Harding Canyon Trout No More...

A post wildfire mud slide has wiped out a population of California native rainbow trout. From an article published at MercuryNews.com:

"What we feared, happened," said Adam Backlin, an ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. "The hillsides just slumped into the canyon, and buried the entire creek."

Backlin said he became concerned about the Harding Canyon trout after the Santiago fire, which burned more than 28,000 acres during the October wildfires, creating mudslide conditions. The fish lived in rocky pools along a stretch of creek.

The loss is just one example of how many of Southern California's dwindling species teeter on the edge of disappearing completely. The once thriving populations of fish and amphibians have shrunken into small pockets easily threatened by storms and mudslides.