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I CHAPTER III AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT I ducks, and other migratory birds. Total use by all species exceeds 2 million use-days annually. Peak waterfowl numbers reach 12,000 in the fall and over 10,000 in the spring. About 25 to 30 bald eagles stop over during spring migration, probably the same eagles that also use nearby Browns Park State Waterfowl Management Area. One great blue heron rookery is present. Water sources are the Green River and Beaver Creek. 3. Stewart Lake State Waterfowl Management Area is located adjacent to the Green River near Jensen, Utah, about 80 miles below Flaming Gorge Dam. It occupies about 600 acres, of which 250 acres are covered by Stewart Lake. Marshes on adjacent private lands add to the productivity of the wetland complex. An estimated 700 to 800 ducks, geese, and coots use the lake during spring and summer for breeding activities. Considerably greater numbers of waterfowl use the area during migration. Water is supplied primarily from irrigation drains and Ashley Creek. Occasionally, the lake is flushed by Green River water when flows are exceptionally high. 20 il m es 4. Ouray National Wildlife Refuge is located on the Green River south of Vernal, Utah (about 110 miles below Flaming Gorge Dam). It has an area of 11,483 acres along 12 miles of the Green River, including 3,500 acres leased from the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation. Fourteen species of ducks and 80 to 100 pairs of Canada geese nest in the area. Larger numbers of migrant waterfowl use the area in spring and fall. The primary source of water is the Green River. The refuge was originally designed to obtain water by pumping, however, subsequent modifications allow some impoundments to be filled by gravity flow during high flow periods. The two Browns Park waterfowl areas are almost completely dependent on Green River flows released from Flaming Gorge Reservoir. Due to its location, Ouray National Wildlife Refuge is influenced both by Flaming Gorge releases and Yampa River flows. The Yampa River is a relatively unregulated river, and during high runoff periods, its flows may exceed- those of the Green River, which is almost completely controlled by Flaming Gorge Reservoir. Stewart Lake Wildlife Management Area normally gets most of its water from irrigation drains and Ashley Creek, so Green and Yampa River flows are not influential except when extreme high flows cause natural flushing of the impoundments, and sometimes physical damage to facilities. A third category of wetland-riparian habitat has developed incidental to irrigated agriculture. Diversion of water from streams for irrigation, along with other land use practices, eliminated large areas of natural riparian-wetlands habitat. Over a long period of time, however, irrigation drainage and canal seepage have created new wetlands which partially compensate for the historic loss of natural wetlands. These areas are sometimes a considerable distance from the major streams. Agriculture-associated wetlands have been enhanced by the prevalent practice of overirrigating and the often relatively crude water conveyance III-18 1