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suffocation. Water freely percolates through the gravel in some ponds where <br />complete draining would be impossible. In these ponds, the remaining water <br />treated with rotenone to kill nonnative fishes. Other ponds may be treated <br />with rotenone without draining if water recharge occurs quickly or if it <br />would be logistically impractical to get the large pumps to the site. <br />All chemical treatments will be made using the Colorado Division of Wildlife <br />Chemical Application Operating Procedure as standard protocol. Rotenone <br />would be applied at a concentration of 3 milligrams per liter, mg/1 (parts <br />per million, ppm) following the label directions with this registered <br />piscicide. Fish absorb the chemical through the gills and are killed by the <br />interruption of respiration within the body cells (Lindahl and Oberg 1961). <br />Each crew would be supervised by a person who has been certified by the -- <br />State of Colorado to apply chemicals. Rotenone has been found to be safe <br />to humans when applied by certified applicators following label instructions -__ <br />(Sousa et al. 1987). <br />Rotenone is extremely toxic to many species of invertebrates and fish <br />(Bradbury 1986). However, the toxicity of rotenone varies among various <br />species of fishes so the concentration of 3 mg/1 Fppm) will be used to <br />effectively kill black bullheads that are among the most resistant fish <br />species (Marking and Bills 1976). Zooplankton communities are drastically <br />reduced following rotenone treatments -- cladocerans and copepods are very <br />sensitive while rotifers are most tolerant (Kiser et al. 1963). Generally, <br />immediate reductions in numbers of benthic organisms ranged from 0 to 70% <br />with a mean of 25% in freshwater treatments (Bradbury 1986). Zooplankton <br />and benthic communities, however, recover quickly with no change in the <br />original species composition -- zooplankton completely recover in 2 to 12 <br />weeks and benthic communities generally recover within 2 months following <br />treatment with rotenone (Bradbury 1986). Phytoplankton, rooted aquatic <br />plants, and terrestrial plants are unaffected by rotenone treatments at <br />concentrations used to kill fish (Bonn and Holbert 1961). Rotenone is <br />relatively nontoxic to birds (Bradbury 1986) and mammals (Marking 1988), <br />primarily because of the mode of entry and oxidizing enzyme systems in these <br />two groups of animals (Fukami et al. 1969, 1970). <br />Generally, the natural detoxification of rotenone is rapid and adequate in <br />lakes, ponds, and reservoirs where the chemical will detoxify naturally <br />within 2 days to 2 weeks in late summer and early fall, depending upon water <br />temperature, sunlight penetration, and alkalinity of the water (Bradbury <br />1986). Detoxification is inhibited by turbidity and deep water because of <br />decreased light penetration. Where chemically induced detoxification is <br />necessary in cases such as percolation into streams, potassium permanganate <br />is usually added in an amount equal to the rotenone concentration plus the <br />permanganate demand of the water (Davies and Shelton 1983). <br />No Impacts Anticipated on Vegetation or Historic/Cultural Resources. No <br />impacts to vegetation or historic and cultural resources would result from <br />actions taken in this alternative. The following environmental impacts are <br />expected under this alternative: <br />16 <br />