McCabe Creek is located in
the Monture Creek bull trout recovery area. The creek is a cold basin-fed tributary to
lower Dick Creek, entering at stream mile 3.8. It begins as a steep mountain stream
in its headwaters before entering knob-and-kettle topography in the lower basin. In lower
reaches, McCabe Creek enters a series of beaver-influenced wetland bogs before entering
Dick Creek. The creek has among the coldest recorded summer time stream temperatures
recorded of any tributary in the Blackfoot Watershed, with mean daily temperatures ranging
between 43-48 degrees Fahrenheit in 1998.
McCabe Creek has a long
history of adverse fisheries impacts related to channel alterations and agricultural
activities. These include chronic dewatering, loss of fish to irrigation ditches,
intensive riparian grazing, physical alterations to the channel and poorly designed road
crossing. In order to prioritize restoration resources, we developed a fisheries-based
restoration priority scorecard, based on biological, social and financial considerations,
for 83 impaired tributaries of the Blackfoot River. McCabe Creek ranked 20 of 83 streams
surveyed.
In 1992, fish population surveys were
taken above and below the culvert. Fish densities were recorded at 23.2 fish/100 feet
above the culvert compared to 64.9 fish/100 feet below the culvert. The survey
included recording higher numbers of larger cutthroat trout below than above the culvert,
indicating the culvert is a barrier to upstream migrating fluvial cutthroat trout.
In 2001, westslope
cutthroat trout age 1+ increased at river mile 2.2 from 1.1 fish/100 feet in 1999 to 11.7
fish/100 feet in 2001. At river mile 3.2, westslope cutthroat trout increased from 2.0
fish/100 feet in 1999 to 5.9 fish/100 feet in 2001.
A comprehensive
restoration project for McCabe Creek began in 1999 and was completed in 2001. The project:
1) consolidated four
irrigation ditches into one pipeline and screened the intake;
2) converted flood to
sprinkler irrigation;
3) restored habitat
conditions including the placement of instream wood and shrub plantings;
4) incorporated necessary
riparian livestock management changes; and
5) improved a county road
crossing.
McCabe Creek is a
westslope cutthroat trout dominated stream with low densities of brook trout in lower
stream reaches. Due to cool summer temperatures, McCabe Creek likely supported bull trout
historically. In 1999, prior to project implementation, fish population survey sites were
established in two restoration project locations: one upstream of an irrigation
diversion (mile 3.2); and a second downstream site (mile 2.2) in an area of low habitat
complexity and reduced stream flows. Following these initial surveys, we screened the
upper diversion, implemented water savings projects, and completed habitat restoration in
the downstream reach.
Completed and Planned Projects
1) Reconstruction of three irrigation
diversions allowing fish passage and providing instream flows (1997)
2) Removal of County Road Culvert and
replacement with open bottom box culvert (1999)
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Undersized and perched culvert on
McCabe Creek before restoration |
Open bottom box culvert on
McCabe Creek after restoration |
3) Improved grazing management along one mile of riparian/stream reach (1999)
4) Reconstruction of one mile of stream
that had been previously channelized
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