Federal Judge Halts Buffalo Creek Project...
A wild native Yellowstone cutthroat from the Washakie Wilderness in Wyoming (Diana Mallard)
In summer 2023, the NFC National Board voted not to support a proposal that would remove nonnative rainbow trout from Buffalo Creek in the Absaroka Wilderness and introduce Yellowstone cutthroat to create what was referred to as a “wild refuge.” NFC did not, however formally oppose the project as we did not have a local presence and our position would not impact the outcome.
Buffalo Creek was historically fishless prior to the introduction of rainbows in the 1930s. The proposal noted this at least 12 times. While the NFC board was unanimous in regard to supporting the removal of nonnative rainbows, all but one member was opposed to the subsequent introduction of Yellowstone cutts. And there was no opportunity to push for a compromise proposal.
In 2022, NFC Executive Bob Mallard wrote about “wild refuges” in MidCurrent. The Maine chapter of NFC had recently formally opposed a plan to introduce nonnative Arctic charr into a never stocked State Heritage Fish water. The chapter did not feel that putting a genetically pure wild native brook trout population at risk to try to create a nonnative Arctic charr refuge was an environmentally sound position.
“A federal judge has halted a proposal to poison [Buffalo Creek] in the Absaroka Mountains as part of a trout introduction project, writing that the plan runs counter to the Wilderness Act.”
In addition to the mixed message that removing one nonnative fish and replacing it with another nonnative fish would send, NFC was concerned that the post reclamation introduction of nonnative cutthroat could put the whole project at risk due to opposition. NFC felt that the removal of nonnative rainbow trout was important and that this should be the objective of the project.
In October 2025, a federal judge from Montana halted the Buffalo Creek project, saying that it “...diminishes wilderness character on almost every level.” The finding was in response to a lawsuit brought by Wilderness Watch who opposed the proposal, arguing that Yellowstone cutthroat were not native to the stream and that the project would have a negative impact on a designated wilderness area.
It is possible that Wilderness Watch would have opposed the Buffalo Creek project regardless of whether Yellowstone cutthroat were introduced post rainbow trout removal or not. While NFC reached out to Wilderness Watch and Trout Unlimited who supported the project, no one seemed interested in trying to negotiate a compromise that would have allowed for the removal of nonnative rainbows that are imperiling wild native Yellowstone cutthroat in lower Slough Creek and the Lamar River…