7731

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 7731
• Author: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, R. I. P.
• Title: Section 7 Consultation, Sufficient Progress, and Historic Projects Agreement and Recovery Action Plan.
• USFW Year: 1993.
• USFW - Doc Type: Denver, Colorado.
• Copyright Material: NO

Agreement
Section 1 Consultation, Sufficient Progress, and Historic Projects
Recovery Implementation Program for the Endangered Fish Species
in the Upper Colorado River Basin
October 15, 1993
I.
Background
The Recovery Implementation Program for Endangered Fish Species in the
Upper Colorado River Basin (RIP) is intended to go considerably beyond
offsetting water depletion impacts by providing for the full recovery of
the four endangered fishes. The RIP participants recognize that timely
progress toward recovery in accordance with a well-defined action plan is
essential to the purposes of the-RIP, including both the recovery of the
endangered fishes and providing for water development to proceed in
compliance with State law, Interstate Compacts, and the Endangered
Species Act (ESA). Recovery activities which result in significant
protection and improvement of the endangered fish populations and their
habitat need to receive high priority in future planning, budgeting, and
decision making. The RIP participants accept that certain positive
population responses to RIP initiatives are not likely to be measurable
for many years due to the time required for the endangered fishes to
reach reproductive maturity, limited knowledge about their life history
and habitat requirements, sampling difficulties and limitations, and
other factors. The RIP participants also recognize that further
degradation of endangered fish habitats and populations will. make
recovery increasingly difficult.
II. RIP Recovery Action Plan (RIPRAP)
The Recovery Action Plan (RIPRAP) identifies actions currently believed
to be required to recover the endangered fishes in the most expeditious
manner possible in the upper basin. It has been developed using the best
information available and the recovery goals established for the four
endangered fish species. By reference, the RIPRAP is incorporated and
considered part of this agreement. The RIPRAP will be an adaptive
management plan because additional information, changing priorities, and
the development of the States' entitlement may require modifications to
the RIPRAP. The RIPRAP will be reviewed annually and modified or
updated, if necessary, by September 30 of each year or prior to adoption
of the annual work plan, whichever comes first. The RIPRAP will serve as
a guide for all future planning, research, and recovery efforts,
including the annual work-planning and budget decision process.
The RIP is intended to provide the reasonable and prudent alternatives
for projects undergoing Section 7 consultation in the upper basin. While
some recovery actions in the RIPRAP are expected to have more direct or
immediate benefits for the endangered fishes than others, all are
considered necessary to accomplish the objectives of the RIP. Recovery