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<br />(. '.... .' '''; ~ <br /> <br />In addition to the many services provided for local populations <br />throughout the study area, very important basic services have been <br />springing up, especially along the Front Range, in response to the <br />mushrooming activities associated with energy development and recrea- <br />tion. Recreation and tourism, although not broken out as a separate <br />industrial sector, can be singled out for their importance to the <br />economy of the study area as a whole, and for their contribution to <br />the general well-being of each subarea. <br /> <br />Other important sectors of economic activity include transportation, <br />communications, public utilities, and the construction industry. <br />The importance of finance, ins urance, and real estate compan i es is <br />increasing throughout the study area, and especially in the Denver <br />metropolitan area. <br /> <br />ENVIRONMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS <br /> <br />The North Platte River was studied from Seminoe Reservoir downstream to <br />the confl uence with the South Pl atte, and the South Pl atte River was <br />examined from Lake Cheesman downstream to the confluence with the North <br />Platte, as shown on the frontispiece map. The Cache la Poudre River and <br />a small segment of the North Fork of the South Pl atte River were also <br />evaluated. The total land area of the drainage was not examined, but an <br />area 1 mile either side of the rivers and reservoirs was vegetatively <br />mapped using color infrared aerial photography. It was felt that this <br />area would be most directly affected by water resource development. The <br />mainstem of the Platte River was studied by the Fish and Wildlife <br />Service and is not considered in this analysis. <br /> <br />In addition, State and Federal wildlife agencies provided information <br />concerning important habitat features, recreation areas, wildl ife con" <br />centrations, refuges, stream classification, and presence of endangered <br />species. Some on-the-ground examination was conducted to confirm <br />habitat types and examine important resources. <br /> <br />Each of the three states have cl assificat ion schemes which rate stream <br />fishery values on a numerical scale, with Class 1 streams having the <br />highest fishery value while Class 4 streams have limited fishery <br />resources. Classes 2 and 3 are gradational between the highest and <br />lowest values, but even Class 4 streams have low (Wyoming) to moderate <br />(ColoradO) to substantial (Nebraska) resources. Streams without fishery <br />values are not included in the classification system. <br /> <br />North Platte River <br /> <br />Habitat Types <br /> <br />The habitats along the North Pl atte and South Pl atte Rivers were <br />similar but the quantities of each varied. For example, prairie <br />grassland was a major type along the North Platte with 54,586 acres but <br />represented only about 12,000 acres along the South Platte (table 3). <br />The acreage for wet meadow was over 68,000 for the South Pl atte and a <br /> <br />11 <br />