State planning to purge fish from two lakes

The Daily Inter Lake

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is proposing to purge non-native brook trout from two lakes and a tributary in Sanders County.

The project, which would involve the use of a fish toxin, would focus on Upper and Lower Blossom Lakes and a three-mile section of Blossom Creek, all located about 25 miles west of Thompson Falls.

The work would take place in August and the lakes would be restocked with westslope cutthroat trout.

"Brook trout are known to harm native bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout through hybridization or competition, and the connection of the Blossom watershed to the mainstem of Prospect Creek is a concern in that an expanding population of brook trout will harm native species within the upper mainstem of Prospect Creek," according to a state press release.

A public meeting on the project will be held April 21 at 5:30 p.m. at the Sanders County Courthouse in Thompson Falls.

A draft environmental assessment outlining the project is available for public review and comment.