Restoration Projects

The Wall Canyon sucker is an undescribed catostomid endemic to the Wall Canyon drainage in Washoe County, NV (Markle and Harris 1996). Wall Canyon suckers were abundant throughout the drainage until the 1990's when invasion of nonnative brown trout and signal crayfish severly reduced their population size and extent of occupied habitat. A population of Wall ​Canyon suckers persists in Mountain View Creek, which is a tributary to Wall Canyon creek located downstream of Wall Canyon Reservoir. The section of Wall Canyon Creek supports limited populations of nonnative brown trout and crayfish. Both of these nonnative species have had severe implications for the Wall Canyon sucker population in Wall Canyon Creek. Therefore, the risk of invasion into Mountain View Creek must be reduced to the greatest extent possible. The project worked towards designing a barrier that slows the invasion of nonnative brown trout and signal crayfish. After barrier construction, intensive crayfish trapping will be used to eliminate or drastically reduce the limited population that exists upstream of the proposed barrier locations. 

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To determine the effectiveness of the barrier, crayfish will be captured and marked downstream of the barrier. Concurrent with our efforts to eliminate the low-density population of crayfish that exists upstream of the proposed barrier location, we will assess all captured crayfish for marks to determine if crayfish are successfully moving through or around the barrier. 

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Partners:

Desert Fish Habitat Partnership

Nevada Department of Wildlife

U.S. Geological Survey- Biological Resources Division

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