Apache and Gila Trout Recovery Challenges: What Has Changed Since 1973?

Apache trout and Gila trout, both native to Arizona, were federally listed as endangered through the Endangered Species Act in 1973.  When listed, the destruction, drastic modification, or severe curtailment of their habitat, and predation and hybridization with introduced trout, were the primary threats to each species.  In the 1970s and 1980s, proposals submitted to the Federal Register to petition a down-list of each species from endangered to threatened status expanded the factors that could impact native trout to include forest fires, flash floods, and droughts.  Now, in 2011, both species are listed as threatened and some additional circumstances are actually impacting the recovery process: the tools used for their recovery, both mechanical and regulatory.  Artificial barriers built to protect headwater recovery populations have been problematic with frequent failures.  Chemicals used to remove introduced trout have varied in potency, and recently have become highly controversial because of health and ecological impacts.  Regulatory procedures to restore native trout populations have entered new levels of bureaucracy under the National Environmental Policy Act, the Wilderness Act and the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, and with competing priorities among agencies.  This presentation explores the current and complex factors influencing native trout recovery in Arizona and the implications to recovery progress.