Aerial fish stocking. WW file photo.	Protect the Lakes of the Bob Marshall & Scapegoat Wildernesses! The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks (MDFWP) and the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) are proposing a massive trout poisoning and restocking program using helicopters and motorboats on twelve lakes in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex. Though the lakes were naturally fishless, they have historically been stocked with various species of trout that the proposal aims to replace with westslope cutthroat trout. Wilderness Watch believes that this project raises a number of serious issues. First, MFRWP is proposing to use helicopters and motorboats, both of which are prohibited in Wilderness unless such use is the minimum required for preserving the Wilderness. Second, the project would dump 15,360 gallons of rotenone poison into 12 Wilderness lakes. Rotenone doesn’t just kill fish, it also kills many of the native aquatic biota that live in the lakes. The use of poison is inconsistent with Wilderness values. Third, if the current fish populations are eradicated from these lakes, the lakes should be left in their naturally fishless condition. Wilderness must be as free as possible of human manipulation. Though westslope cutthroat are native to Montana, they are an exotic species in these Wilderness lakes. Removing one introduced species and replacing it with another continues to detract from the area’s Wilderness character. The BPA is funding the project, making it the federal agency responsible for preparing an Environmental Assessment (EA) in compliance with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The EA will be available for public comment in the spring of 2002. Now is the time to urge the agency to consider the following concerns in the EA: * The use of motorized equipment in designated Wilderness is prohibited unless such use is necessary for the administration of the area or in emergencies. As this project fits neither exception, a non-motorized alternative must be considered. * The EA must itemize the details of the action, such as the amount of poison used and the number of helicopter and motorboat trips expected for each lake. * The Wilderness Act defines Wilderness as an area "where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man . . . managed so as to preserve its natural conditions." If the non-native fish are removed, the lakes should remain fishless to encourage the regeneration of native biota. * Poison has no place in wilderness stewardship. In other Wilderness lakes, managers have used non-toxic alternatives such as trapping, angling, the introduction of sterile predator fish, and screening off of spawning beds. Downstream impacts on endangered bull trout populations must be addressed, as well as the poison’s affects on non-target species such as amphibians, plants, and insects. Please address your comments at your earliest possible opportunity to: * Colleen Spiering, Environmental Project Manager, Bonneville Power Administration, P.O. Box 3621, Portland, OR 97208-3621 With Copies to: * Regional Supervisor, Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, 490 N. Meridian Road, Kalispell, MT 59901 * Cathy Barbouletos, Forest Supervisor, Flathead National Forest, 1935 Third Avenue East, Kalispell, MT 59901