captured 31 juvenile bull trout and collected genetic samples in 2001 (Reiss 2003), and Meyer observed both juveniles and adults in 2000 and 2001, ultimately electing not to use these data in his thesis work (William Meyer, WDFW, pers comm).
In 2011, the USBR conducted an entrainment study directly below Kachess Dam. A screw trap and a fyke net were deployed in the river channel to capture fish entrained through the outlet works of the dam and passed to the river below. The sampling was done over a range of flow releases from mid-June through mid-October. Nearly 2,700 fish were captured during the course of the study representing 16 species but no bull trout were collected (Arden Thomas, USBR, pers comm). The USFWS has attempted to collect entrained Bull Trout below Kachess and Keechelus dams since 2019 but has only collected a single Box Canyon Creek origin Bull Trout - a 720 mm fish collected at the base of Keechelus Dam (Haskell et al. 2022).
In 2016 WDFW started demographic surveys to document all fish species, their size, and distribution, covering on average 56% of the habitat below Peekaboo Falls and ranging between 40% and 100%. In the first 4 years, we found that most of the bull trout fry (yoy) were in the lower 0.6 miles of habitat. Fry were disproportionately distributed in the lower reaches of the stream even when the distribution of redds would suggest some should be found in the upper reaches. Also, Box Canyon has some of the lowest densities of fry relative to other similar studies on Bull Trout. The habitat survey showed that this lower reach habitat is higher gradient with less spawning habitat than the 1 mile of accessible habitat in the upper reach, and that the whole 1.6 miles is deficient in large woody material. This information lead to a hypothesis that Box Canyon has poor recruitment from fry to older age classes because high flows in this stream scour redds and force fry downstream to the reservoir where they do not survive, or if they do hold in this lower reach, have limited rearing habitat because they are blocked from using the upper reach by a juvenile barrier known as Big Pool Falls.
Following a large wood habitat project designed to create velocity refuge for fry and allow them to maintain position throughout the creek during high flows, WDFW continued demographic surveys from 2020 to 2023. WDFW found that the fry distribution shifted to the upper reaches of Box Canyon Creek, making them less susceptible to being flushed out of the creek at high flows and utilizing more of the habitat Box Canyon has to offer. It was also found that more juvenile fish were observed throughout Box Canyon Creek, suggesting juvenile fish also benefitted from the habitat project.
Sporadic checks of Bull Trout abundance were made by snorkeling the pool below Peekaboo Falls to help understand the timing of upstream migration and what opportunities that location might provide for a source of fish to reintroduce above Peekaboo Falls. Multiple checks of Bull Trout abundance there were completed in 2000 (W. Meyer), 2020 (USFWS,WDFW), 2021 (USFWS,WDFW), 2022 (WDFW,MCFEG), and 2023 (WDFW,MCFEG). While over a dozen have been observed at once in 2000 and 2004, no more than 7 Bull Trout have been observed there at one time in the 2020s.
Yakama Nation and USFWS maintain PIT antennas in lower Box Canyon Creek (0.2 km upstream from the mouth) and temporary antennas in the Box Canyon Creek Flume when it is constructed to allow passage from the reservoir to the creek during periods of low flow. They also maintain antennas in the upper Kachess River (upstream of Kachess Reservoir) near the mouth and 1 km upstream of the reservoir. During low water years an additional temporary antenna is also maintained at Kachess Narrows. An antenna array is maintained directly downstream of Keechelus Dam that has detected Bull Trout from both Kachess River and Box Canyon Creek populations entrained at Kachess Dam (Beebe et al. 2025). A similar antenna is needed below Kachess Dam to better assess the need of entrainment of Kachess populations at Kachess Dam.
PIT-tagged Box Canyon Creek fish come from two sources: 1) adult Bull Trout collected during trap and haul work that were entrained at Kachess Dam but collected below Keechelus Dam, and 2), adults collected and tagged in Box Canyon Creek during various collection attempts at Peekaboo Falls and the Box Canyon Creek Flume from 2019 - 2021. Sporadic attempts to collect and tag fish in Box Canyon Creek during other years have been unsuccessful. A relatively large number of Kachess River-origin fish have been detected at PIT-tag monitoring sites in Box Canyon Creek, but only seven Box Canyon Creek Bull Trout have been PIT tagged and therefore detections are limited with most directions being Kachess River fish. Of the seven Box Canyon Creek origin fish PIT-tagged by USFWS in 2020 and 2021, three were last detected in lower Box Canyon Creek in 2022.
