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the endangered fishes by nonnative fishes should be decreased. The threatened bald eagle is usually a winter visitor in the project area. However, bald eagles feed on carrion and prey on waterfowl during the winter so they do not depend entirely upon fish as their diet. Therefore, the filling of some floodplain ponds would not adversely affect bald eagles. The Southwestern willow flycatcher may benefit from more woody native shrubs on the reclaimed land. Socio-Economic Factors. Since there are at least 308 floodplain ponds along the Upper Colorado and Gunnison rivers, filling of new ponds would not interfere with recreational activities of people because there is already adequate sites available. The greatest negative impact would be on gravel mining operations because fill would have to be hauled from offsite locations and used to fill the idle mining pits. The cost for hauling and spreading fill would perhaps cost more than the revenue that miners gain from the mined gravel. In addition, mining resumes in some idle gravel pits _- as dictated by the supply and demand for gravel. Sites with ponds that are under lease, agreement, or owned by gravel mining operations would not likely be available under this alternative. Therefore, this alternative is not considered to be practical when viewed from the economic perspective. F. Preferred Alternative. Alternative 2 to control nonnative fish species in floodplain ponds along the Colorado and Gunnison rivers through mechanical or chemical control methods is the preferred alternative of the five alternatives that were evaluated. A combination of Alternatives 2 (mechanical or chemical control}, 3 (install mechanical fish control devices in ponds with outlets) and 4 (reconnect floodplain ponds with. the river) will be used by the Recovery Program to control or manage nonnative fishes. Alternative 2 provides for the greatest control of chronic escapement by nonnative fishes into the riverine environment and is expected to decrease mortality from nonnative fish predation and competition on the early life stages of the endangered Colorado River fishes. In addition, ponds that are free of nonnative fish can be used as grow-out ponds for captive-reared endangered fish or to provide sportfishing opportunities under the "Procedures for Stocking Nonnative Fish Species in the Upper Colorado River Basin" (Colorado Division of Wildlife et al. 1996). None of the alternatives will result in environmental impacts that are irretrievable (changes that are permanent and restoration is not feasible) or irreversible (environment cannot be restored to its original condition). Environmental Commitments. The following environmental commitments apply to the proposed action of controlling nonnative fish species in floodplain ponds along the Upper Colorado and Gunnison rivers: o All chemical treatments will be made using Colorado Division of Wildlife chemical application operating procedures and the treatment crew will be supervised by a person certified by the State of Colorado to apply pesticides. 26