Laserfiche WebLink
2) to create or enhance wetland habitats on the TRSWA and PESWA in a manner that <br />is consistent with the purposes for which these SWAs were acquired and developed <br />by the Colorado Division of Wildlife; and <br />3) to contribute to that portion of Colorado's Tamarack Plan, as described in Tab 3A <br />of the Cooperative Agreement (Appendix A), to be located on the TRSWA and <br />PESWA in a manner that is consistent with the purposes for which these SWAs <br />were acquired and developed by the Colorado Division of Wildlife. <br />NEED: <br />1) The CDOW has identified at least four species of minnows native to the South Platte <br />River Basin in Colorado whose populations have declined to the point that the <br />CDOW has designated them pursuant to Colorado law as threatened or endangered <br />species. This project is designed to provide water flows that benefit these species by <br />improving water flow conditions within and through their habitats. <br />2) The augmented stream flows from this project are needed to protect riparian <br />wetland habitat such as wet meadows and warm water sloughs that exist on the <br />lower South Platte River and at the TRSWA and PESWA. <br />3) An outdoor laboratory in the form of an artificial stream is needed to study habitat <br />needs and propagation techniques for several declining native species of the Platte <br />River Basin in Colorado. <br />4) The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has identified three species of <br />birds(Whooping Crane, Least Tern, and Piping Plover) and one specie of fish <br />(Pallid Sturgeon) within the Platte River Basin as either threatened or endangered <br />under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This project will contribute to the <br />Tamarack Plan and thereby incidentally benefit these species by reducing shortages <br />to target flows in the "associated habitats." <br />5) This augmentation may also protect existing water supplies which are used for <br />various purposes including agricultural, municipal, domestic and wildlife <br />management within the South Platte Basin in Colorado by crediting augmentation <br />water to replacement for depletion. <br />III. PROPOSED ACTION AND ALTERNATIVE <br />PROPOSED ACTION: COMPLETE PROJECT <br />The TRSWA and PESWA have tremendous potential for the development of managed <br />