During 2023 and 2024, 25 Bull Trout were detected at PIT-tag sites in lower Box Canyon Creek, all of which were of Kachess River-origin. Two were detected July 10 and 18, while the rest were detected in October and November. No fish were detected in August and September when mean daily water temperature was about 15 °C. Seven were later detected in the Kachess River and two of the seven returned to Box Canyon Creek a second time. Kachess River fish may enter Box Canyon Creek as early as July with the Kachess River mouth inaccessible until it rewaters in the fall.. Six of the nine fish detected in the flume were later detected at the Box Canyon Creek antenna array indicating that some fish, though not in their natal stream, were successfully navigating the Box Canyon Creek mouth and entering the lower creek via the flume (Beebe et al. 2024, Beebe et al. 2025a, 2025b).
Redd Surveys
The spawning period for the Box Canyon Creek population begins in early September and can extend through mid-October. Complete bull trout redd surveys have been conducted since 1984 and cover the entire spawning area from just upstream of Kachess Reservoir to Peekaboo Falls. Redd counts have been highly variable (Figure 2). Over the first ten years of surveys, the counts were very low including three years when none were observed. This was probably due in large part to limited adult access to the creek as several years from the late 1980s through the mid-1990s were drought years in the Yakima Basin. The chronic passage problems that occur at the mouth were not yet fully recognized or monitored at that time. The first emergency fish passage flume was constructed on Box Canyon Creek in 2001, to allow passage from the reservoir during periods of low flow. Since that time, passage near the mouth is monitored regularly and a flume is constructed if it is deemed necessary for bull trout passage. Since 1996 the average number of bull trout redds found in Box Canyon Creek has been 9 (this average includes several years where some survey passes were not possible due to high flows). Redd surveyors attempt three passes in Box Canyon Creek, but high flows often thwart survey attempts late in the season.
Other Distribution Data (eDNA, etc.)
In 2017, as part of a broader eDNA project, Box Canyon Creek was used as a control location for a collection of seven samples (Parrish 2017). Three samples were collected below Peekaboo Falls, and analysis showed results as "positive" for bull trout presence. An additional four samples were collected upstream of Peekaboo Falls at one kilometer intervals, with results showing "negative" for bull trout. Despite several redd surveys in the 1980's and 1990's, extensive snorkel surveys in 2017, and the eDNA samples mentioned above, the only documentation of bull trout above Peekaboo Falls occurred during Plum Creek nighttime snorkel surveys in 1994 (Plum Creek 1995).
Population Status and Trend
The USFWS (1998) considered the Kachess subpopulation to be depressed, decreasing, and at risk of stochastic extirpation. At the time this subpopulation included only the Box Canyon Creek local population, as bull trout spawning had not been observed yet in the upper Kachess River nor was a local population recognized. WDFW rates the status of the Kachess Reservoir stock (which included the upper Kachess River population) as critical, further stating that it was very near extirpation (WDFW 2004).
Habitat
Habitat Overview
Elevations on Box Canyon Creek range from 2,270 feet at its mouth to 2,540 feet at the barrier waterfall. This reach is entirely within the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, with the headwaters originating in Alpine Lakes Wilderness. The current primary land use in the watershed is recreation. Logging has occurred in the past and timber harvest is possible in the future. FS Road 4930 runs parallel and fairly close (<100 yards) to the spawning reach for about two-thirds of its length. In the past, a lengthy section of this road (~600 feet) was a chronic source of sediment in the creek but this section was relocated and stabilized in 2006. Road density in the watershed increases further upstream but these former logging roads are not particularly close to the creek and do not appear to be problematic in terms of sediment contribution. Areas along the riparian corridor of Box Canyon Creek were negatively impacted by past timber harvest; these areas have regrown for the most part. Riparian disturbance also resulted from the presence of numerous dispersed campsites. The Forest Service has re-engineered or closed and rehabilitated many of these areas, however, dispersed site usage has substantially increased since 2020, and more rehabilitation is needed. Campers at dispersed sites trample and/or cut riparian vegetation, and leave trash and human biological waste that likely washes into the creek. Kachess Campground, a large, highly developed campground is located near the mouth of Box Canyon Creek but is not believed to present significant habitat-related issues.
