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4. The Colorado Water Conservation Board passed a motion to withdraw the recovery flow <br />portion of instream flow filing on the Yampa River. The Board also instructed their staff to look <br />into the implications of administration of the base flow right. I am concerned with the direction <br />that flow protection in the Yampa River Basin has taken. It seems premature to abandon any <br />options at this point until we find and secure alternative solutions. With this change in position <br />regarding flow protection in the Yampa River, what is the Program =s recommendation for <br />providing and protecting flows? The Yampa River is not only important in its own right, but its <br />flows and sediment also are vital to the Green River system. <br />REPLACE WITH. <br />4. The Service withdrew support for the CWCB's 1995 base flow and recovery <br />flow instream flow filings. Other Recovery Program Participants also had <br />concerns regarding the value of the recovery flows on the Colorado and Yampa <br />rivers. The CWCB recently passed a motion to withdraw the recovery flow <br />portion of instream flow filings on the Colorado and Yampa Rivers due to the <br />lack of support by the Service and other Program participants. The CWCB also <br />instructed their staff to look into the implications of administration of the base <br />flow right. I am concerned with the direction that flow protection in the Yampa <br />River Basin has taken. It seems premature to abandon any options at this point <br />until we find and secure alternative solutions. With this change indirection <br />regarding flow protection in the Yampa River, what is the Program's <br />recommendation for providing and protecting flows? The Yampa River is not <br />only important in its own right, but its flows and sediment also are vital to the <br />Green River system. <br />5. The Service and its partners need to complete the Flaming Gorge and 15 -Mile Reach <br />biological opinions. With so many important recovery actions hinging on the completion of these <br />opinions, the Service needs to commit to get the Flaming Gorge opinion finalized by the end of <br />1999 and the Biological Opinion for Recovery Program Actions and Water Depletions in the <br />Upper Colorado River From Rifle, Colorado to Lake Powell finalized by mid - summer of this <br />year. <br />Conclusion <br />Based on careful evaluation of the status of the fish, adequacy of flows needed for recovery, <br />magnitude of depletion impacts, and Recovery Program accomplishments and shortcomings, the <br />Service concludes that progress in the Program continues to be sufficient for projects that have an <br />annual depletion of up to 3,000 acre feet. <br />Although sometimes things move slowly, I am encouraged with the progress the Program made in <br />1998 and efforts accomplished so far this year. Program participants need to actively pursue <br />