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. Section 10.5 of the 404(b )(1) report suggests mitigation ratios of 1 to I for restoration, 2 to 1 for creation, and 3 to I for enhancement and preservation. The Wetlands Mitigation Opportunities Report describes mitigation 'credits' according to these ratios. Reclamation negotiated a ratio of 1.5 to 1 and committed to it in the FSEIS and the Record of Decision. Reclamation's enhancement. protection, creation and restoration of a severely impacted wetland/riparian area clearly provides an effective mitigation for the acres of wetland/riparian habitat lost in Ridges Basin. Reclamation coordinated potential mitigation opportunities to replace the functions and values of the wetland/riparian that will be impacted by the ALP Project with specialists representing the EPA, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) and Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW). It was agreed among the agencies that the best opportunities to replace wetland/riparian impacts would be along the La Plata River corridor because: I) the floodplain of the river corridor has been modified by agricultural development and channelization projects for flood protection; 2) undesirable weed species are replacing native wetland/riparian plant communities, and 3) the potential for future development along the river corridor could further degrade existing wetland/riparian habitats. Subsequently, both the condition and extent of the native plant communities that otherwise would be normally found along the river corridor have been greatly diminished, and the potential for further diminishment is significant unless portions of the river corridor are preserved and protected. In 1995-96, mitigation opportunities were initially assessed between the confluence with the San Juan River in New Mexico and the town of Hesperus, Colorado, a distance of approximately 61 river miles. This information led Reclamation to investigate, in 1997, specific mitigation opportunities for an approximately 5-mile long section of the river corridor between the confluence of Cherry Creek and the Colorado and New Mexico state line (Figure 1). This section of the river corridor maintains perennial flow, something that is extremely limited on the La Plata River downstream of Hesperus. Other riparian lands in this area are either privately owned or are Southern Ute Indian Tribe (SUIT) lands. An initial draft of this plan was prepared by Frontier Corporation of Logan, Utah but the plan has been revised through several iterations by Reclamation. 1.2 Selected Mitigation Area Based on the results of the 1997 investigation, Reclamation and the participating agencies concurred that the 5-mile section of river corridor between the state line and the Cherry Creek confluence provided ample opportunity to mitigate wetland/riparian impacts. In 2000, Reclamation began purchasing the Huntington Ranch, which was the largest holding of private land within this river reach. The ranch has three separate parcels that encompass portions of the river corridor (Figure 2). The ranch is non-contiguous along the La Plata River and has two SUIT in-holdings (Figure 2.) -2-