Volume I Biological Opinion

• Description: related to the Platte River Endangered Species Partnership ‎(aka Platte River Recovery Implementation Program or PRRIP)‎
• State: NE
• Date: 7/1/1997
• Author: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Grand Island, Nebraska
• Title: Volume 1 - Biological Opinoin On the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's Preferred Alternative for the Kingsley Dam Project ‎(No. 1417)‎ and North Platte/Keystone Dam Project ‎(No. 1835)‎
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Biological Opinion

TABLE OF CONTENTS
'
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . 1
'
BIOLOGICAL OPINION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . 2
'
CONSULTATION HISTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . 3
DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED ACTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . 14
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . 15
'
INTERRELATED AND INTERDEPENDENT ACTIONS .
. 16
PROPOSED ACTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . 18
Operational Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . 19
Environmental Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . 21
Water Conservation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . 23
'
Channel and Land Restoration . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . 26
Other Measures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . 27
'
STATUS OF THE PLATTE RIVER SYSTEM AND LISTED SPECIES . . . . . . .
. . . . 28
PLATTE RIVER SYSTEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . 28
Importance of the Platte River Ecosystem . . . . . . .
. . . 28
'
Status of Platte River Ecosystem
. 30
Target Flows for the Platte River Ecosystem . . . . . .
. . . . 35
WHOOPING CRANE AND DESIGNATED CRITICAL HABITAT . . . . . . .
. . . . 40
'
Historical Perspective and Current Distribution
. 40
Habitat and Food Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . 41
Importance of the Platte River . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . 44
Platte River Critical Habitat . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . 45
Status of Critical Habitat . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . 46
'
LEAST TERN (Interior Population) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . 48
Historical Perspective and Current Distribution . . . .
. . . . 48
'
Habitat and Food Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PIPING PLOVER . . . .
. . . . 49
. . . . 51
Historical Perspective and Current Distribution . . . .
. . . . 51
Habitat and Food Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . 53
Importance of the Platte River .
. 55
WESTERN PRAIRIE FRINGED ORCHID
58
Historical Perspective and Current Distribution . . . .
. . . . 58
'
Reasons for Species Decline
. 59
Importance of the Platte River . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . 59
'
AMERICAN BURYING BEETLE
60
Historical Perspective and Current Distribution . . . .
. . . . 60
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