Overall, habitat conditions in Box Canyon Creek are generally considered good, although they do not meet Forest Plan standards in some areas (i.e., LWD and pool depth). Bed and bank stability are good, sediment levels are low, and water temperatures have historically been suitable for bull trout (Haring 2001). The segment of stream accessible to bull trout is relatively high gradient which produces powerful flow events. Due to the confined nature of the stream, there is very little floodplain habitat that acts as velocity refuge. This impacts juvenile rearing capacity, especially below Big Pool Falls and in the "box" section of the canyon. Gravels for spawning are adequate for the current population, and could probably support a higher abundance of spawners, particularly above Big Pool Falls (BPF). Below BPF, wood added to the system in 2019 has created more small pockets of gravel, but no substantial spawning beds. Big Pool Falls is a passage barrier at low flows. From 2015 to 2024, 45% of redds have been created above big pool falls. In the drought years between those years (2015, 19, 22, 23, 24) only 29% of redds were created above big pool falls. In non-drought years in that time period, 63% of redds were created above big pools falls. In 2019, a large wood supplementation project added hundreds of logs into Box Canyon creek (See Restoration Actions section below). Monitoring by WDFW has shown that most of the wood placed in the stream has remained and created additional stable wood jams beyond what was there before. There is more cobble, gravel, and sand in the creek, often associated with these jams (observed during sediment wedge surveys).
A major concern for this population is the dewatering, sheet flows, and shallow braided channels that occur in dry years directly upstream of the creek’s mouth. The time period this occurs coincides with the immigration of pre-spawn bull trout. With the reservoir level significantly lowered from irrigation water withdrawal, the mouth is located on the lakebed. Above this point the creek spreads out over unconsolidated sediments on the bed and can go dry up to several hundred yards upstream. These conditions have been observed in 2001, 2003, 2005, 2015, 2019, 2023, 2024, and 2025 and required implementation of remedial passage projects to allow pre-spawn bull trout to enter Box Canyon Creek (ADD DRONE PIC?).
FMO habitat for the Box Canyon Creek bull trout population is in Kachess Reservoir. Neither the sparse shoreline development or water sports activities on the lake are believed to influence habitat quality. The effects of reservoir depletion during the summer and early fall are less concerning in Kachess Reservoir than in any of the other Yakima basin impoundments. The reservoir has a conservation pool (i.e., inactive storage) of 585,000 acre-feet that cannot be accessed for irrigation withdrawal. However, in drought years when the reservoir is drafted to its lowest level, the Kachess Narrows may inhibit or discourage passage between Big and Little Kachess due to the elevated water temperatures and lack of habitat cover (Taylor 2022). Under a KDRPP (Kachess Drought Relief Pumping Plant) scenario, the Kachess Narrows could completely block upstream passage for up to five years depending on weather conditions. Under this condition, some bull trout would not be able to access their spawning grounds since those are accessed from the Little Kachess basin. Even under current operations, back to back drought years can limit reservoir refill and create thermal barriers at the Kachess Narrows (Hamilton et al. 2025).
Habitat Monitoring
Field Habitat Surveys
Prior to 2017, some level of monitoring was done before or during spawning surveys to determine if there was appropriate passage for pre-spawn adult bull trout to migrate upstream from the reservoir into Box Canyon Creek. Thomas (2007) summarized dates, flows, and reservoir elevations when Box Canyon Creek was not passable to upstream migrating adult bull trout. USBR (2008) wrote an appraisal report on potential options for constructing permanent passage. As of 2017, WDFW fish passage biologists have monitored the alluvial fan of Box Canyon Creek throughout the summer, opening passage or blocking of small braided channels to increase success of passage through one main channel (Rogala 2024). Redd surveyors make note of potential fish passage barriers (like Big Pool Falls at low-flow) upstream of the reservoir inundation zone.
