Over the last 18 months, I have started working on Lahontan Cutthroat Trout issues in Nevada. It’s been an eye-opener as to the ineffectiveness of the ESA to protect listed species.
The Lahontan Cutthroat was listed under the ESA more than half a century ago, yet most of its remnant habitat has been and continues to be destroyed by livestock.
We recently published two articles by Nevada resident Karen Klitz on her decades-long efforts to recover this species:
Last Stand for Headwater Lahontan Cutthroat Trout – Part 1
Last Stand for Headwater Lahontan Cutthroat Trout – Part 2
So it was of great interest when I received an invitation to a film on Lahontan Cutthroats in northern Nevada by Adam Bronstein of Western Watersheds Project.
Here is how you can sign up to get a link to the screening.
Join Western Watersheds Project for the premiere of The Desert Trout, a compelling short documentary that reveals the challenges facing Nevada’s Lahontan cutthroat trout — and the broader ecological impacts of public lands livestock grazing that threaten their survival.
Date: February 25, 2025, 5 PM MST
Location: ZOOM
RSVP: https://pp.events/deserttroutfilm
Explore the remote and rugged Basin and Range ecosystem, home to these rare trout, as the film takes you deep into the heart of Nevada’s high desert. Once abundant, Lahontan cutthroat trout now struggle to survive, with only 5 out of 71 remaining populations considered resilient by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The film highlights the Marys River Exclosure, a large protected area of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands where habitat has rebounded after cattle removal—benefiting not just the trout, but a thriving web of wildlife.
Right now, the BLM is reevaluating management across 40 key grazing allotments that overlap with the trout’s habitat, and your voice is critical in shaping the future of these waters.
Stay for a post-screening Q&A session with the filmmaker and WWP’s Nevada Director to learn how you can take action to protect these irreplaceable fish and their fragile ecosystem.
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