9403

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 9403
• Author: Office, C. U. P. C. A.
• Title: Upper Colorado River Basin Fish and Wildlife Mitigation Program
• USFW Year: 2002.
• USFW - Doc Type: Fiscal Years 1994-1998.
• Copyright Material: NO

~ Project funding is approved by the CUPCA Program Director following project
~ review and recommendation of staff. The CUPCAO monitors progress on all
~ projects, tracks funds and performs administrative functions of the Program with the
• assistance of the Financial Management Division, Upper Colorado Region, Bureau
of Reclamation.

~ MITIGATION OBJECTIVES
~ Program funds are expended in a manner that will result in the greatest positive
~ impact for fish and wildlife and their habitats, as well as improve public access, use
~ and enjoyment of these resources. In practice, during the first five years of
~ Program operations, big river (Colorado River and major tributaries) riparian and

~ aquatic habitats and dependent fish and wildlife species have been the principal
targets of mitigation, restoration and research projects. The construction of CRSP
~ reservoirs has inundated and fragmented riparian communities (including
~ wetlands). As a result, associated wildlife species and habitats have declined in
• distribution, abundance and vigor. While expenditures have been generally
balanced among project categories, riparian and wetland habitats have received the
~ largest share of Program expenditures during this reporting period.

~ ~F~~~~~
~

~ Under CUPCA, the Department of the Interior is authorized to expend a total of
$4.35 million (1992 dollars) over the life of the Program.

~ The Program is funded by 3 percent of funds appropriated to the Utah Reclamation
• Mitigation and Conservation Commission (Commission), a Federal Commission
also created by CUPCA to plan, coordinate and implement mitigation and
~ conservation projects for the Central Utah Project. Because funding is proportional
~ to Commission appropriations, actual funding will depend on the amount that
• Congress appropriates to the Commission on an annual basis. Approximately,
$300,000 per year is available to the Program.
•
~ Appropriations are displayed in Table 1 for Federal Fiscal Years 1994 -1998. For
~ information purposes, Table 2 provides a summary of funding and expenditures
• from 1999 through 2002. Table 2 will be revised and updated in later reports as
these projects are completed.

~ Requests typically exceed available funding each fiscal year. In response,
• emphasis is placed on prioritizing habitat issues and partnering with other agencies
and organizations to implement proposals that will yield maximum benefits for fish
~ and wildlife and the public.

. .. ..~