Memorandum: May 3 1994 Recovery Program and Critical Habitat

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IN REPLY REFER TO: United States Department of the Interior FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE Mountain- Prairie Region MAILING ADDRESS: STREET LOCATION.• TAKE■ PRIDE IN�� AMERICA�� L Post Office Box 25486 134 Union Blvd. Denver Federal Center Lakewood, Colorado 80228 Denver, Colorado 80225 ES /CR /FY -94 ,� PA f ( - -y RIPRAP /Critical Habitat 7 Mail Stop 65115 MAY 3 199$ Ku- t "IT.�'I n m l- -r- r t f, a,Q,-;,E +, —1, F� Pf?a 4 Memorandum To: Management Committee, Consultants and Interested Parties From: Larry Shanks, FWS Management Committee Representative a� Subject: Recovery Program and Critical Habitat. On April 20 -22, 1994, Service staff met to discuss changes to the RIPRAP necessary for it to serve as the reasonable and prudent alternative for adverse modification of critical habitat. A summary of that meeting is attached for your information. The Service's recommended changes are identified in the April 29, 1994, RIPRAP - revision- s,which were mailed to you by John Hamill last Friday. These chan es,would allo\ the RIPRAP to provide the reasonable and prudent alternative for a verse m--6Tification or likely destruction of critical habitat resulting from deplet o -n impacts of new projects and all existing or past impacts to histori6 wa�te" p jects to the ? ?? same extent that it does to avoid the likelihood of j'eopa -�dy. The Service will assess sufficient progress and conduct section 7 consultations on critical habitat in accordance with the procedures set forth in the October 15, 1993, Section 7 Consultation, Sufficient Progress and Historic Projects Agreement. The Service's recommended changes to the RIPRAP were designed to provide more definition and certainty to actions to restore and protect the primary constituent elements determined necessary for survival and recovery of the four endangered fishes (water, physical habitat, and biological environment). For example, the Service believes it is appropriate and practical to begin removing northern pike from the Yampa River and to commit all the remaining water in Ruedi Reservoir following the Round II water sales to the endangered fishes. In addition, several new items were added to the RIPRAP to address the cumulative impacts associated with existing riprap, jetties, gravel mines, and other activities which directly impact the floodplain and river channel within critical habitat. These items include the development of a basin wide floodplain protection strategy and development and implementation of viable options for restoring or protecting the flood plain in the Grand Valley (Colorado) and the Ashley Valley (Utah) such as floodplain easements, incentive programs, or zoning regulations. The Service would rely on these types of Recovery Program accomplishments in section 7 consultations dealing with the maintenance of existing structures in the Grand Valley or Ashley