Sediment samples were collected and analyzed for Box Canyon Creek in 1990. The percent average fine sediment level was found to be 8.2% (Mayo 1998), which would qualify as “functioning appropriately” (USFWS 1999), although these data are from one year only. The Forest Service completed a stream survey on Box Canyon Creek in 2002 (USFS 2002b) using Hankin and Reeves protocol (Hankin and Reeves 1988). In this survey, data were collected on pool/riffle frequency, riparian and channel condition, substrate, LWD, and temperature. In 2004, a Federal Roads Analysis was completed for the Box Canyon watershed, including an aquatic rating. Mongillo (1982) measured water quality parameters and zooplankton densities for Kachess Reservoir.
WDFW completed a simplified Hankin and Reeves-style habitat survey in 2016 and 2017 from the mouth to just above the second road crossing (currently closed). The habitat was deficient in wood and pool density. Sediment wedges were measured throughout the creek below peekaboo falls in 2019 and 2021 to measure conditions before and after the large woody habitat project in 2019. The number of sediment wedges and total volume of sediment wedges increased significantly after the wood project. Detailed Wolman pebble counts were done throughout the creek below Peekaboo Falls in 2019, though no post-restoration counts have been completed. WDFW also completed macroinvertebrate collections at 10 locations with three replicates each over two days in mid-August 2016 and two days in mid-September 2016 throughout Box Canyon Creek up to Peekaboo Falls. Macroinvertebrates were identified to order level. Though further analysis was intended, no additional samples were taken and no more detailed identification of samples occurred.
Stream Temperature Data
There was a long-term monitoring site on Box Canyon Creek and temperature was recorded via a thermograph deployed during the summer low flow period for most years from 1994-2011 (USFS 2011b). USFWS, WDFW, and the Bull Trout Task Force reimplemented temperature monitoring starting in 2016. Monitoring sites include Peekaboo Falls (WDFW 2019-2021, BTTF 2024-2025), 5m falls above the first road crossing (2020-present) and down low near Kachess Campground (2016 - Present).
Mean daily water temperature as measured by the USFWS at the PIT antenna array in lower Box Canyon Creek ranges from 0 - 14.7 °C with maximum daily temps of about 15 °C (Beebe et al. 2025). See current and modeled future temperature conditions section below for graphs and more discussion.
Restoration Actions
In August of 2019, partners worked to install 411 large wood with and without root wads in Box Canyon Creek in 22 locations to create 22 log jams. Eleven log jams were installed below Big Pool Falls and 11 log jams were installed upstream of Big Pool Falls, downstream of Peekaboo Falls. Remaining wood was placed in the pool of Peek a Boo Falls to help raise water surface elevations to allow for greater potential for fish passage. The goal of this project was to create more high flow refugia for YOY and juvenile bull trout within Box Canyon Creek to allow them to hold instream and avoid being flushed into the reservoir. In the fall of 2019, post implementation, a high flow even mobilized all pieces of wood, creating a smaller number of total log jams that were larger in size. Wood movement was anticipated and not considered undesirable. Ten-fifteen pieces were lost to the reservoir, but all remaining wood stayed in the channel and floodplain, which continues to provide benefits. Total cost for the project was approximately $475K and it took two years for planning and fundraising prior to implementation in 2019.
There have been emergency fish passage flumes built in 2001, 2003, 2005, 2015, 2019, 2023, 2024, and 2025 to concentrate flows through the dry section near the mouth.
Threats
Connectivity
Fish Passage Barriers
Threat Severity: Significant
Under low flow conditions, the Box Canyon Creek mouth braids and becomes impassable. Big Pool Falls (about halfway up the accessible habitat) occasionally becomes impassable during low water (Scott Kline, WDFW, personal communication). Passage is limited again 1.5 miles upstream, at Peekaboo Falls, further reducing the available spawning and rearing habitat. WDFW monitors fish passage at the mouth, and constructs a temporary flume when it is deemed necessary (2001, 2003, 2005, 2015, 2019, 2023, 2024, 2025). See Habitat Overview above for more details.
Kachess dam was constructed in 1912 and is a complete passage barrier to upstream migration of bull trout from entrained Kachess Reservoir populations and other populations attempting to access it (e.g., Gold Creek). The Box Canyon Creek bull trout population has been isolated for over 100 years from Gold Creek and other populations downstream of the lower Kachess river and Keechelus Arm.
See Kachess Reservoir FMO Habitat page for more details on passage issues at the Kachess Narrows.
