Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU

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The US Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK), is offering a funding opportunity for research to look at the influence of geomorphology, groundwater, and hyporheic flows on bull trout spawning habitat in the North Fork of the Flathead River Basin (NFFRB). Bull trout are a threatened species native to the Pacific Northwest and are thermally sensitive. Bull trout spawn in the fall in mountain-sourced, cold-water, gravel-bedded streams so understanding the physical and hydrological parameters facilitating bull trout spawning will aid in making assessments of vulnerability to climate change and other disturbances. The objective is to test findings of previous studies within the NFFRB. Local and water-shed scale features and their interconnectedness will be evaluated and correlated to redd location data to identify physical and hydrological relationships and processes influencing bull trout spawning habitat within the NFFRB.

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