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' established on several sand bars on the south shore which further stabilized the river channel. ' Two natural gas pipelines were constructed in the 1950s and 1970s in adjacent corridor alignments through the Preserve. The pipelines enter the Preserve from the Colorado River at the north end and exit at the southeast corner of the Preserve near Mill Creek. Natural gas may be leaking into ground water at the north end of the Preserve (Cooper 1994). ' Ferrell Gas, a natural gas storage facility, was constructed in the early 1960s adjacent to the east central boundary of the Preserve. The gas is stored in underground salt caverns of the Paradox formation. A power transmission line was installed running east to west ' across the south end of the Preserve. A raised road bed was built under the lines for access. This road continues to act as a barrier to surface water movement. ' In the late 1970s, a local partnership prepared the northwest and west central portion of the Preserve for ' agricultural crops. To that end, a series of ditches and dike were built across the Preserve to control surface water and develop water for irrigation. A headgate was installed near the river at the south end of the Preserve. A linear ' pond, called the north-pond, was constructed on the river bank at the north end of the Preserve to store irrigation water. The pond was diked which prevents overbank flows at a point where flood waters had historically entered the Preserve. The flows now enter the Preserve immediately downriver of the pond. The west half of the northern portion of the site was cultivated in 1979. A dike was built along the west perimeter to hold back high river flows in the early 1980s. In 1983, flood waters entered the Preserve and the agricultural project was abandoned. ' Conclusion: Historic land use has negatively impacted habitats of the Preserve. Current ownership of the Preserve provides an opportunity to enhance habitat for razorback sucker. 2. Vegetation ' Vegetation communities on the site vary depending on water regime and salt concentrations. Cooper (1994) characterized five vegetation communities as part of his aquatic habitat characterization. These vegetation communities include open water-aquatic, hardstem bulrush (Scirpus acutus), flooded willow (Salix spp.), back water, and river communities. 9