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<br />Ii
<br />1
<br />
<br />"
<br />
<br />1990
<br />
<br />
<br />,-,,--> ','.' -':.'
<br />
<br />"f/s"ing~/"ctroubled...fIl(atll~
<br />
<br />-;,':t:,"
<br />
<br />ByLlsa JODes
<br />
<br />..
<br />'~ber 171990 ."...pr()~ri~~ts oflll~
<br />'controversial Animas.LaPlam Proj~cl are
<br />'1.$Cramblinglofree tile stalled watersclleme
<br />., 'frlllll.an imj)il5Sewilh Ihe ~?"gered
<br />CQ/llrado squawfish. The pro,;
<br />,:<,';,:.:, ,--
<br />. C..j<<\t~~{lI!t~l1b()ld 'in.May
<br />'whentheU$, FIslland
<br />!11(!lif~ Servi(:e~d that il
<br />;.J'iW~lddl~reatel1..thetish,whlch
<br />" ,livesduwostream in thl>San
<br />':n::-':,
<br />Uiltl'River. < .., .......
<br />T~(lbe/eIl;gl1erl>d squaw~.
<br />'~'-"theW(jIld's largest
<br />J~wand avpradous
<br />dator.thal ~IllWSttP.'l1fiV(l
<br />ttl>Ctjnll>ngth-;.h~nev"f
<br />ge.n6f8lellml1~haffectlpIV .....
<br />Yil";.,l3ef9te its numbers were
<br />Ts"~edby thepTolif~i?nnf
<br />)dillWl'!l!!,tpe{)llor<ltf9.l{i:ver
<br />.~i~!ribetari~ It wlIS?(t~n
<br />'.' ...;;.....,~by farml'rs~f~il~(lr;'
<br />::jY:~lllh~l~Os, it was pqiSQped
<br />" '!l'~llSOHbe~n Jual1~~Y"f.!!l,Crl'~etrouI
<br />ba~il~:q*(!.~an(l!ldaogei~.~ll'l!ill .
<br />....l~Z,il~~I1:lbeliev~t<}.~aye'!:yi~ll> .por-
<br />........I1!~tnthe.San JllanRjvennlU tbe lale
<br />. iLyl'11lQ$.whenlliolpgism.t\:lund'Po(tlle fish.
<br />i'gWt. ..~..Fisband .!11dlife.Il~1!1l~I~ased'a
<br />.......dr~lljl1lo-8icalopiniootliat~jlIVj~t would
<br />]threalen, Ibesquawflll.handl~r~l>~rback
<br />,~l1e~(lrl1-nMaY 8, tile daybeforecQnslt)Jction
<br />'l'lItiltJe$599 milljonpr<;jeQiwlISs:hedllled to
<br />.........~i!rI,~al..rdel'lelio~~ad contnouledto the
<br />""near-4entiseof Ihesq~l!\Vfi~il!theSan Juan
<br />Ri.....r, so further flow ~u<;tion~JI1I~eriver
<br />wOll/dlikl>ly jeopard~lhefi~~
<br />v:announcemenl frpzt\ ~Ilwaler ooV~19flIllentin
<br />Ih.. S~nJJlllllRiver Basin andoqlrtlged project
<br />:'PfPpqnenlS. .Sen,Wmiam Arm,In>ng, R-Colo.,
<br />"ill!iM/le agency bad j'taken leave of their seos.
<br />~"{HCN, 5121/(0).
<br />Pr<;ject proponents bavelrj~ 10fillda
<br />Wa~f9rthe huge Waler schemeandtbe fish to
<br />Col>xlst, bUllhe Fis/! and Wildlife SeNice
<br />JIlI.l~ decide whether there is a "reasonabll>
<br />
<br />and prudent altent!ltl~="~q~~~pi~~
<br />j..cl. Tile agency plan~19 .n\Il\1l$!
<br />biologicalopinionne;<IIiJOIlIQ;l
<br />ion is expected in April;
<br />Secrelar}' of InterjQr.M~
<br />suggesled lIlal a small~rpt(jj
<br />th(l"?~flict
<br />La J>lata"!ldtli~{i1i.
<br />M.epnwbllei.tll,~:
<br />. RCl:lamatjQ~llI1!.t:
<br />!lrecurre!itIY~rK
<br />jII)llallo bul .'
<br />ph.seohhi
<br />Durango, Qj\q. .
<br />'Basin'-J~eseiYQit;_
<br />pllmpingStatlo"';1\
<br />connC\llirigtbe.tw.~..
<br />divl>rt 6O,3Qll~ej
<br />a yearrromlbe'M!
<br />fortnu1li\llpalai!
<br />use, 'bul'nofWi
<br />Waler fromlbe.1iI
<br />New Mexlcbw~jij:fjjj'
<br />to mimic natural flOWll.
<br />fish.
<br />Construction of Ihe rest olthe'
<br />oHhe projecl, which would diy(l!'l~
<br />154,000 acre-feel from tlieriv..ri~!Jll!~....
<br />depend on further study 9f Ihe need&i;iff.,:.
<br />fish and Ihl> implemenlatlon llfa.recQ'I'el'l!'
<br />,,,:,,.:.' .-'"
<br />program.
<br />"One of the bigproble11lsii;1
<br />inclUding the Fish and Wildliies..
<br />kn!Jws wballhe Coloradosq.'uaw.. fisbreq. Ul . f?inyltS:":;'
<br /><.....o:;,:;:,;,2J(:':
<br />in order not to be in jeopardy ofex~~~.,~fq'::ii2
<br />says Rick Gold, the Bureau's assisllW,tlll':
<br />al direclor in,Salt Lake City, . .
<br />Opponents say Ibepart.way pro
<br />conslitutds an inslitulionalcomml
<br />build the whole projl>CI, while
<br />the compromise could leave
<br />and dry if the project were never
<br />"It still leaves a 10/ of risk,>>
<br />McElroy, water counsel 10 the
<br />tribe, which has signed up 10
<br />acre-feet of irrigalion waler.
<br />ourselves a settlement
<br />live with, and pari of lbat
<br />
<br />
<br />Thebeleagured
<br />squawflsh -
<br />the world's
<br />largest
<br />minnow and a
<br />voracious
<br />Pl'edator that
<br />grows up to
<br />five feet In
<br />lengtb - haS
<br />never
<br />Generated' much
<br />affection
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />26 - C 1996 High COuntry News
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