|
<br />Alternative site could benefit fish, recreation; meet water needs
<br />From YAMPA, Page 1
<br />
<br />gered fishes' habitat. At 1.2 million
<br />acre-feet, the proposed reservoirs
<br />would have equaled nearly a third of
<br />the capacity of Flaming Gorge
<br />Reservoir,
<br />"The Yampa River is the highest
<br />priority habitat for the endangered fish
<br />anywhere in the upper Colorado River
<br />Basin," said John Hamill, director of
<br />the Recovery Program for the
<br />Endangered Fish of the Upper
<br />Colorado River Basin, "Selecting an
<br />alternative site is desirable because if
<br />the J\miper-Cross Mountain reservoirs
<br />were developed, they would inundate
<br />scores of miles of occupied habitat of
<br />endangered fish and cut off their
<br />migration up and down the river."
<br />Under a proposal in the early stages
<br />of evaluation, a portion of water rights
<br />held by the Colorado River Water
<br />Conservation District for Juniper-
<br />Cross Mountain reservoirs would be
<br />transferred to the new sites or held to
<br />meet long-lenn water demands in the
<br />basin, The remainder of those rights
<br />could be transferred to the U,S, Fish
<br />and Wildlife Service and used to
<br />
<br />Biologists find
<br />
<br />84 squawfish
<br />
<br />in Colo. River
<br />
<br />Finding of 36 YOlmg fish
<br />
<br />shows adults are reprcxlucing,
<br />
<br />young are surviving
<br />
<br />By Connie Young
<br />Public Information Speeialist
<br />Colorado Division of Wild me
<br />GRAND JUNCfION, Colo, -
<br />Biologists found 84 endangered
<br />Colorado squawfish in the main
<br />stem of the upper Colorado River
<br />this year, including 36 young fish-
<br />a sign that adult squawfish here are
<br />reproducing, and their offspring are
<br />surviving to adulthood,
<br />In fact, on the upper Colorado
<br />
<br />See SQUAWFISH, Page 3
<br />
<br />maintain in-stream flows in the Yampa
<br />River for endangered fish, Research
<br />has shown that the high spring flows
<br />help endangered fish survive and
<br />reproduce.
<br />The Colorado River Water
<br />Conservation District, owner of the
<br />Juniper-Cross Mountain water rights,
<br />is managing the feasibility study in
<br />conjunction with the Recovery
<br />Program, a coalition of federal, state
<br />and private agencies working to recov-
<br />er endangered fish in the upper
<br />Colorado River Basin while allowing
<br />new water development to proceed,
<br />A technical steering group identi-
<br />fied 64 potential reservoir sites last
<br />spring, Through a series of evalua-
<br />tions, inspections and public meetings,
<br />the steering group trimmed the list to
<br />fi ve preferred sites, Expansions at
<br />Elkhead and Stagecoach reservoirs
<br />currently are identified as desirable
<br />options,
<br />The group is scheduled to produce
<br />its final recommendations by August
<br />1992, Actual construction could not
<br />start until the permitting process,
<br />which could take close' to a decade, is
<br />completed,
<br />
<br />'. -'~,";,'~!"'~
<br />.~l" ",,,".;
<br />'if., -'"., ':;J.~
<br />. .~:...<.-~-.;,
<br />" e'-:'~'l
<br />-. ,
<br />. , ...
<br />(; .. ..~~
<br />- ."" . ,1," 'I
<br />II ".. ",\
<br />\,..... ,.." "'~i.
<br />. ~'L::J~. .:'"1:
<br />~. . <!:~.""","","..'I'.
<br />'~.~ .:1 .~"';i~-""-:')f~
<br />~'Cr ''',~~~:a' : "1' ",~f;
<br />-:;',\. ~"4~~" ':.;~'':..
<br />
<br />~.., '.,,' ~\ -"
<br />-<-- ._-~ . C' ~, ~-:F;j."J
<br />:~~~ . ~~~
<br />. ~ ,.:';'~'~
<br />~~~~~
<br />~" c~:iZ~t1~~~
<br />
<br />A
<br />
<br />"':. ',I
<br />r
<br />
<br />Photo by Perry Conway
<br />SHOCKING: Researchers Tom
<br />Nesler, of the Colorado Division
<br />of Wildlife, and Ed WIck, of
<br />Colorado State University, use
<br />electro-shocking equipment to
<br />find endangered fish In the
<br />Colorado River.
<br />
<br />2
<br />
<br />Thc combination of the Reeovery
<br />Program working with the water dis-
<br />trict to find alternative reservoir sites
<br />is benefitting the entire basin, Craig
<br />City Manager Don Birkner said,
<br />"I think the true value to the study
<br />is the communication it has caused,"
<br />he said, According to Birkner, people
<br />have begun to realize that resolving
<br />conflicts over water development
<br />means also resolving conflicts involv-
<br />ing endangered fish,
<br />"Here's a million acre-feet of water
<br />down at Juniper that we would obvi-
<br />ously end up fighting over for a long
<br />time," he said, "An alternative reser-
<br />voir could help the fish; it could help
<br />the basin; it could help recreation,"
<br />For Recovery Program Director
<br />Hamill, preserving the Yampa River
<br />flows is the priority.
<br />"Our goal is to protect the Yampa
<br />River," Hamill said, "If we can find a
<br />way to meet the long-tenn needs for
<br />water in the Yampa Basin while also
<br />meeting the long-tenn needs of endan-
<br />gered fish, we've got a win-win situa-
<br />tion, Meeting both those goals is why
<br />the Recovery Program was established
<br />in the first place,"
<br />
<br />...... ............ .. ..... ..... .
<br />. ::..,: .:.) ::/.:"r::: /.: ::=-:: .:::.:..:.:.:.;:":::> ::' ::,.;:,:. ..
<br />
<br />.t~tit~~!i~lti~
<br />.",'".., ',.'Iliii Fliic~\iiiryProgfairi Jo:ri
<br />",'Endaligiired Fish ofthli':Uppii' .
<br />'.'..~~:'~::~~~,~~!r~:=~.J
<br />.,.~stiiifllng popu1iitionii.of.'QOlorlido "','
<br />'.,' SqilaW1iSlj'humpi)acl(cliilb;bilnyrait ,,'
<br />cljubandriltorbiick$uckeriiwhilEi ','
<br />,.'\I~~~~~~~~,.,',',.
<br />,.,',.:~~~~';:~~=~....,',.
<br />'.. D,lvisioi'OIW~dlifii;6069:el\)aclii!iiy;
<br />, "pjjriViii;Cob: 80216 (303)2lI1 ,746a
<br />p;;:..;.;.;~.tiJ~;""', ,"" ,"',','..',','..',,',"', ,"'.',
<br />..','.~,.;,,~~-.,.=~~< ,
<br />: :.: -..v..s: e..J.:eauo(:" .::.:. . . EfMftlOrT1eIlal:. .
<br />/".,A~ .'",.,/~F~rld:
<br />.:=::,~..~":.\\\lIi(..", ',",
<br />J.S1BJoOl~>'UW>Walliru;o;. .' "
<br />. · "SIa.eOtuiijr,J ,"..' //,..'AiSOdatiOn "'., :"..",.. ,:.
<br />'S1BJollf~;~WaIO<"'"
<br />},:~~:t.l;7~""'.'...,.,:.,,',',.
<br />
|