Entrainment
Threat Severity: Unknown, likely significant
The threat of entrainment to Box Canyon Creek fish is likely significant but unknown due to the few tagged fish and the absence of a PIT antenna below Kachess Dam as exists below Keechelus and Tieton dams. The mechanism for entrainment appears to be through the outlet works as the spillway gates have not been operated since the early 2000’s (Haskell et al. 2022).Trap and haul downstream of Kachess and Keechelus dams in 2019. Since that time only one Box Canyon Creek-origin fish has been collected - a 720 mm fish collected below Keechelus Dam. Although the timing of entrainment is unknown, it apparently migrated down to at least Easton Reservoir before returning up the Keechelus Arm to the base of Keechelus Dam where it was collected, transported back to Kachess Reservoir, and released at the mouth of Box Canyon Creek. The fish was PIT tagged and implanted with an acoustic tag for monitoring in Kachess Reservoir and tributaries (Haskell et al. 2022).
Dewatering due to flow management
Threat Severity: Significant
The Box Canyon Creek mouth experiences dewatering during low water years. Shallow, braided channels cut through the reservoir bed which has no vegetation and limited bank stability owing to reservoir fluctuations. The creek carves different pathways each year, resulting in shallow, heavily braided channels that limit fish passage. The USBR has been working on a river delta research project to model different conditions and potential restoration options. Reclamation completed a Hydraulic Modeling Assessment Report and a 60% design package in 2021 describing several features to stabilize the existing stream route (Byrne et al. 2021). Since the KDRPP project is on hold, discussion of Box Canyon restoration has decreased and a project is unlikely to occur. Cultural resource concerns are another reason the project has stalled.
Land-use Issues
Forestry
Threat Severity: Unknown
In contrast with the Upper Kachess River, logging did not have major impacts on Box Canyon Creek. The part of the creek accessible to bull trout is too steep and confined for clear cutting. Much of the harvest that occurred was in the uplands of the watershed, but some logging occurred near the creek (USFS 2002). The 1996 Box Canyon Watershed Analysis (Cle Elum RD, 1996) reports that 11% of the drainage was altered by timber harvest. The entire watershed is now protected wilderness or USFS land.
A greater concern is forest management. There are large stands of timber and significant undergrowth which could result in a high-severity wildfire if fuels are left unmanaged. Forest fires and the resulting sedimentation are a threat to a population like Box Canyon with so few individuals remaining.
Agriculture and Grazing
Threat Severity: Insignificant
There is no agriculture or grazing near Box Canyon Creek.
Recreation
Threat Severity: Unknown, likely significant
Box Canyon Creek runs through Kachess Campground and the lake bed near the campground. WDFW and BTTF occasionally dissemble rock dams adjacent to the campground, and informational signage has reduced their frequency. Heavy recreation also occurs above Peekaboo Falls and even though Bull Trout do not have access to those reaches, there may be downstream impacts from the large presence of humans recreating directly next to the stream. Human waste is regularly observed near the stream during redd and habitat surveys. Other toxic substances have been found just below peekaboo falls on one occasion (Scott Kline, WDFW, personal communication). Some harassment may occur as people swim, kayak and boat in or near Box Canyon Creek during the summer months. Adult bull trout are also subject to harassment at Peekaboo Falls, known by some locals as the "dynamite hole" because of historical attempts to remove bull trout using dynamite (BTTF, personal comm. with locals). Occasional fishing gear and trash are found near Peekaboo Falls.
There has been an overall increase in recreation in this area, particularly since 2020. Locals to the Kachess area have noted a decreased responsibility or knowledge in regards to respect for natural resources (John Reeves, local, personal communication). The impacts of recreation to Box Canyon Creek bull trout are unquantified. Education and outreach conducted by BTTF near Kachess Campground is ongoing to reduce harassment, illegal fishing, trash, and rock dam construction. However, more emphasis could be placed on the dispersed camping areas upstream of the campground. A report by the Cle Elum Ranger District details specific restoration actions that could occur in Box Canyon, Gale, and Mineral creeks and the Kachess River (Matthews 2016).
Roads and Development
Threat Severity: Insignificant
A USFS road adjacent to Box Canyon Creek could contribute sediment. The road was a problem until 2006, when a portion of it was relocated upslope and stabilized. A five mile section of road along the west shore of Kachess Reservoir allows access to housing and the campground. The road, residential housing, and campground probably don't impact bull trout negatively. Locals to the Kachess area have noted an increase in illegal road construction and OHV use on unsanctioned roads/trails in the area (John Reeves, local, personal communication).
