7047 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

PREFACE The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Public Law 93-205) provides for the conservation of threatened and endangered species and their ecosystems. Section 7 of the Act, and subsequent regulations, require federal agencies to consider the needs of listed species, consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and obtain biological opinions concerning potential effects of projects involving listed species. Due to continuing water resource development in the Green River basin, the USFWS and Bureau of Reclamation (BR), in cooperation with the states of Colorado and Utah, have investigated habitat needs of rare and endangered fishes. Government reports summarizing results of these efforts (e.g., Miller et al. 1982abc; Tyus et al. 1987) suggested that flows from Flaming Gorge Dam were adversely affecting habitats of listed species. In 1986, BR and USFWS initiated the Flaming Gorge Study (Interagency Agreement 6-AA-49-04070), a project involving government and private researchers under the direction of the BR Biological Studies office in Salt Lake City, and the USFWS Colorado River Fishes Project station in Vernal, Utah. This report summarizes existing information on distribution, abundance, life history, and habitats of endangered fishes in the Green River, Utah. Flaming Gorge Study reports are summarized and referenced herein, and recommendations for flow and other management activities are provided. The metric system was used throughout the document and the following conversions may be used to obtain measurements in the English system: kilomete~ (km) X 0.625 = miles; meter (m) X 3.281 = feet; cubic meter per second (m /s) X 35.336 = cubic feet per second (cfs). This document is the second of two whose purpose is to evaluate habitat use of endangered fishes in the Green River basin and to recommend flows for their conservation. The first document "Habitat use and streamflow needs of rare and endangered fishes, Yampa River, Colorado," was published in 1989 (Tyus and Karp 1989). Further information about the rare and endangered Colorado River fishes can be obtained from the Colorado River Coordinator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 25486 Denver Federal Center, Denver, Colorado 80225. Information about BR programs and the operation of Flaming Gorge Dam can be obtained from the Regional Director, Bureau of Reclamation, P.O. Box 11668, Salt Lake City, Utah 84147.