8020

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 8020
• Author: Horak, G. C.
• Title: Proceedings of the Symposium on Mitigating Developmental Impacts on Fish and Wildlife.
• USFW Year: 1979.
• USFW - Doc Type: March 1979.
• Copyright Material: NO

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Ice Harbor Lock and Dam. This project, one of four navigation-hydro-

power units constructed by the Corps on the lower Snake River, created

a 9,200 ac (3,723 ha) lake. The lake flooded 5,122 ac (2,073 ha) of rl-

ver and river bed and 4,078 ac (1,650 ha ) of riparian habitat. An ad-
ditional perimeter strip of 3,375 ac (1,366 ha) was acquired in fee.

Pre-tmpoundment conditions for deer were described by the Fish and Wild-

life Service (Lay the and Hutchinson, 1959) in the following manner:

Mule deer occasionally inhabit brush and tree areas within the
reservoir site. During severe winters small numbers of deer
utilize the reservoir area when they are forced from adjacent
slopes and canyons by inclement weather. The population var-
ies annually, depending upon weather conditions and forage
availability. Hunting for deer is of minor importance in the
project area.

Project induced losses were not expected to be serious judging from the

. .

projected impact description which'was confined to a single sentence,

viz:

The impoundment will flood a small area of valuable deer win-
ter range.

A subsequent loss to the big game community has been adequately demonstra-

ted for this project. The magnitude of the actual loss was estimated by

the Washington Department of Game at 100 animals and an annual harvest of

17 deer. The Fish and Wildlife Service developed loss computations for

all four lower Snake River projects that when applied to the Ice Harbor

area alone indicated a loss of 60 animals, 268 hunter-days and a harvest

of 7 deer (Prosser, Martin and Stroud, 1977b).

Waterfowl and Fisheries -- Interim Trends

Waterfowl utilize each of the projects during spring and fall migrations.

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