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<br />Director's message
<br />
<br />By John Hamill
<br />Recovery Program Director
<br />U,S, Fish and Wildl~e Service
<br />The Recovery
<br />Implementation
<br />Committee has
<br />approved 37 pro-
<br />jects and a $3.96
<br />million work plan
<br />for fiscal year 1992,
<br />The budget includes
<br />an expected
<br />$250.000 increase
<br />John Hamill from Congress,
<br />Next year's pro-
<br />jects will emphasize:
<br />. Research on effects of flows rec-
<br />ommended in the Flaming Gorge
<br />Dam biological opinion,
<br />. Measuring the effects of Aspinall
<br />unit test flows on the Gunnison River,
<br />, Continued monitoring of endan-
<br />gered fish populations and their habi-
<br />tat in the Green and Colorado rivers,
<br />. Genetic surveys of Colorado
<br />squawfish and razorback suckers,
<br />. Chub (Gila species) taxonomy,
<br />. Developing endangered-fish refuge
<br />populations and expanding hatchery
<br />facilities at Ouray, Utah,
<br />To receive a work plan, write: U.S,
<br />Fish and Wildlife Service. Colo. River
<br />Recovery Program. Box 25486. Denver
<br />Federal Center, Denver Colo, 80225,
<br />Water acqulsnlon
<br />The Recovery Program negotiated a
<br />lease with the Colorado Division of
<br />Parks and Recreation to release 2.fXXl
<br />acre-feet of water from Steamboat
<br />Lake, The Division may make similar
<br />releases in future years to increase
<br />Yampa River flows,
<br />Also. the Bureau of Reclamation,
<br />Fish and Wildlife Service and
<br />Colorado Water Conservation Board
<br />developed an agreement to provide an
<br />additional 10.000 acre-feet of water
<br />from Ruedi Reservoir to enhance
<br />/lows in the Colorado River's' 15-
<br />mile reach' during late summer and
<br />early fall of 1991.
<br />This brings the total amount of
<br />water provided from Ruedi in 199\ to
<br />20,fXXl acre-feet. The releases, which
<br />started Aug. 15 and ended Oct. 31.
<br />increased flows by about 100 to ISO
<br />cubic feet per second. bringing the
<br />total acre-feet released from Ruedi for
<br />
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<br />
<br />PholO by Perry Conway
<br />The razorback sucker, a fish that Is believed to have evolved In the
<br />Colorado River Basin 4 million years ago, has been listed as endangered
<br />under the federal Endangered Species Act.
<br />
<br />endangered fish in 1991 to 20.000.
<br />These three agencies and local gov-
<br />emment agencies will discuss oppor-
<br />tunities for releases again next year,
<br />
<br />Depletion charge Increase
<br />The "depletion charge" assessed for
<br />new water development projects was
<br />raised to $11.50 per acre-foot as of
<br />Oct. 1, The charge increases annually
<br />with in/lation, Proponents of new
<br />water projects in the upper Colorado
<br />River Basin pay the one-time charge
<br />to offset impacts of water depletion on
<br />endangered fish,
<br />The National Fish and Wildlife
<br />Foundation holds these funds in an
<br />interest-bearing account used by the
<br />Recovery Program,
<br />
<br />National Park Service
<br />The National Park Service has
<br />requested membership on the
<br />Recovery Program, The Park Service
<br />was active when the program was
<br />formed. but has since assumed more
<br />of an observer role, Park Service and
<br />Recovery Program activities overlap
<br />in Dinosaur National Monument,
<br />Canyonlands National Park, Glen
<br />Canyon National Recreation Area and
<br />to a lesser extent. Black Canyon of the
<br />Gunnison National Monument and
<br />Curecanti National Recreation Area,
<br />The Park Service has proposed to
<br />contribute in-kind services in the areas
<br />of water rights. information and educa-
<br />tion and fishery management.
<br />The Implementation Committee
<br />
<br />5
<br />
<br />asked the Park Service to draft an
<br />agreement on its proposed participa-
<br />tion, The committee will consider the
<br />proposal at its next meeting. Jan. 30,
<br />
<br />In-stream flows
<br />The Implementation Committee
<br />has approved two projects to expedite
<br />water-rights acquisition and protection
<br />of in-stream flows under the Recovery
<br />Program, A "senior scientist" will be
<br />hired to provide an independent
<br />review of the Fish and Wildlife
<br />Service's flow recommendations and
<br />methods for qualifying flows for
<br />endangered fish,
<br />Also, an independent expert in
<br />Colorado water laws and the in-stream
<br />flow program will be hired to identify
<br />and evaluate the legal. institutional
<br />and policy issues related to the acqui-
<br />sition and appropriation of water
<br />rights for endangered fish, Both one-
<br />year studies are set to start in 1992,
<br />
<br />Razorback sucker listed
<br />On Oct. 23, the Fish and Wildlife
<br />Service designated the razorback
<br />sucker as endangered under the
<br />Endangered Species Act. Once con-
<br />sidered abundant throughout the
<br />Colorado River Basin, the razorback
<br />is now restricted to about 25 percent
<br />of its fonner range, Biologists believe
<br />that few if any young razorbacks
<br />remain in the wild,
<br />The razorback sucker has been a
<br />target of the recovery activities since
<br />the Recovery Program began.
<br />
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