|
<br />Fisltrec()very also, beriefitspeople,. oflicialssay
<br />. .
<br />. . ,
<br />
<br />'ically, Morgenweck said, '
<br />. "The fish m:e alerting us that dams in
<br />the Colorado River Basin have radical-
<br />ly ch>niged tJie'rivers' flow patterns and
<br />have cut stream flows by one-third," hf
<br />'said,. "Pesticides, seleniinn and. othe
<br />contaminants Iiave washed into the
<br />river basin, threatening the qualitY of
<br />this once pristine river network, and
<br />c more' than 4Q non-native. fish species
<br />have.. been. introduced; forcing the
<br />native fish that' originally inhabited
<br />these waters to compete with their new
<br />neighbors for'food, space and survival."
<br />John. Hamill,. who. directs the
<br />Recovery Program, acknowledged sev-
<br />. eral organizations for their work with
<br />theiish ladd~r"', .
<br />. "The catalyst that broughi this pro-
<br />ject together was the Recovery
<br />Program, bul many, individuals and
<br />agenCies deserve specilil recognition,"
<br />Hamill said, "First is Redlands Water
<br />and Power Company,I tried to imagine
<br />how I would feel if, after building this
<br />. dam and power plant and. managing it
<br />for some 80 years, the federal govern-
<br />ment . started imposing conditions on
<br />Morgenweck also discussed eco-'. my operation,
<br />,: nomic benefits to be gained through .., "To Redlands' credit,. they stuck
<br />the. multi-agency Colorado. River . with the. process, and I believe we built
<br />Recovery Program,. which is aimed at this project in a wliythat fully respects
<br />,recovering four species of endangered their.water rights and in'no way inter-
<br />. Colorado River fish while. also allow- ,feres with the operntion of the dam,"
<br />In the', keynote 'presentatio~ at the ..' ing . for f~,ture. water. developme'nt. . Hamill and Bureail of Reclamation
<br />dedication' cer~mony, US, Fish and Because of an agreement made bY p'ar- Area Manager Carol DeAngelis also
<br />Wildlife Service Regional Director . ticipants in tliis program.J75 city govc ' thanked the City of Grand Jimction,
<br />Ralph Morgenwecksaid that recover; . ernrnents,' farmers and.. ,ning 'and oil . Mesa Comity, Colorado River Water
<br />ing'the fish will benefit people by pro~,conipanies have beenable to complete Conservation District, construction
<br />tecting the. Colorado:River itself, . by "water. projects. that, benefitted 'local. ,contractor R,'N' ',.. Jones; designers
<br />. cleaning up pollutants, preserving wet-. economies in. Colorado, . Vtah and FishPro and Merrick and Company and
<br />lands, supporting. economic develop- . Wyoming, he said, staff from the Bureau of Reclamation
<br />ment and .bypreserving part 'of the. Colorado squawfish and raiorback ,and Fish and Wildlife' Service,
<br />. West's heritage: suckers evolved in'the Colorado River . In her speech, DeAngelis quoted
<br />"As . residents of the West, we' Basin more than. 3 . million years ago ,text from a poster depicting wildlife '
<br />. depend on . the river and its tributaries and have been called "living fossils," . species thai 'were at one time endan-
<br />for water to grow crops, to provide. But unlike. .the dinosaur, 'which, gered but now are on the road to recov-
<br />. 'drinking water and to. support fishing,' became extinct through forces of evo- ery: "They are reminders that wildlife
<br />rafting and other kinds Of recreation," lution, these fish have, declined . and civilization can be compatible, that
<br />he said, "What we're doing to recover because of human action: Their current recovery comes in stages and that
<br />endangered fish also can protect these plight is sending a "red.flag;' that the ,endangered reany.does mean there is
<br />vital river resources," river enviromnenfhas changed dramat- still time," .
<br />
<br />LADDER,from 1
<br />
<br />'then sYfim up. a 350-foot V-shaped
<br />channel. tliat . wraps around' one end ,of.
<br />. the Redlands Diversion Dam and leads ,
<br />to a ."holding area" at the top: The fish ...
<br />remain there until. biologists sort, the
<br />native and endangered fish from the
<br />non-natives,
<br />Many ,noli-native fish feed on and
<br />compete with endangered' fish, To..
<br />. ..avoid: giving' the non-natives an . equal
<br />advantage, biologists either rel11ove, or
<br />. retUrn theni:'downstrealll, An native
<br />, and elldangered fish are~enttip'streain,
<br />Once above of the dam, endangered,
<br />. fish win be able. io reach, historic.
<br />spa\\'Iiing areas .an<l will find a, nver
<br />. teeming with young naiive fish, one of
<br />the, Colorado squawfish's preferred
<br />.', sources of food, .
<br />
<br />,'As residents 'of the.West, we .
<br />depend,on the river and its /rib-.
<br />utaries for ",ater to grow crops,
<br />to provide drinking. water and to .
<br />support fishing, . rafting and
<br />other kinds of recreation, What
<br />'we 'r:e' doing to recover ~ndan-
<br />. gered fish" also can protect these.
<br />'vital river resources.'
<br />
<br />. .
<br />-'Ralph'Morgenweck
<br />
<br />
<br />. .. . . Photo by Connie Yo~ng
<br />Chuck McAdli. Ii biologist with tile
<br />. U,S, Fish and Wi.ldlife Service, in .
<br />. Gran~ junction. holds tWo native,
<br />suckers that swam up the Redlands .
<br />Fish ladder. Bluehead and f1annel-
<br />. mOUth suckers are among the more
<br />.than 7;000 native fish that have made,
<br />... .their way u~ the ,structure sO far,..
<br />
<br />2
<br />
|