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<br />001387 <br /> <br />.-:?3;~ <br />'~'~ <br />~ <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br /> <br />Robert Garcia/Daily Sentinel <br /> <br />Critical zone circles Colorado River Basin <br /> <br />Heather McGregor <br />Daily.Sentinel <br />A pending designation of criti- <br />cal habitat for endangered fish <br />will likely take in lower stretches <br />of the Yampa, White, Colorado and <br />Gunnison rivers, says a U.S. Fish <br />and Wildlife Service official. <br />John Hamill, coordinator for the <br />agency's endangered fish recovery <br />program, said the designation will <br />lake in the whole Colorado River <br />Basin, from western Colorado to <br />the Mexico border. <br />The designation was triggered <br />by a Sierra Club lawsuit after the <br /> <br />agency listed the razorback sucker <br />as an endangered species, but <br />failed to designate its critical <br />habitat. <br />Maps showing the. designated <br />habitat should be . issued by Jan. <br />. 27, under a federal court order. <br />In Colorado, the maps will <br />likely include the Yampa River <br />west of Craig, the White River west <br />of Meeker, the Colorado River <br />west of Rifle and the Gunnison <br />River north of Delta. <br />The designation means that the <br />stretches are considered critical <br />for survival of the endangered <br /> <br />razorback sucker and other native <br />fish. <br />It will make it very difficult to <br />make changes in the river, such as <br />dams or diversions, that change <br />the river habitat, Hamill said. <br />It's a tougher standard than 8im- . <br />ply steering areund the. endan- <br />gered species, he said, because <br />the fish do not necessarily have to <br />have been found in the stretches <br />designated. <br />Hamill said an in-depth eco- <br />nomic study of the effects of the <br />designation will be ready for re- <br />lease next spring or summer. <br /> <br />'---- <br />