Yellowstone Insider Your Complete Guide to America's First National Park
Removal of nonnative fish from the upper Gibbon River drainage, which includes streams that flow out of Grebe, Wolf and Ice lakes, will cause some road and trail closures in Yellowstone National Park on September 2-13, 2019.
The following areas of the Upper Gibbon river drainage will close for fisheries work:
- Virginia Cascades Drive
- Wolf Lake Trail
- Wolf Lake Cutoff trail (to Ice Lake)
- Areas of the backcountry to the north and south between Canyon and Norris Junctions
All campsites in the area will remain open. Closures may lift if the project is completed ahead of schedule.
According to the National Park Service, closures are necessary for park staff to continue work on a project to eliminate nonnative fish from the upper Gibbon River drainage, which drainage includes streams that flow out of Grebe, Wolf, and Ice lakes. Once nonnative fish have been removed, biologists will reintroduce fish species to the streams in this area.
Biologists will remove nonnative rainbow trout and brook trout using the fish toxin rotenone. Rotenone is a naturally occurring chemical compound derived from the roots of tropical plants. Below the treatment area, biologists will add potassium permanganate to the water to remove the effects of rotenone and prevent impacts to downstream waters. To ensure the removal of nonnative fish, these treatments may be repeated in 2020. Reintroduction of fish will begin in 2020 or 2021.
Map courtesy National Park Service.
