9508

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 9508
• Author: Valdez, R. A. and P. Nelson.
• Title: Green River Subbasin Floodplain Management Plan.
• USFW Year: 2004.
• USFW - Doc Type: Lakewood, Colorado.
• Copyright Material: NO

1.0 Introduction

1-1

April 2004

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background

The Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program (Recovery Program) is a
cooperative partnership involving public and private interests dedicated to recovering endangered
fishes in the Upper Colorado River Basin, while water development proceeds in compliance with
Federal and State laws (U.S. Department ofthe Interior 1987). The Recovery Program is
coordinated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) with seven major program elements
to recover the endangered Colorado pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus lucius), razorback sucker
(Xyrauchen texanus), humpback chub (Gila cypha), and bonytail (Gila elegans). One of the
seven major program elements is Habitat Restoration. A principal aspect ofthis element is
floodplain restoration with the goal H...to improve and maintain sufficient habitat to support the
endangered fish species; and to apply habitat development and enhancement techniques
experimentally to determine if the rare fishes will use developed habitat and if such techniques
contribute to recovery" (Nelson and Soker 2002).

Floodplains are important nursery and rearing habitats for razorback sucker (Bestgen
1990) and possibly for bonytail (Mueller 2003); Colorado pikeminnow also use warmed
floodplains during high spring flows for feeding and gonadal maturation (Modde and Irving
1998; Modde 1996). The availability of floodplains in the upper basin has been reduced by flow
regulation and concomitant geomorphic changes in the river channel. The need to restore these
floodplain habitats has been identified as important to recovery of these endangered fishes (Tyus
and Karp 1990; Modde et al. 1996). Habitat Restoration is coordinated by the Recovery Program
and includes acquisition, restoration, and maintenance of floodplain habitats in the upper basin.
A Draft Floodplain Habitat Synthesis Report (Nelson and Soker 2002) provides an assimilation
of acquisition and restoration efforts, as well as results of related studies.

1.2 Goals And Objectives

The goal ofthis Floodplain Management Plan (Plan) is to provide adequate floodplain
habitats for all life stages of razorback sucker, particularly to serve as nursery areas for larvae and
juveniles, for establishment and maintenance of a self-sustaining population. It is hypothesized
from scientific studies and hatchery culture that bonytail will also benefit from a greater
availability of floodplain habitat. The objectives of this Plan are to:

1. Inventory floodplain habitats;
2. Identify floodplains necessary for species restoration;
3. Restore and manage floodplains to benefit razorback sucker and bonytail; and
4. Evaluate effectiveness of restoration.