Browsing by Author "Blank, Matt"

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Attraction, Entrance, and Passage Efficiency of Arctic Grayling, Trout, and Suckers at Denil Fishways in the Big Hole River Basin, Montana
(Wiley, 2022-07) Triano, Ben; Kappenman, Kevin M.; McMahon, Thomas E.; Blank, Matt; Heim, Kurt C.; Parker, Albert E.; Zale, Alexander V.; Platt, Nolan; Plymesser, Katey
The Big Hole River basin in southwestern Montana supports the only indigenous, self-sustaining fluvial population of Arctic Grayling Thymallus arcticus in the conterminous United States, but the basin is fragmented by numerous low-head irrigation diversion dams. Denil fishways at 63 diversion dams provide Arctic Grayling and other fishes opportunities for year-round access to critical habitats; however, their efficiency has not been evaluated. We quantified attraction, entrance, and passage for hatchery-reared Arctic Grayling, wild trout (Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis and Brown Trout Salmo trutta), and wild suckers (White Sucker Catostomus commersonii and Longnose Sucker C. catostomus) during 14 field trials conducted at six Denil fishways over a representative range of fishway slopes and hydraulic conditions using passive integrated transponder telemetry. Attraction (60.4–84.3%) and entrance (44.3–78.6%) efficiencies were variable across test conditions and reduced overall fishway efficiencies (19.1–55.8%). In contrast, upon entry, passage efficiencies were high (96.2–97.0%) for all taxa across all test conditions. Attraction of hatchery-reared Arctic Grayling increased with upstream depth (a surrogate for fishway discharge) and attraction flow, but attraction of wild fish was less affected by these conditions. Entrance of Arctic Grayling, Brook Trout, and Brown Trout decreased with upstream depth and fishway slope, especially when plunging entrance conditions associated with shallow downstream depths were present. However, entrance of Arctic Grayling and both trout species increased with downstream depth, and submerged fishway entrances demonstrated promise for increasing entrance efficiency at fishways with high discharges and steep slopes. We demonstrate that comprehensive evaluations of fishway efficiency components can identify specific solutions that improve fishway efficiency; application of these engineering solutions at individual fishways (as needed) could improve their efficiency and further enhance aquatic connectivity for fishes in the Big Hole River basin and elsewhere.
US-191/MT-64 Wildlife & Transportation Assessment
(Center for large Landscape Conservation, 2023-11) Fairbank, Elizabeth; Penrod, Kristeen; Wearn, Anna; Blank, Matt; Bell, Matthew; Huijser, Marcel; Ament, Rob; Fick, Damon; Breuer, Abigail; Hance, Braden
The US Highway 191 (US-191)/Montana Highway 64 (MT-64) Wildlife & Transportation Assessment (the “Assessment”) improves understanding of the issues affecting driver safety, wildlife mortality, and wildlife movement along the major routes that connect Yellowstone National Park, the Custer Gallatin National Forest, and other public lands to the growing population centers of Bozeman, Big Sky, and nearby communities in Southwest Montana. By engaging personnel from multiple federal, state, and local agencies along with key stakeholders to examine problems and possibilities through the lens of spatial ecology, the US-191/MT-64 Wildlife & Transportation Assessment brings new insight into the impact of two major roads that unite local communities yet divide the landscape and natural habitats. The information included in this report should inform and support area communities and agency decision-makers to select and pursue wildlife accommodation options. With the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, significant funds for wildlife accommodation measures are available nationwide on a competitive basis. The US-191/MT-64 Wildlife & Transportation Assessment better equips part of Southwest Montana’s gateway to Yellowstone National Park to take advantage of new funding opportunities.