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<br />STUDY AREA <br /> <br />The Little Snake River is an unregulated tributary of the Yampa River in the <br />Green River drainage. It drains the Southern Rocky Mountains and the Wyoming <br />Basin of Colorado and Wyoming (Figure 1). The river flows past two small <br />communities: Dixon, population 82; and Baggs, population 433 (Bureau of Census <br />1992). Lower elevation tributaries upstream of Baggs, Wyoming (elevation <br />1903 m) include Battle, Slater, Savery, Willow, and Muddy creeks. Downstream <br />of Baggs, intermittent tributaries Red Wash, Sand Creek, Sand Wash, and Powder <br />Wash drain the Washakie Basin to the north in Wyoming and Sand Wash Basin to <br />the south, in Colorado. After meandering between the two states, the river enters <br />Colorado and flows approximately 160 km southwest to its confluence with the <br />Yampa River. <br /> <br />The specific area of interest was the lower 180 km of the Little Snake River, <br />downstream of Baggs, Wyoming. This area represents the warmer-water reaches <br />of the river that contain potential habitat for endangered fishes. We partitioned <br />this area into five reaches based on geomorphology and longitudinal location. <br />Geomorphology influences riverine characteristics such as channel morphology, <br />water velocity, water depth, suspended sediment, and substrate and these <br />characteristics influence distribution and abundance of aquatic invertebrates and <br />fishes. The reaches provided a convenient method of classifying areas that may <br />be important to the endangered fishes. <br /> <br />Reach V: The uppermost reach extends downstream from Baggs, Wyoming at <br />river kilometer (RK) 180 to about RK 80. Elevation changes 1 m/km from 1902 to <br />1798 m through the reach. The confined channel contains gravel and cobble <br />substrates that form a riffle-pool habitat sequence. The reach contains diverse <br />habitats year round that are apparently suitable for all life stages of fish. Riffles <br /> <br />5 <br />