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Study Area <br />The study area for this project is the Yampa River in Yampa Canyon (River <br />Kilometers "rkm" 0-87), and the Green River from Lodore Ranger Station to the bottom <br />of Split Mountain Canyon (rkm 674-593). The study area lies entirely within the <br />boundaries of Dinosaur National Monument in eastern Utah and western Colorado <br />(Figure 1). Four distinct canyons (Yampa, Lodore, Split Mountain, and Whirlpool) and <br />Island Park are contained within the study area. <br />The Yampa River originates on the west slope of the Rocky Mountains and flows <br />320 km to its confluence with the Green River. Most of the Yampa flows through low <br />gradient agriculture lands upstream from Dinosaur National Monument. In Dinosaur <br />National Monument, the river reaches Yampa Canyon where gradient increases and <br />habitat changes. The Yampa River has an average annual discharge of about 61 m3/s, <br />with a average peak of 390 m3/s in spring and an average base flow of about 15 m3/s in <br />late summer (USGS Provisional Data). <br />The Green River originates in southwest Wyoming in the Wind River Mountain <br />Range. Flaming Gorge Dam impounds the Green River at rkm 758, a short distance <br />upstream of the Green River portion of the study reach. Spring releases from Flaming <br />Gorge Dam are timed to peak when the Yampa River is peaking, but do not reach <br />historical levels (Muth et al. 2000). Discharge from Flaming Gorge Dam (USGS Gauge <br />#09234500) has averaged 27.8 m3/s with spring peaks near 130.4 m3/s during recent <br />years. <br />