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1 1 1 1 t process seems to be agreeable to some groups; however, others have indicated they will not accept the process and will continue legal efforts to negate agreements and understandings. It is now USBR's intent to continue to pursue assessment of their activities and submit it for Section 7 biological assessment by June. The time line for the FWS to render a biological opinion is to have a draft opinion by December of this year and a final by approximately April 1997. This, of course, has extended the time for development of the Multi-Species Conservation Plan Program. The notices of intent to sue, while not appearing biologically strong, will nevertheless keep the agencies and courts busy for a considerable amount of time. The major cause of the suit seems to be disagreement with the process. Among other things they allege the FWS should be standing apart and directing the other entities rather than entering into an agreement on a partnership basis. The Multi-Species Group is also continuing to devise a process for funding with an expanded basis of participants. This may involve a greater emphasis from other Department of Interior agencies, i.e., National Park Service, Indian Tribes, etc. The FWS has made the commitment to provide one individual full-time to coordinate all the current activities. The partners in the original Multi-Species Conservation Plan were advised that a draft of the Memorandum of Clarification would soon be available. LOWER BASIN OPERATIONS 1 t 1 P u A report of U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) activities on the Colorado River system was presented by Mr. Tom Burke and Mr. Tom Shrader USBR, Boulder, NV. Ongoing routine operations by USBR have been described for biological assessment under Section 7, MANED. The document basically describes operations at Hoover, Davis, and Parker Dams and the storage and release of approximately 9 million acre feet of water annually. It also covers routing maintenance of riverbanks, jetties, dikes channelization, and other works. The description also includes endangered species conservation measures within their operational scheme. The razorback sucker and a number of aquatic plant species enter into operation and maintenance modes by virtue of USBR programs and objectives, particularly in certain areas of backwater along the mainstem and in wildlife refuges. USBR is currently asking for public and other agency input into the statement of operations. Following the outside comment which will close on May 15th, USBR will finalize the assessment and submit it to FWS by mid-June. However, after receiving the draft assessment back from FWS in about mid-November, USBR plans to ask the service for an extension of the final opinion for an additional four months 13