Laserfiche WebLink
<br />DRAFT AND PRECISJONAL DOCUMENT - FOR COORDINATION COMMITTEE REVIEW ONLY <br /> <br />1.0 INTRODUCTION <br /> <br />o <br />Q <br />. .-j <br /> <br />1.1 <br /> <br />AUTHORITY <br /> <br />en <br />c...-, <br /> <br />The San Juan Recovery Implementation Program has as its two major bases; 1) obligation of all <br />federal agencies operating in the basin to fulfill the requiremenls of the Endangered Species Act <br />and other statutes, and 2) the responsibilities and authorities of the states and tribal governments <br />for the stewardship and management of natural resources of the Basin. <br /> <br />The San Juan Recovery Implementation Program (Program) became operational in October <br />1992, executed by the signing of a Cooperative Agreement by the Department of the loterior, <br />the States of Colorado and New Mexico, and the Ute Mountain Ute, the Southern Ute, and the <br />JicariJla Apache tribes, The Program incorporated as its core the Reasonable and Prudent <br />Altemalive Biological Opinion for the proposed Animas-LaPlata Project and the commitment of <br />involved agencies to a Seven Year Research effort to document the response of the native fish <br />community to flows released from Navajo Dam to mimic the natural hydrograph of the San Juan <br />River, The Navajo Indian Irrigation Project Biological Opinion added to the requirements and <br />incorporated specific information needs for that project into the overall investigative effort. <br />Subsequently, a Biological Opinion was issued to the V,S. Bureau of Land Management <br />regarding oil and gas development in the Basin, This Biological Opinion included participation <br />of USBLM in the Seven Year Research Plan, Other entities may enter the Program as a result <br />of Endangered Species Act Section 7 consultation or as provided in the San Juan River Recovery <br />Implementation Program, <br /> <br />1.2 PURPOSE <br />The purpose of the Long Range Plan is to provide the infrastructure necessary to guide and <br />document the delineation and accomplishment of recovery steps to achieve the goals identified <br />for the San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program, As set forth in the Program <br />document, these goals are two-fold: <br />1, To conserve populations of Colorado squawfish and razorback sucker in the Basin <br />consistent with the recovery goals established under the Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S,C, <br />1531 et@, <br />2, To proceed with water development in the Basin in compliance with federal and state <br />laws, interstate compacts, Supreme Court decrees, and federal trust responsibilities to the <br />Southern Utes, Ute Mountain Utes, Iicarilla Apaches, and the Navajos, <br /> <br />The time frame for the achievement of the Program's goals is 15 years; hence, this Long Range <br />Plan (Plan) is directed toward the realization of discernable and appreciable positive biological <br />responses of the endangered fish species and their habitats to' management of water and other <br />resources in the Basin within that time frame, Recovery of the two endangered species <br />(Colorado squawfish and razorback sucker) is not considered viable without addressing the native <br />fish community of which they are a component. Thus, this Long Range Plan addresses the <br />aquatic and terrestrial components of the Basin that may affecllhe native fish community, <br /> <br />2 <br />