BOARD00038 ‎(2)‎

• Board Meeting Date: 9/20/2006
• Description: WSP Section - San Juan River Recovery Implementation Program Document Revisions
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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recovery elements with imbedded actions that are consistent with the recovery goals. Recovery
elements of the Program include:

Protection, Management and Augmentation of Habitat - This element identifies important
river reaches and habitats for different life stages of the endangered fishes and makes appropriate
habitat improvements, including providing flows in the San Juan River and passage around
migration barriers so as to provide suitable habitat to support recovered fish populations.

Water Quality Protection and Enhancement - This element identifies and monitors water
quality conditions and takes actions to diminish or eliminate identified water quality problems
that limit recovery.

Interactions Between Native and Non-native Fish Species - This element identifies
problematic non-native fish species and implements actions to reduce negative interactions
between the endangered fish species and non-native fish species.

Monitoring and Data Management - This element evaluates the status and trends of
endangered fish species, and of other native and non-native species, and measures progress
toward achieving recovery goals.

Protection of Genetic Integrity and Management and Augmentation of Populations - This
element insures that the Program's augmentation protocols maintain genetically diverse fish
species while raising new generations of Colorado pikeminnow and razorback sucker to stock in
the river system.

Long-Range Plan

The Long-Range Plan (LRP) is the Program's research, monitoring and implementation
document. Using the research information provided from past studies and Program evaluation
reports, the LRP outlines a multi-year proposal to guide the research and monitoring programs
and recovery actions necessary to achieve the Program's goals. The LRP will indicate the logical
progression and priority of implementing identified recovery actions within the San Juan River
Basin that are expected to result in recovery of the San Juan River populations of Colorado
pikeminnow and razorback sucker and contribute to recovery and delisting of both species. As
these actions are completed, they constitute milestones marking progress of the Program toward
achieving the goal of recovery of the endangered fish species. The LRP will be used as a basis
for scheduling, budgeting and implementing program research, monitoring and capital project
and other recovery action activities. The LRP is the basis for developing annual work plans.

The development of a comprehensive research, monitoring and recovery program was required to
address the dual goals of the Program of conserving populations of endangered fish species in the
San Juan River Basin and of proceeding with water resource development in the Basin. All of the
Program participants recognize that the biological requirements of the endangered fish species
and the management of San Juan River Basin waters are complex. The Long-Range Plan
proposes a broad range of measures that will enable the Program to: (1) identify and quantify
factors which limit the abundance and survival of endangered fishes in the San Juan River; (2)
develop strategies to improve the status of the populations of endangered fish species in the river;
and (3) provide the means to evaluate the success of such endeavors. For the first ten years of the
Program, the Program and the LRP focused on research activities. The focus of the LRP has
shifted to monitoring and recovery actions.

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