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Enclosure 1- San Miguel River Instream Flow Recommendation Biological Summary Fisheries Fishery surveys taken during 2001 and 2008 by the Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) indicate that the stream environment supports bluehead sucker (Catostomus discobolus), flannelmouth sucker Catostomus latipinnis, mottled sculpin (Coitus bairdi), roundtail chub (Gila robusta), speckled dace (Rhinichthys osculus), and white sucker (Catostomus commersoni). The surveys indicated that 71% of the fish captured were either bluehead sucker, flannelmouth sucker, and roundtail chub, and that all of these species were represented by individuals of multiple age classes. This reach of the San Miguel River appears to be one of the best populations of the two native suckers within the Dolores River watershed and contains much larger individuals than most sites on the Dolores River. Roundtail chub (Gila robusta) is recognized by the State of Colorado as a species of special concern. The roundtail chub, flannelmouth sucker (Catostomus latipinnis) and bluehead sucker (Catostomus discobolus) are considered sensitive species by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Criteria that apply to the BLM sensitive species include the following: 1) species under status review by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; or 2) species with numbers declining so rapidly that federal listing may become necessary; or 3) species with typically small and widely dispersed populations; or 4) species inhabiting ecological refugia or other specialized or unique habits. The CDOW, the BLM and others have developed a "Range -Wide Conservation Agreement and Strategy" to direct management for these species. This plan provides direction and goals for research and management of projects. The success of management strategies will depend upon the voluntary implementation of these strategies by the signatories. Special attention will need to be given to habitat degradation and influence of non - native species interactions within the native range of these species. The intention of these plans is to increase populations and distributions of identified species, thereby assisting in the long -term persistence of each species. The success of such plans could potentially curtail the need for federal listing of these species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). These species are not currently federally listed. Macroinvertebrates The BLM has been collecting aquatic invertebrate samples for several years at several sites within the proposed instream flow reach. These sites include the San Miguel upstream of the Dolores River, at Tabeguache Creek and upstream of Tabeguache Creek. These surveys indicate that, relative to other streams within the Colorado Plateau region, this stream segment exhibits index readings that are significantly above average for macroinvertebrate abundance, diversity, and number of macroinvertebrate families. Even though macroinvertebrate populations were severely impacted by the 2002 drought, by 2003 this stream reach had already recovered to average levels for macroinvertebrate abundance and diversity, indicating the resilience of this stream reach.