Maggie Creek is a southward flowing stream that begins in the Independence Mountains and is tributary to the Humboldt River in Carlin in Elko County in northeastern Nevada. History On early maps the stream was called Robin's Creek or 'Martin's Fork. A pioneer Scots family, on their overland trek to California in 1849, camped near the stream and named four creeks, including Maggie Creek, Susie Creek, Mary Creek, and Amelia Creek, after their four beautiful daughters. Watershed The Maggie Creek watershed drains . The Maggie Creek watershed is bounded by the Tuscarora Mountains on the west and the Independence Mountains to the north and east. Tributaries from snowmelt in the Tuscarora Mountains supply most of the runoff for Maggie Creek, including Beaver Creek, Coyote Creek, Little Jack Creek, and Jack Creek. Geology The Maggie Creek Watershed is underlain by the Carlin Trend, a long, 5-mile wide belt of faulted terrain that runs north from Carlin, Nevada. The Carlin Trend has been called the most prolific goldfield in the Western Hemisphere. Newmont Mining Corporation started open pit production on the Carlin Mine (within the lower portion of Maggie Creek Watershed) in 1965. With the discovery of higher grade gold at depth, underground mining began in 1994, necessitating mine water extraction and mitigation, the latter helping to fund the Maggie Creek Watershed Project. Ecology Maggie and Susie Creeks, which enter the Humboldt River near Carlin, have benefited from 20 years of work by ranchers, agencies, mines, and non-profit groups via improvements in grazing techniques and specific projects. These projects, which include installation of fish passable culverts, have led to the return of migrating Lahontan cutthroat trout (LCT, Onchorhynchus clarkii henshawi). The most important change was application of prescriptive livestock grazing practices to limit hot season grazing. Prior to 1993, cattle were present on most riparian areas throughout the growing season. Maggie Creek was assumed historically to support an interconnected “metapopulation” of LCT where fish accessed tributary and mainstem habitats needed for growth, gene exchange, spawning migrations, and refuge from stressful conditions. Three tributaries contained road culverts at their confluence with Maggie Creek. The culverts at two of the primary tributaries, Little Jack and Coyote creeks, were thought to be partial barriers, whereas the structure at the largest tributary, Beaver Creek, was assumed to prevent all LCT movement. In 2005, the culverts were replaced and an irrigation diversion in the mainstem creek was