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P 2 <br />b <br />D <br />s <br />C <br />below Flaming Gorge Dam after its closure in 1962 but reported fish <br />populations below the Yampa River's mouth to be similar to those <br />found in pre-impoundment studies. Many investigators have expressed <br />the belief that the Yampa River is an important force in maintaining <br />suitable habitat for endemics in the Green River below the Yampa <br />River's confluence although no attempts have yet been made to meaning- <br />fully quantify this measure of influence. <br />Various aspects of the Yampa and Green Rivers in and near <br />Dinosaur National Monument have been studied in the past 20 years. <br />The majority of investigations have focused on the distribution, <br />relative abundance, and taxonomy of fishes in these waters (Seethaler <br />1978, McAda 1977, Holden and Stalnaker 1975a, b, and others). Similar <br />investigations have been conducted on aquatic macroinvertebrates by <br />Ames (1977), Pearson (1967), Binns (1965), Woodbury et al. (1963), and <br />McDonald and Dotson (1960). <br />Management of these rivers within Dinosaur National Monument is <br />. the responsibility of the National Park Service whose decisions are <br />primarily governed by three legislative acts in addition to the <br />National Park Service Charter. The rivers are in a proposed wilder- <br />0 ness area, may potentially be included in the Wild and Scenic River <br />system, and constitute a major share of remaining habitat for rare <br />and endangered fish species. It is in light of these mandates and the <br />. potential for habitat alteration of the Yampa River that officials at <br />Dinosaur National Monument were in need of additional information in <br />order to better understand ecosystem dynamics and make judicious man- <br />0 agement recommendations. This study is an outgrowth of those concerns. <br />9