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""......... Agreement Section 7 Consultation, Sufficient Progress, and Historic Projects Recovery Implementation Program for the Endangered Fish Species in the Upper Colorado River Basin March 11, 1993 I. Background The Recovery Implementation Program for Endangered Fish Species in the Upper Colorado River Basin (RIP) is intended to go considerably beyond offsetting water depletion impacts by providing for the full recovery of the four endangered fishes. The RIP participants recognize that timely progress toward recovery in accordance with a well-defined action plan is essential to the purposes of the RIP, including both the recovery of the endangered fishes and providing for water development to proceed in compliance with State law, Interstate Compacts, and the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Recovery activities which result in significant protection and improvement of the endangered fish populations and their habitat need to receive high priority in future planning, budgeting, and decision making. The RIP participants accept that certain positive population responses to RIP initiatives are not likely to be measurable for many years due to the time required for the endangered fishes to reach reproductive maturity, limited knowledge about their life history and habitat requirements, sampling difficulties and limitations, and other factors. The RIP participants also recognize that further degradation of endangered fish habitats and populations will make recovery increasingly difficult. II. RIP Recovery Action Plan (RIPRAP) The Recovery Action Plan (RIPRAP) identifies actions currently believed to be required to recover the endangered fishes in the most expeditious manner possible in the upper basin. It has been developed using the best information available and the recovery goals established for the four endangered fish species. By reference, the RIPRAP is incorporated and considered part of this agreement. The RIPRAP will be an adaptive management plan because additional information, changing priorities, and the development of the States' entitlement may require modifications to the RIPRAP. The RIPRAP will be reviewed annually and modified or updated, if necessary, by September 30 of each year or prior to adoption of the annual work plan, whichever comes first. The RIPRAP will serve as a guide for all future planning, research, and recovery efforts, including the annual work-planning and budget decision process. The RIP is intended to provide the reasonable and prudent alternatives for projects undergoing Section 7 consultation in the upper basin. While some recovery actions in the RIPRAP are expected to have more direct or immediate benefits for the endangered fishes than others, all are considered necessary to accomplish the objectives of the RIP. Recovery 1