Burned trees in south-central Utah

Shingle Creek, a tributary of Clear Creek in Utah. As wildfire increases throughout the western USA, the persistence of sensitive ecosystems is threatened. The lightning-caused Twitchell Fire in south-central Utah affected 45,000 acres of montane forest, including areas identified for restoration of native Bonneville cutthroat trout. Subsequent monsoon flooding and erosion physically transformed the Clear Creek watershed, including eliminating almost all nonnative fishes. This wildfire has provided an invaluable opportunity to restore a fish community to 70 miles of perennial coldwater streams – the largest watershed in Utah containing exclusively native species.