Mining
Threat Severity: Insignificant
There is no record of mining in the Box Canyon Creek watershed.
Other
Ecological Interactions
Brook Trout
Threat Severity: Unknown, insignificant?
Brook trout have been observed in Kachess Reservoir and Box Canyon Creek and are abundant in Lodge Creek, per WDFW. The agency looked at Gale and Thetis creeks in 2010 and 2014 and did not find brook trout (Scott Kline, personal communication). The overall distribution in the watershed is unknown. No hybridization between bull trout and brook trout has been documented. Seven brook trout have been observed during three years of the 8 years of demographic surveys in Box Canyon Creek (Scott Kline, WDFW, personal communication). When brook trout are observed during demographic surveys, snorkelers attempt to capture and cull the fish. Kachess Reservoir tributaries may be a good candidate for brook trout suppression and/or eradication because they have not fully established in bull trout spawning and rearing tributaries. Brook trout have not been observed in Box Canyon creek above the partial barrier, Big Pool Falls.
Other Invasive Species
Threat Severity: Insignificant
No other invasive species have been observed in Box Canyon Creek.
Diminished Prey Base
Threat Severity: Insignificant
Macroinvertebrate prey in Box Canyon Creek is probably not a limiting factor for this population. Body fat of Box Canyon Creek resident westslope cutthroat trout was considered "good" in a 2021 fish health assessment (Kline 2021), indicating sufficient prey availability.
Hanson et al. (2017) found that bull trout feeding rates are not limited by foraging opportunities and that the prey base in Kachess Reservoir could support larger populations of bull trout. The authors noted that annual stockings of kokanee are an important source of prey for bull trout in Kachess Reservoir and should continue. These stocked kokanee probably make up for the lack of anadromous smolt production post- Kachess Dam construction. Extensive drawdown of Kachess Reservoir, such as under a KDRPP scenario, would reduce littoral prey production and lead to food-web compression (Hansen et al. 2017), resulting in reduced foraging efficiency and shifts in bull trout habitat use and prey selection (Taylor 2022).
Disease
Threat Severity: Insignificant
Disease assessments have not been conducted for Bull Trout, however they have been for Cutthroat Trout.
WDFW and USFWS conducted a cutthroat trout health assessment at Box Canyon Creek where 24 fish were captured below Peekaboo Falls and 30 were captured above the falls (Kline 2021). All fish sampled above and below the falls were negative for six viruses, but about half of the fish tested positive for Bacterial Kidney Disease. Hexamida parasite was found in the hindgut of 2/7 cutthroat from below the falls. None of the fish appeared to have reduced body condition or fat deposits due to disease or parasites (Kline 2021).
Water Quantity and Quality
Flow issues/dewatering
Threat Severity: Significant
Low flows in the summer months may impact water quality through elevated temperatures (Figure 3), and pose fish passage issues. Dewatering at the mouth of Box Canyon Creek has occurred in several years over the past two decades. See Fish Passage Barriers threat section above for details.
Current and modeled future temperature conditions
Threat Severity: Unknown
The modeled mean August temperature (data observations between 1993-2011) as reported by NorWest Temperature model was 14-16°C in the reach accessible to bull trout. Newer observations of mean August temperatures in the same reach are tracking just under the predicted values (between 12-15°C ), as seen in the Temperature Monitoring section above. Modeled future conditions for 2040 and 2080 show the reach accessible to bull trout in Box Canyon Creek maintaining the 14-16° range, with the exception of the ~500m closest to the reservoir showing predicted temperatures in the 16-18° range.
The mouth of Box Canyon Creek may act as a thermal barrier for adults entering the tributary to spawn, especially as temperatures rise in the future. The PIT array at the mouth in 2024 showed a distinct lack of bull trout detections during peak temperatures between mid July and late September (Figures 3 and 4) (Figure 4 by Beebe et al. 2024).
New research suggests that metabolic stress occurs in juvenile bull trout exposed to water as low as 12°C for a time period of three weeks (Best et al. 2025). The mortality rate for juvenile bull trout spending ~three weeks in 18°C water jumped to 20%, from 2.9% at 15°C. With Box Canyon Creek Temperatures expected to range in the 14-16° range in the foreseeable future, bull trout may be physiologically impacted by thermal stress but unlikely to experience mortality.
