7637

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 7637
• Author: McAda, C. W.
• Title: IRP Strategy for Upper Colorado River Basin.
• USFW Year: 1980.
• USFW - Doc Type: \
• Copyright Material: NO

• A. Gather the necessary information on specific habitat requirements
for the critical life stages of key species of fish and wildlife
in the Upper Colorado River Basin.
B. Sustain or expand those key species fish and wildlife to levels
indicated by recovery plans, by other Service species management
plans, and by the state wildlife resource agency planning goals.
C. Insure that essential habitat needs of key Upper Basin species are
considered and protected in the planning, construction and operation
of future water and related land resources development, and that
such future developments are compatible with the overall recovery
plans, and other Federal and State species management plans for
these species.
N. Problem Analysis
Given the vast land, water and energy resources of the Upper Colorado River
Basin, its economic growth potential is the major cause of the current
important resource problems operating in the Upper Basin. The development
and management of land, water and energy resources for the production, distri-
bution and consumption of goods and services is manifested through several
mechanisms including energy reserves development, irrigated cropland production,
domestic livestock production, industrial development, etc. Other identifiable
• causes related to and evolving because of the human needs expressed above
include population growth and human recreational needs. The legal and
institutional philosophy that has accompanied economic development in the
Basin is another cause since it was conceived in an era when little or no
environmental concerns existed yet played a major role in guiding past develop-
ments of the Basin's natural resources. The resulting piecemeal approach to
development has often ignored site specific but particularly cumulative
environmental impacts.
The causes for the past development and proposed unprecedented development of
natural resources in the Upper Basin highlighted above result in specific
development actions (e.g. mining, reservoir construction, land use changes,
transbasin diversions, etc.) that in turn change or disturb land, water, and
air resources. Changes of these resources in turn affect the number, distri-
bution and habitats of fish and wildlife resources of the Basin.
Development of strategies that address key fish and wildlife resources of the
Upper Colorado River Basin requires identification of the resources of interest
and the development actions that may impact those resources. As part of the
problem analysis, we have chosen to use the existing database associated with
the ongoing COOT and CARP effort currently being managed by the Systems
Application Group (SAG), Western Energy and Land Use Team OWELUT), Fort Collins.
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