9717 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Page 49 process may include the addition or removal of projects from the overall project list or even an alteration of projects remaining on the list. We expect that by prioritizing projects, we will perform the most efficient projects (i.e., those that we expect to give us the greatest result for the most reasonable amount of effort) first. Success will not be measured by completion of every project on the list, but by meeting the success criteria identified in the Plan (see below). The aforementioned Annual Priorities document is also designed to serve as a timeline of necessary actions for each management unit. This timeline will guide cooperators in identification of projects to prioritize each year. Although management units are currently based on 4-digit HUes, it should be noted that as more genetic information is gathered management unit delineations may be altered to better suit this new genetic information. Criteria for Evaluation The Team will evaluate success of individual conservation actions annually for three years following implementation of each action. After this initial three-year period, actions will be evaluated every third year through the life of the Agreement. Project success will be comprehensively evaluated during the fifth year of the Agreement (2009) and then again at the end of the Agreement (2014). The specific criteria for evaluation of success must be measurable according to the Agreement. Specifically, the number of populations within each management unit and the number of individuals within each population (or relative abundance if more practical) required to maintain persistence must be identified and met in order to achieve success in this effort. Initially, each stream (mainstem or tributary) will be considered a separate population, thus allowing us to talk about the necessary number of populations per 4-digit HUC or management unit. Only where the upper and lower portions of a stream are divided by a major structure (i.e. a fish barrier) will a stream segment be considered two populations, and only then with consensus among the Team members. If individuals within a population are shown to occupy mainstem habitats throughout adulthood, but annually or semi-annually use tributaries for spawning purposes, the mainstem and tributary unit will be considered one population. Where connectivity is maintained between two or more populations, these will be considered a metapopulation. What is currently considered a population may change as more genetic and habitat use information is gathered; if this occurs, the Three Species Conservation Team will practice adaptive management to reassess populatiOli delineations based on this new information. In the event that population delineations change, this document will not be fe-written or require new signatures. Rather, new population delineations will be identified in the Annual Priorities document intended for regular revision. Current knowledge of each management unit suggests that the required number of populations in each unit is as follows: HUC 1403 - Three populations of each species. Each species is expected to occur in the mainstem Colorado River and the Dolores River. One other population must be found and protected or established in this unit. HUC 14-04 - One population of each species. The upper Green River below Flaming Gorge Dam is a blue ribbon trout fishery and too cold for reproduction of three species populations to be successful. Carter and Cart creeks, tributaries to the Green River in this HUC, are not amenable to three species populations at this time; however, three species cooperators will work to reduce threats in one of these tributaries or another one based on updated information.