Changes in hydrology
General climate change impacts include reduced snowpack in the Cascade Mountain Range, increased frequency of drought, and an earlier peak run-off period, which will likely culminate in low flows and reduced water quality at Box Canyon Creek.
Water Quality - Other
See above under recreation threats. There have been observations of human waste and toxic chemicals close to the creek. The threat severity is unknown. A water quality study would help answer this question.
Fisheries Impacts
Angling Regulations/Fisheries Use/Poaching (Recreational)
Threat Severity: Unknown, likely significant
Box Canyon Creek, including the portion flowing through the reservoir bed is closed to fishing year-round to protect bull trout. The Bull Trout Task Force makes angler education a priority at Kachess Campground, and has never encountered someone with a dead, or alive, bull trout. At times, the team has to remind campers that the portion flowing through the lake bed is closed to fishing. The task force has found, on occasion, fishing tackle / trash at the base of Peekaboo Falls, indicating some knowledge of bull trout staging and knowingly fishing closed waters. "Closed waters" signs are posted and maintained at all access points along the creek. Peekaboo falls is also known by long-time locals as the "dynamite hole" referring to historical attempts to remove bull trout before restrictions were in place (BTTF, personal comm. with locals). Similarly, though not in the reach accessible to bull trout, "Bomber Falls" which is 1/4 mile upstream of Peekaboo Falls was also targeted for capture of large fish in this way (Larry Brown, former district biologist, personal communication).
Fishing is common in Kachess Reservoir, but the target species is primarily kokanee. A WDFW creel survey at Kachess Reservoir in 2022 observed no harvested bull trout throughout the busy summer season (Divens 2026). However, three bull trout were reported caught and released by anglers, which equated to an estimated 28 in total. An additional 11 fish were reported caught, unidentified and released, some of which were possibly bull trout. It is likely that some portion of the bull trout caught and released by anglers succumbed to hooking mortality. Low reservoir population numbers may limit the number of bull trout encountered by anglers. Angler education on bull trout identification and angling regulations seems to help reduce the number of bull trout lost to recreational angling (Divens 2026). While the exact impact of fishing/poaching is unknown, it is not zero. With the population trend for Box Canyon Creek, any level of catch or harassment could have significant negative impacts.
Management/Monitoring (Research)
Threat Severity: Unknown, likely insignificant
Although there has been some research on individuals from the Box Canyon Creek bull trout population, negative impacts to the population are considered minor. Several bull trout were captured near the mouth of the creek and at Peekaboo Falls from 2019-2021 and were surgically implanted with tags for a USFWS acoustic telemetry study. Passive demographic surveys (snorkel) and redd surveys have also been conducted.
Some questions are yet to be answered about the implications (genetic and demographic) of the rescue-rear-release program being implemented with Upper Kachess River bull trout. See Bull Trout Population Restoration and Monitoring Project page for more details.
Other Threats
Small population size / inbreeding depression?
Climate Change
Limited extent of habitat
Other
Summary of Primary Limiting Factors and Threats
The highest severity threats to this population are passage barriers in Box Canyon Creek (mouth, Peekaboo, and Big Pool falls) and the reservoir (Kachess Narrows and Kachess Dam). Other potential threats include high water temperatures near the mouth, illegal angling, catch and release mortality, limited habitat due to inundation of lower reaches of Box Canyon Creek, lack of marine derived nutrients, recreation (large campsite at mouth of spawning reach and extensive dispersed recreation), and the potential expansion of brook trout, especially with increasing temperatures from climate change. The threat of inbreeding depression due to small population size may also be a threat to this population.
Agriculture, altered flows, development, grazing, transportation issues, and mining threats are not present for this population.
