9560

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 9560
• Author: Valdez, R. A.
• Title: A Generalized Interactive Model to Predict Floodplain Habitat Area Needed to Recover the Endangered Razorback Sucker in the Upper Colorado River Basin - Floodplain Model Version 5.1.
• USFW Year: 2004.
• USFW - Doc Type: Logan, UT.
• Copyright Material: NO

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1.2 Goals and Objectives
The goal of this project was to determine the approximate area of floodplain habitat
necessary to recover the endangered razorback sucker in the Upper Colorado River Basin.
The objectives of the project were to:
1. Estimate egg production and larval emergence of razorback sucker from spawning

sites;

2. Estimate riverine drift of larval razorback sucker and entrainment into floodplain
habitats;
3. Estimate growth and survival of larval and juvenile razorback sucker in floodplain
habitats; and
4. Estimate recruitment to adults of naturally-produced razorback sucker necessary
to achieve and sustain recovery criteria, and relate to area of floodplain habitat.
1.3 Organization of this Report
This report is organized into five sections. Section 1 is an Introduction that provides a
background for project need, goals, and objectives, as well as report organization; Section 2
describes Methods and provides an overview of the floodplain model and a d~scription of tasks
implemented to address each objective. Section 3 provides a description of the Life History
Variables of Razorback Sucker Used In The Model. This information is supplemented by a table
that summarizes pertinent life history parameters. Section 4 describes the structure and use of
The Floodplain Model. This section provides information on accessing and navigating the
model, and a step-by-step tutorial and sample model run, as well as a description of the
sensitivity analysis. Section 5 provides Recommendations to the Recovery Program.

2.0 METHODS

2.1 Overview

A mathematical floodplain model was developed to meet the objectives stated in Section
1.2. The floodplain model was developed to be applicable to any river reach. The model was
developed on a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet platform with user-specified input variables and