Platte River Habitat Conservation Program

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s t? 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 PURPOSE The purpose of the Platte River Habitat Conservation Program (Program) is to acquire, restore, protect, and maintain habitat for threatened and endangereri species primarily in the 89 mile reach of the Platte River from Lexington to Chapman, Nebraska, (Big Bend area) to levels that will contribute to recovery of the species. This purpose will be achieved through a cooperative effort of the Department of the Interior, the States of Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming, water and power interests, and conservation organizations, and in a manner that is consistent with the Federal Endangered Species Act, water apportionments allocations among the States according to U.S. Supreme Court decrees and the interstate compact, state water law, and other applicable federal and state laws. - The parties to this Program intend -and expect- that cooperative efforts to restore, protect, and maintain threatened and endangered species habitat on the central Platte River will allow water management and development.in Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming to proceed in compliance with the Federal Endangered Species Act. This can be achieved more effectively through a pro- active, cooperative program that includes both water and land management as key elements, rather than through the narrow regulatory mechanisms available under the Federal Endangered Species Act regarding mitigation of future Federal actions in the Platte River Basin. The parties recognize that (1) this cooperative program can eliminate conflict between water and power management and development activities and protection of impacted federally listed endangered species, and (2) without such a cooperative program, inevitable -and possibly irreconcilable- conflicts will occur. The parties to this program have multiple goals and objectives, but have joined together to achieve the purpose of this program to resolve potential conflicts. 1