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Augusf 2005 <br />Background and Schedule <br />On July 1, 1997 the Governors of Nebraska, Wyoming, and Colorado and the + r ?? <br />Secretary of the Interior signed the "Cooperative Agreement for Platte River <br />Research and Other Efforts Refating to Endangered Species Habitaf Along the <br />Cen tra l P la tte River, Ne bras ka." Since t ha t time, a Governance Committee, wit h ;Wyoming ' <br />representatives from the three states, federal government, environmental organizations, and water users, has been developing the Platte River Recovery Implementation <br />Program (Program). When implemented, the Program would manage certain tWObrask'a", <br />land and water resources following the principles of adaptive management to ? <br />provide benefits for four federally threatened or endangered species in Nebraska. It ? <br />is intended to provide Endangered Species Act (ESA) compliance for participating <br />water users in the Platte River basin upstream of the confluence of the Loup River Colorado Platte Rivcr <br />with the Platte River (the Loup River confluence) for effects to these listed species. PrOgrarp <br />On January 22, 2005, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) released the Draft Area <br />Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) analyzing the draft Platte River Recovery <br />Implementation Program. Since that time, the Governance Committee has been working to address public <br />comments and issues identified in the DEIS and to complete the remaining portions of the Program. Currently, the U.S. Bureau <br />of Reclamation anticipates reteasing the Final EIS in January 2006. After the release of the FEIS, the Biological Opinion (BO) will <br />be issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in February 2006, with the Department of the Interior's Record of Decision (ROD) <br />following in February 2006. If the Program is acceptable to the Secretary and the Governors of the three states, they will each <br />sign a Program Agreement. Under the current schedule the Program would be implemented on October 1, 2006. <br />Platte River Program <br />As proposed, the Program would be a basin-wide effort undertaken by the <br />I)epartment of the Interior (DOI) and the States of Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming to <br />provide benefts for the endangered interior least tern, whooping crane, and pallid <br />sturgeon and the threatened piping plover (the target species). Through the Program, <br />i!ie states and the federal government would provide land, water, and systematic <br />nionitoring and research to evaluate Program benefits for the target species. The <br />Program would be incremental with the First Increment designated for 13 years. <br />Irnplementation of this Program would be through a Governance Committee consisting of <br />representatives of the three states, DOI, water users, and environmental groups. <br />Tiie purpose of the Program is to implement certain aspects of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's recovery plans for the <br />target species that relate to the associated habitats by securing defined benefits for the target species and their associated <br />habitats. It also is to provide ESA compliance for existing and certain new water related activities in the Platte River basin <br />upstream of the Loup River confluence for effects to the target species, help prevent the need to list more basin associated <br />species pursuant to the ESA, mitigate the adverse impacts of certain new water related activities through approved depletions <br />plans, and establish and maintain an organizational structure that will ensure appropnate state and federal government and <br />stakeholder involvement in the Program. <br />Program Area <br />While the Program is designed to provide ESA compliance <br />for existing and certain new water related activities throughout the <br />Platte River basin upstream of the Loup River confluence, the land <br />acquisition and management for the target bird species will occur in <br />the central Platte River region (Lexington to Chapman, Nebraska), and <br />Program water activities would be designed to provide benefits for the <br />target bird species in the central Platte River region and for the pallid sturg <br />in the lower Platte River region (below the confluence with the Elkhorn Riv <br />These areas are generally known as the "associated habitats".