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Last modified
7/14/2009 5:02:32 PM
Creation date
5/20/2009 2:55:16 PM
Metadata
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Template:
UCREFRP
UCREFRP Catalog Number
8017
Author
U.S. Department of the Interior, B. o. R.
Title
Finding of No Significant Impact, Management and Control of Nonnative Fish Species in Floodplain Ponds along the Upper Colorado and Gunnison Rivers.
USFW Year
1998.
USFW - Doc Type
Denver, CO.
Copyright Material
NO
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<br />IV. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT ENVIRONMENT <br /> <br />A. Overview of Project Area. The project area includes the Upper Colorado <br />River from the Colorado-Utah state line upstream to Rifle, Colorado and the <br />reach of the Gunnison River from its confluence with the Colorado River <br />upstream.to Delta, Colorado (Figure 1). Most of the ponds are located in <br />the floodplain of the rivers that are concentrated in the Grand Valley from <br />Loma to Palisade, Colorado (Mesa County), DeBeque to Rifle, Colorado <br />(Garfield County), and upstream and downstream of Delta, Colorado (Delta <br />County) . <br /> <br />The Grand Valley is a broad, fertile valley and floodplain carved by the <br />Colorado and Gunnison rivers with two dominant land forms -- the Uncompahgre <br />Plateau and the Grand Mesa (Mesa County Planning Commission 1996). The Ute <br />Indians used the Grand Valley as a wintering and hunting area. Mesa County <br />was part of the Ute Reservation established by a 1868 treaty until the Utes <br />were moved to Utah in 1881, allowing white settl~rs to homestead in the <br />Grand Valley. Presently, agricultural lands in the Grand Valley comprise <br />over 4.2 million acres and urban areas comprise approximately 1.0 million <br />acres (Mesa County Planning Commission 1996). <br /> <br />The human population in Mesa County was 109,769 persons in 1997 (Grand <br />Junction Area Chamber of Commerce 1997). Nearly half of the persons <br />(40,125) in Mesa County in 1995 resided in Grand Junction. Most of the <br />people reside in the urban communities with about half of the population in <br />Grand Junction. Presently, the five major occupations in the area include <br />services (28%), retail stores (25%), gove'rnment employment (17%), <br />manufacturing (8.5%), and construction (>6%); Grand Junction Area Chamber <br />of Commerce 1997). Only 1.3% of the people in the Grand Valley are employed <br />in agriculture, forestry, and fi shi ng (Mesa County Pl anni ng Commi ssi on <br />1996). Projections for human population growth in Mesa County is about <br />116,500 persons by the Year 2000 and slightly over 137,000 by the Year 2010 <br />(Mesa County Planning Commission 1996). <br /> <br />R ifl e, Colorado is the upstream end of the cri t i ca 1 habi tat for the <br />endangered Colorado River fishes. Rifle is located in Garfield County and <br />contained a population of nearly 5,300 people in 1994 (Rifle Area Chamber <br />of Commerce Undated). Residents of Rifle are involved in various <br />occupations such as agriculture, mining, personal services, professional <br />services, and retired individuals. Tourism, hunting, and mining are the <br />important industries in Garfield County (Rifle Area Chamber of Commerce <br />Undated). Fuels such as natural gas, coal, oil shale, and nacholite have <br />been mined or developed within close proximity of Rifle. The population of <br />Garfield County in 1992 was estimated at 29,974 (Rifle Area Chamber of <br />Commerce Undated). Outdoor recreation by touri sts is pursued on over a <br />million acres of public lands surrounding Rifle and on private lands. <br /> <br />Delta, Colorado is the upstream end of the critical habitat for the <br />endangered fishes in the Gunnison River. Floodplain ponds are primarily <br />confi ned to the broad vall ey both upstream and downstream of Delta. <br />Agriculture dominates the Delta valley. The population in Delta County in <br />1994 was 24,179 persons and is expected to grow to about 35,888 by the Year <br /> <br />8 <br />
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