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. ~ draft of these recommendations, agreed that the FWS used the best data presently available, but although it had some concerns, the Board was prepared to use the interim recommendations if proposed acquisitions were less than the interim flows. Further studies are planned to refine or .corroborate these flows. C. Protecting instream flows on the Yampa River. 1. The Colorado Department of Natural Resources has been discussing the acquisition of the Juniper/Cross Mountain water rights with Colorado River Water Conservation District (River District) and affected communities for several years. It has also been determined that these projects hold the controlling water rights on the Yampa River. These entities agreed that they needed to determine if there is a feasible alternative project that could be constructed and operated in accord with water development and other economic goals that would be consistent with the recovery of endangered species. A 2-year study is underway to answer these questions and is due to be completed late in 1991. The end product is to be an "appraisal level feasibility study" of alternative sites, future development plans and identification of uses for the water rights, including instream flows. 2. The River District and Pittsburgh and Midway Coal Mining Company have indicated a willingness to sell, trade, or donate some of their water rights on the Little Snake River. The Little Snake River, the major tributary of the Yampa, supplies most of the sediment which is important for backwater areas on the Green River in Utah which are essential to young fish. The Department of the Interior and the Wyoming Water Development Commission have entered into a cooperative agreement for Wyoming to utilize its model of the Little Snake River to evaluate these water rights. The results of this study are due this summer. 3. The Nature Conservancy, the FWS, and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) are working cooperatively to acquire a large ranch on the Yampa and Little Snake Rivers which would include 3,700 acre-feet of senior water rights on the Yampa River. After an expression of interest by the Implementation Committee, the Nature Conservancy agreed to proceed with an appraisal of the property and will seek to obtain an option once the appraisal is completed. The BLM believes that this area will benefit it when added to its current land holdings in the Cross Mountain area; and the FWS believes that the flows, if converted to instream flow water rights, will benefit its flow acquisition program. 5