Rob DeHarpport’s outdoor report: Prized kokanee return to Trapper Creek in annual fall spectacle

By ROB DeHARPPORT/For The Herald — Last week I viewed the first kokanee returning to spawn in Trapper Creek at Odell Lake this year.

To me and others, it’s worth the annual trip to Trapper Creek to witness the circle of life late each fall at the lake’s west end. Three-year-old kokanee, turning from silver to bright red, return to their birthplace at Trapper Creek to propagate their species by laying eggs and fertilizing them.

Kokanee are a landlocked sockeye salmon — generally a smaller version of the ocean species or anadromonous fish that return to many streams in Alaska and British Columbia. Here in the Pacific Northwest, the anadromous sockeye (also called red salmon) are rare nowadays. However, areas in Alaska witnessed record returns of sockeye this year.

A huge annual migration of sockeye used to travel 900 miles up the Columbia and Snake rivers to spawn and die at Redfish Lake, Idaho, passing eight dams along the way. Only four returned in 1991.

The dire situation spawned efforts within the regulatory and stakeholder groups to revive the Snake River sockeye population. The stock was headed for extinction.

Only 16 sockeye returned between 1991-1998. Those 16 fish were used to begin a broodstock hatchery program.

In 2000, 252 sockeye returned to Redfish Lake. These fish along with a massive effort of many stakeholders help maintain an optimistic attitude that the run can survive and perhaps thrive again someday. The efforts continue.

Kokanee were last planted into Odell in 1983. Since then, the kokanee population has been self-sustaining with Trapper Creek being the key spawning stream. They also spawn along certain shoreline areas and in some smaller creeks.

In recent years the numbers of kokanee returning to Trapper Creek has declined.

Enter the bull trout aka the Dolly Varden trout or char. In 1997 the bull trout in Odell were classified as at “high risk” of extinction.

The lower 1.8 miles of Trapper Creek were identified as spawning habitat for the bull trout. Bull trout spawning had only been observed in Trapper Creek.

At least seven factors are listed in documents as reasons for the decline of the bull trout within Odell.

Among many factors, a U.S. Forest Service habitat study in 1996 of Trapper Creek determined that Trapper Creek needed restoration to improve spawning habitat for the bull trout. Trapper Creek over time had become channelized with a water velocity and spawning gravel unsuitable for bull trout propagation.

A restoration to improve bull trout habitat began after 2001 with efforts to reduce competition with kokanee,  whickh can disturb bull trout spawning nests by overlaying with kokanee nests.

Restoration included placing more woody material (logs) in the stream. This has obviously worked to displace many kokanee from spawning in Trapper in recent years.

The true impact upon the Odell kokanee population remains to be seen in future years, although I and other anglers believe we are already seeing some negative results affecting the kokanee population in Odell Lake.

Success has been limited in restoring the bull trout at Odell to the desired numbers of federal and state agencies. It’s their long-term goal. In fact, it’s a 25-year goal with an estimated cost of $1.6 million to restore the bull trout in Odell Lake.

The failed efforts to restore bull trout spawning habitat in Trapper Creek seem self-evident so far with the fact the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife transplanted 5,000 bull trout from the Metolious River strain into Odell Lake and Odell Creek in 2018. The bull trout have obviously continued to thrive within the Metolious system.

Many anglers have stated that transplanting and hatchery rearing of these endangered species should be tried for years, rather than destroying habitat that is obviously working perfectly for another popular species and more.

As often happens with the Endangered Species Act, single-species focus can have negative impacts on other habitats and more popular species, certainly humans and our economies included. In this case, the highly prized kokanee are relegated to playing second fiddle to the bull trout by the Forest Service as well as Oregon and federal fish and wildlife agencies.

Similarly,  the change in river flows to the irrigators who created water storage at Wickiup Reservoir and Crescent Lake nearly a hundred years ago have been changed to protect the spotted frog habitat along the streams have destroyed a once outstanding fishery in Wickiup. Kokanee, German browns and rainbows have all been flushed down river from Wickiup.

Much like the impacts of the Northwest Forest Plan to protect the spotted owl, only time will tell the entire true story of Trapper Creek habitat and the impacts on kokanee and bull trout.

We’ve seen some of the results of single-species protections recently in the Klamath Basin as well. Klamath farmers’ irrigation water has been shut off to protect the long-nosed and short-nosed sucker fish.

We’ve also seen the impacts of wolf introductions throughout western states and their impacts on elk and deer.

I could go on and on. Instead, I encourage folks who cherish fishing and hunting and value our ranching and farming communities to become educated and involved if something seems wrong with certain policies. Join groups that advocate for common-sense solutions — groups such as the Oregon Hunters Association,  Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Northwest Steelheaders and others. There is nearly always a middle ground to be found with reasonable discussion and debate with all issues, although at times I believe the middle ground is also an “endangered species” or idea.

All those issues concerns and debates aside, let’s enjoy watching the seasons change and the circle of life continue. Most importantly,  get outside and enjoy our great outdoors.

Rob DeHarpport, former mayor of Westfir, moved to the Crescent Lake community in 2015 shortly after retiring from a 31-year career in the trucking industry.