Recovery Strategy
Population-level Recovery Strategy
This population has been identified as a high priority “Action” population (see Prioritization of Actions). The highest priority actions involve restoring connectivity at the broad scale (at Kachess Dam) and at the local scale through monitoring and ensuring passage at the creek’s mouth and through the Kachess Narrows. DISCUSSION IN WKSHP 1 ABOUT ENSURING GENETIC CONNECTIVITY - BUT NO OTHER DISCUSSION OF GENETICS ABOVE. DO WE NEED A THREAT RELATED TO LOSS/LACK OF GENETIC DIVERSITY? Other actions that are identified as a priority are outreach to anglers and recreationists, riparian restoration or decommissioning of dispersed campsites, and evaluating the feasibility of passage at Peekaboo Falls to provide additional spawning and rearing habitat. Available habitat was reduced when the reservoir was constructed and lower reaches were inundated. If passage at Peekaboo Falls is implemented, USFS would need to mitigate camping impacts and WDFW would need to change fishing regulations. Box Canyon Creek is a good candidate for additional water quality monitoring and evaluation of the need for nutrient addition. A pilot project that would place carcass analogs to address the lack of marine derived nutrients could be beneficial. Salmon have been excluded from this system for ~100 years, there is suitable access for delivering carcasses, and the stream is short enough to allow for extensive data monitoring. Pro-active solutions to prevent the spread of brook trout should be considered for Kachess Reservoir (See Kachess FMO Recovery Strategy).
Monitoring Needs/Key Questions
Water temperature trends near the mouth and other water quality issues
Nutrient levels and evaluation of the need for enhancement
Another habitat survey to evaluate long term effects of wood additions
Understand the effect of past wood additions on juvenile residence time and survival and assess the need for additional wood placement..
Updated genetic baseline and increased effort to collect and PIT tag Box Canyon Creek fish
Assess the extent of fisheries impacts, unintentional and illegal harvest. Increase enforcement
PIT tag antenna below Kachess Dam to better assess entrainment
Actions
Future link/ iframe to PowerApp will go in this section.
Completed Bull Trout Recovery Actions
- Campsite next to Peekaboo Falls was closed to overnight camping by USFS in 2002.
- Approximately 15 dispersed campsites along the creek were either re-engineered or closed and rehabilitated to protect sensitive riparian areas by USFS in 1996. There was some ongoing maintenance at the sites, but nothing in recent years.
- With no flow at the mouth on August 23, 1996, USBR made temporary channel modifications to provide passage.
- A 623-foot segment of Box Canyon Road USFS Road 4930, which parallels the creek and was a chronic source of sediment, was relocated upslope and stabilized by USFS in 2006.
- Construction of a temporary straw bale and plastic flume near the confluence of Box Canyon Creek and Kachess Reservoir was required in several years between 2001-2025 to provide upstream bull trout passage. This is detailed in the narrative above.
- Fishing regulations have been implemented to protect bull trout in Box Canyon Creek (see Appendix F).
- The Bull Trout Task Force provides outreach and education to recreationists and anglers in the area, primarily at Kachess Campground. There has been a noticeable increase in awareness of the species.
- In 2019, Kittitas Conservation Trust added large wood to the creek to improve bull trout habitat See Restoration Actions above.
Recommended Actions
Relevant Multiple Population Actions
Multiple Populations #1: Provide outreach on bull trout conservation issues (landowners, recreationists, anglers, school groups, and others).
Multiple Populations #2: Continue redd surveys within the established index areas to monitor long-term abundance trends.
Multiple Populations #3: Continue temperature monitoring throughout the Box Canyon Creek drainage including above Peekaboo Falls.
Multiple Populations #4: Conduct assessment and pilot study on feasibility of carcass analogs to enhance prey base for juveniles.
Multiple Populations #7: Monitor for brook trout introgression when collecting genetic samples.
Multiple Populations #9: Periodic entrainment studies at storage dams.
Box Canyon Creek Actions
Box Canyon Action #1: Monitor/Fix Passage Problems in Box Canyon Creek
Box Canyon Action #2: Passage over natural barriers in Box Canyon Creek
Box Canyon Action #3: Carcass Analog Assessment / Pilot Project
Box Canyon Action #4: USFS Road and Recreation Area Management
Box Canyon Action #5: Supplementation, Fish Salvage and/or Translocation
Actions in the Yakima Steelhead Recovery Plan that benefit this population
None
Update Notes
2012 BTAP text copied into Yakipedia and edited to match new format in November 2025 by Aimee Taylor. ADD LINK TO 2012 BTAP pdf placemark
Additional edits proposed by Alex Conley, Aimee Taylor and Box Canyon Creek small group in December 2025. Reviewed, and updated and approved by BTWG in XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Specific detail on out of cycle updates: