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C <br />are hinged upon the reasonableness of the strategy efforts, the reasonableness of cost and that <br />the participants be of a particular certainty that if these things are undertaken and followed, the <br />future would be secure for carrying out their activities along the River. <br />STATUS OF USFWS REGION TWO LOWER BASIN RECOVERY <br />AND ECOREGION PLANS <br />0 <br />Ecoregion Planning Team: <br />Mr. George Divine, FWS Region 2, reported on the work of the FWS Ecoregion Planning <br />Team, and the Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Plan in the Lower Basin. <br />In 1994, Region 2 developed plans for each of the ecological regions in the Colorado River <br />Basin within their jurisdiction. The plan for the Lower Basin was the first one attempted and <br />emphasized heavily the FWS refuge program. Approximately three weeks ago, the Planning <br />Team met with the states and other active players along the River and agreed that some changes <br />. should be made to the plan to make it more inclusive than just emphasizing FWS needs. A <br />meeting will be held in May to revise the plan based upon the changes submitted to the team <br />leader. The plan should then be more comprehensive and able to be used by a wider variety of <br />participants. <br />There followed a discussion on ecological planning, particularly concerning coordination of the <br />many agencies and entities involved, and concerns over the many parallel planning efforts and <br />regulations by agencies in response to what will eventually be many different plans, each <br />handling a particular resource, and how this problem might be addressed in the ecoregion <br />planning or in other coordination processes. No resolution or action came from the discussion <br />but the participants were of the position that there remained a large area of work in the future <br />to coordinate all the activities. <br />Lower Basin FWS River Planning: <br />Mr. Fjetland reported that progress on management by perspectives has concluded in a draft <br />9 which was distributed (internally) for comments. The plan will probably undergo a very <br />extensive review and revision based on the underlying concerns of the reviewers. This will <br />probably take at least three months before the process can move to a public hearing level. The <br />basic objective was pertaining to recovery of the big river fishes, by each of the multitude of <br />activities going on in the Basin by parties responsible for different missions. It is a compilation <br />of options in the recovery process, and is really intended as a starting point document from <br />which to develop options in the future. The document is not intended to provide a list of things <br />that are mandatory or that must be done under the ESA, but is a list of options for consideration <br />as goals and objectives in the recovery planning process. <br />0 <br />13 <br />0