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the Colorado Division of Wildlife. If warmwater fish species are found in reclaimed ponds from illegal transfers, the ponds will be reclaimed again when it can be scheduled into the pond reclamation program. Earlier in this document, it was stated that 20% of the floodplain ponds connect with the adjacent river annua77y and that 40% of the ponds connect in one out of 10 years (Mitche77 1995). This topic was discussed at length by Recovery Program participants who concluded that such ponds would have to be reclaimed again after such connections. It was recognized that control of nonnative fish species in ponds that connect annua77y would be an ongoing effort. . Such ponds would be candidates for re-connection with the river to form manmade "embayments" that were discussed earlier in this document. 5. One response indicated that access to remove nonnative fish species from floodplain ponds through mechanical or chemical control methods may be denied by the landowner. All access to private or public ponds will be made only through Willing landowners. It is recognized that access to a77 floodplain ponds would not be likely. Therefore, the Recovery Program plan was to remove nonnative fishes by mechanical or chemical control methods from less than half the number of ponds along the Upper Colorado and Gunnison rivers. The use of mechanical or chemical control methods is described in Alternative 2 in Section IV ANALYSIS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES AND PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE. Several other Recovery Program efforts wil 1 help to control chronic escapement of nonnative fish species. One of the other methods includes installing mechanical fish control devi ces in ponds with di rect out lets to the rivers. This contro 1 method is described in Alternative 3 in Section IV ANALYSIS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES AND PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE. Another Recovery Program effort is to reconnect the floodplain with the river to a770w the river to function as a natural ecosystem under the habitat restoration initiative. If the ponds can drain into the rivers, it is bel ieved that the endangered fi shes wi 77 benefit through increased production and, at the same time, nonnative fishes will not be able to flourish because the ponds would drain annually preventing population growth of the nonnative species. This action is described in Alternative 4 in Section IV ANALYSIS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES AND PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE. The combination of Alternatives 2, 3, and 4 will manage some of chronic escapement of nonnative fishes from floodplain ponds along the Upper Colorado and Gunnison rivers. It is believed that reducing the numbers of nonnative fishes will reduce predation and competition by nonnative fishes on the endangered fishes with the net result that survival of endangered fishes will increase. 6. Selenium levels in the Upper Colorado and Gunnison rivers may hamper recovery of the endangered Colorado River fishes. 31