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20120110_Upper CO River WS Mgmt Plan Alternative_summary <br /> EXECUTIVE SUMMARY <br /> The Upper Colorado River Wild and Scenic Stakeholder Group (Stakeholder Group or <br /> SG) represents a diverse range of interests who have worked together since 2008 to <br /> develop an Upper Colorado River Wild and Scenic Stakeholder Group Management <br /> Plan (SG Plan or Plan) to protect the outstandingly remarkable values (ORVs) identified <br /> in the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) <br /> Eligibility Reports for Segments 4 through 7 of the Upper Colorado River. All references <br /> hereinafter to Segment 7 of the Colorado River are intended to include BLM Segment 7 <br /> and USFS Segments 1 and 2 of the Colorado River. The SG Plan is being proposed to <br /> BLM and the USFS as a potential Wild and Scenic Rivers management alternative for <br /> the resource management plan revision process. The Stakeholder Group's intention for <br /> this collaborative Plan is to balance permanent protection of the ORVs, certainty for the <br /> stakeholders, water project yield, and flexibility for water users. A significant benefit of <br /> the SG Plan is that through the cooperative and voluntary efforts of interested water <br /> users, local governments, and other entities, the ORVs can be protected (and perhaps <br /> enhanced) in ways that coordinate with federal agency management. <br /> The SG Plan will use identified Long-Term Protection Measures and voluntary <br /> Cooperative Measures of the Stakeholder Group to protect the ORVs. Examples of the <br /> protective measures include the appropriation of Colorado Water Conservation Board <br /> (CWCB) Instream Flow (ISF) water rights, delivery of water to senior water demands <br /> downstream of Segments 4 through 7, and water deliveries to the 15-Mile Reach in the <br /> Grand Valley pursuant to the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery <br /> Program. <br /> The SG Plan aims to protect all ORVs while focusing on recreational fishing (in <br /> Segments 4 through 6) and recreational floatboating (in Segments 4 through 7). The <br /> SG Plan uses two distinct tools— ¢ " � 'F (characterizing the range and quality <br /> of the ORVs which will be used to gage whether the ORVs are being protected; and <br /> !T� a 1)< ai 'i , '1I(reflecting ranges for factors such as flow, temperature and water <br /> quality) that will be used as a source of information among others to inform SG <br /> discussions under the Plan. Resource Guides are not intended to be used as a test for <br /> Plan success nor for use by permitting agencies or entities as the criterion for evaluating <br /> a project's effects on the ORVs. However, nothing in the Plan shall preclude or limit the <br /> use of any data regardless of whether such data has been used in the negotiation of the <br /> Resource Guides. The Resource Guides will not create binding requirements that water <br /> providers satisfy specific flow levels. The SG Plan's implementation procedures will <br /> provide a feedback loop to periodically confirm that the management measures under <br /> the SG Plan, in coordination with BLM's and USFS's other land management actions, <br /> are protective of all ORVs. The SG Plan contains mechanisms to address concerns <br /> related to impairment of or a significant risk of impairment to the ORVs. <br /> Page 3 of 71 <br />