independence lake lahontan cutthroat trout

Upper Independence Creek

Weber Falls presents an ideal natural barrier for establishment of an LCT population upstream.

The Independence Management Unit (IMU) is within the USGS Little Truckee River (HUC 1605010201) hydrologic unit, which is within the Truckee (HUC 16050102) hydrologic unit. IMU LCT are lake and stream fish and are genetically distinct compared to other LCT historically or currently found within the Truckee hydrologic unit. Currently, the IMU LCT population present in Independence Lake annually migrates up Independence Creek to spawn, with resident stream individuals present in the creek as well; this population is resilient, with current management to reduce non-native trout threats continuing, and continues to meet IMU recovery objective 2. IMU LCT are adapted to high-elevation, oligotrophic conditions. Independence Lake is the highest elevation lake to currently contain an LCT recovery population within its historical range. Outside of the Truckee hydrologic unit, IMU LCT exist in Heenan Lake, California; this lake precludes natural spawning, thus LCT are spawned annually at an egg collection station and reared in captivity for recreational stocking in several other higher-elevation lakes both within and outside of the historical range of LCT. Several higher-elevation, climate-resilient systems have the potential to contain a additional recovery population and provide the necessary redundancy for IMU LCT within the Little Truckee River hydrologic unit.

The updated objectives for LCT within the IMU are:

IMU 1) Remove threats (i.e., competition, predation, hybridization) associated with non-native trout species to allow for the formation and/or maintenance of IMU LCT populations identified in IMU objectives 2–4; and

IMU 2) Maintain the recovery population within Independence Lake; and

IMU 3) Provide enough stream/river habitat to allow for the expression of migratory life-history characteristics in at least 1 additional recovery population (i.e., interconnected population); and

IMU 4) Maintain the Heenan Lake population and actively manage it, in line with the pending LCT Genetics Management Plan, to increase long-term persistence probability and for use in augmenting the recovery populations within the IMU as needed.