7313

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 7313
• Author: Upper Colorado River Commission.
• Title: Forty-Second Annual Report of the Upper Colorado River Commission
• USFW Year: 1990.
• USFW - Doc Type: Colorado River Storage Project and Participating Projects.
• Copyright Material: NO

I. FISH AND WILDLIFE

The Colorado River Endangered Fishes Recovery Program is in its third
year of implementation. For Fiscal Year 1991, approximately 35 projects
have been funded totaling almost $2.8 million. Several new research
initiatives were funded including the investigation of chemical cues believed
to be important in the migration and spawning of several endangered
species. Other new activities to be initiated in 1991 include research in
the area of genetics and propagation of the various populations of Colorado
squawfish and razorback sucker. These activities are believed to be im-
portant in future recovery activities in the Upper Colorado Basin.

eoncerning sufficient progress, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)
and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) have been working on acquiring
water rights on the Yampa River. The FWS and other program participants
are actively working on the identification of flows necessary for the pro-
tection of the endangered fish, while TNC is pursuing the acquisition of
water rights. In addition to the Yampa River activities, FWS has identified
flows necessary for the protection of the endangered fishes in the 15 - mile
reach below the Grand Valley Diversion Dam on the Colorado River. Water
provided from Ruedi and Green Mountain Reservoirs as conditions of a
Section 7 consultation are being monitored in this reach by JFWS. ..

The FWS and Reclamation are still finalizing the reports necessary for
completing consultation on the operation of Flaming Gorge Dam. The
consultation process for Flaming Gorge Dam and the Aspinall Unit was
significantly delayed in 1990 as work focused on the San Juan River and
consultation on the Animas-La Plata Project. While the San Juan River
is not part of the Recovery Implementation Program, the need to evalu-
ate and complete consultation on Animas- La Plata became a high priority
for the FWS and Reclamation, thus delaying much of the other Bureau of
Reclamation Section 7 activities.

To date, the activities relative to the San Juan River and consultation
on the Animas-La Plata Project have led to the possible development of
another Recovery Implementation type of program for the San Juan River
Basin. The goal of the program would be to protect and recover the
endangered fish in the San Juan River while providing a consultation process
for future water development by the States of New Mexico, Colorado and
Utah.

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