Implementing Cooperative Agreement Among States of Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, and the Department of the Interior

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The Issues and the Proposed Solution The whooping crane, piping plover, and interior least tern, which are listed as threatened or endangered under the federal ESA, use the Central Platte River Valley in Nebraska.' The pallid sturgeon, which occurs in the Lower Platte River between its confluence with the Elkhorn and its confluence with the Missouri River, is also listed as endangered. Together, these four species are the "target species" for the conservation partnership. The waters of the Platte River serve the people of Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska in many ways. Federal and non - federal water projects in the Platte River Basin, including 15 major dams, provide municipal and industrial water supplies for about 2 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has designated the reach of the Central Platte River from Lexington to Chapman, Nebraska, as critical habitat for the whooping crane. 3.5 million people, irrigate millions of acres of farm- land, and generate millions of dollars of hydroelectric power. These projects also provide flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife habitat. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has concluded that suitable habitat for the target threatened and endangered species in the Central Platte region has been significantly reduced by these water diversions and other factors, such as highway and bridge con- struction and other changes in land use that have come with extensive settlement throughout the Platte River Basin. Under the ESA, federal agencies must ensure that the water projects they operate, or for which they provide federal permits or funds, are not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of any threatened or endangered species or to adversely modify critical habitat. If a project is likely to cause adverse impacts, its operation must be modified or other measures undertaken. Many water projects in the Platte River Basin are now or soon will be undergoing a review of their impacts on endangered species. These projects include the Bureau of Reclamation's North Platte facilities in Wyoming and western Nebraska and the Colorado -Big Thompson Project in Colorado; the Corps of Engineers' reservoirs in the Denver area; and a large number of private water storage and diversion projects, primarily in Colorado, which require permit renewals from the U.S. Forest Service. Also included are the non - federal hydropower projects in Nebraska and Colorado, including Kingsley Dam, which require license renewals from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The signatories to the Cooperative Agreement believe that the best approach to addressing the ESA issues in the Central Platte region is a basinwide, cooperative effort to improve and maintain habitat for the target species. The alternative to a basinwide approach `a Whooping cranes.