Comments on the Draft Final R3-1 Document and the Draft Target Species Suitable Habitat Document

• Description: related to the Platte River Endangered Species Partnership ‎(aka Platte River Recovery Implementation Program or PRRIP)‎
• State: CO
• State: NE
• State: WY
• Basin: South Platte
• Water Division: 1
• Date: 5/22/2000
• Author: PRRIP members
• Title: Comments on the Draft Final R3 -1 Document and the Draft Target Species Suitable Habitat Document.
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Correspondence

To: Clayton Derby
From: Gene Zuerlein, NGPC
Subject: Comments on Draft Final R3 -1 Document dated April 17, 2000 and Draft Target
Species Suitable Habitat dated April 21, 2000.
Date: 16 May 2000
Draft Final R3 -1 Document.
The 12 species experts sent the R3 -1 document is fairly impressive. As a procedure document
which the FWS will use to determine what happened at the end of the first increment of the CA,
the R3 -1 document could use a cover and table of contents. Perhaps, in the introduction if the
overall objective of the document could be stated, it might help clarify early what is to follow.
On page 2 the long -term objectives of the program are stated.
Page 2 - The Evaluation Process for Program Benefits would help clarify rather than just stating
The Evaluation Process. I would suggest labeling Prior to Program Implementation as paragraph
A and At the end of the First Increment as paragraph B.
Page 3- Under 2), third line the verbage structure and functions of the Platte River processes is
used. Another way to say this is to keep the form and function of the river intact.
Page 4- Under bullet one, the Feb /Mar and May /June normal high flows can be attributed to
snow melt on the plains followed by mountain snowmelt later in May /June.
Page 5- It may be advisable to put a Questions Needing Resolution label on the top of page 5 so
that this section stands out. The format is OK.
Page 9- V.A. In March 2000 the NGPC added sturgeon chub to the state endangered species list.
It had been about 15 years since they modified the state list and they did not do it without a lot of
input from numerous public meetings. In recent years Dr. Peters has sampled them in the Platte
River in Dodge County and other investigators have sampled them in Sarpy County.
Page 10 -22. Would the tables be better titled with the numbers 1, 2, 3 rather than Roman
numerals I, II, III? The format of these tables lend themselves to easy reading and
comprehension.
Because the CA is a complex document to understand, it is difficult to extract information so that
it can be easily understood and comprehended. The R3 -1 document does a fairly good job of
stating that it is a procedure document. Perhaps the overall objective of this document could be
to develop procedures to determine the means of ascertaining biological response of species and
habitat to mitigation measurers, and the time frame required to measure such biological response.