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occur. This seems to be the indication given from the sediment/vegetation model <br />(which we have yet to see) and should require serious review from experts. <br />NO LAND REFERENCE <br />The R3 -1 document discusses the land component of the Program, however it is only in- <br />channel. The program will include more than just in- channel land actions. According to <br />this document work planned for the south side of Cottonwood Ranch would never be <br />analyzed nor considered. Wet meadow habitat located more than a mile from the river <br />could be very valuable to whooping cranes and it could be decided by the Program to <br />include those lands in the 10,000 acres. The R3 -1 document needs to be expanded in <br />order to accommodate land components located away from the channel. <br />SUTIABLE HABITAT <br />The companion document dealing with the definition of suitable habitat is, as stated <br />before, a rewrite of the Joint Study. <br />Specific comments: <br />Whooping Crane... Importance of the Platte River. <br />Whooping crane data prior to 1945 was disregarded by the Crane Working Group <br />in the 1980's because the data prior to that was not dependable. In one case observers <br />saw over 50 whooping cranes in one flock near Kearney at a time when less than 20 <br />existed. <br />Page 4: Firstparagraph It states modeled roost habitat was developed from 1984 -1993 <br />yet the reference is to a 1987 document. How can data obtained in 1993 be published in <br />1987? <br />Under #3 Depth of water. It states "Recent sightings indicate..." and gives 1993 as the <br />most recent reference. There should be more RECENT data than that as the Service has <br />been taking site data each of those years. <br />Wet Meadow. <br />Currier's definition of a wet meadow has it only near the river. Wet meadows can occur <br />miles from the river, as they do in the rainwater basin and sandhills. These should also <br />be considered as suitable. <br />While some researchers have noted a correlation between stage and wet meadows, others <br />have found that in many areas there is no correlation. Most have found that weather <br />events are the major variable in wet meadow water supply. <br />