BOARD01033

• Board Meeting Date: 11/13/1963
• Description: Minutes
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

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to manage fisheries. However, very few reser-
voirs in the Arkansas Valley fluctuate a small
amount. Most of them fluctuate considerably
in their levels of water throughout the year.
This does not, as I stated, make for good
fisheries. For one thing, you've got mud
flats, your aquatic vegetation doesn't grow
there. Then you've got a head of water and
a full reservoir, then you haven't because of
the drop in water, and nothing grows there.
This is necessary for good fisheries. You have
to have some of both the aquatic and your
shoreline vegetation.

There is another point, too, that enters
into this, gentlemen, in the adequate recrea-
tional facilities. Our primary purpose, of
course, is to develop fisheries and hunting
opportunities, and now, with our merger with
the Parks Department we are, of course, charged
with the responsibilities of other recreational
pursuits such as boating, water skiing, and
those that are associated with hunting and
fishing.

Many of the impoundments in eastern Colo-
rado contain high salt content. John Martin,
when it does have water, is not high in salt
content. We know that it will grow fish.
We've had some very good white bass popula-
tions there in past years. We know that, and
I am sure that all of you folks know, when the
reservoir was drained in September of 59, I
think or thereabouts, that there was a high
population of fish in the reservoir at the
time it was drained and of course these were
lost, a good share of them.

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We are attempting to develop alternate
sites wherever they may become available to
us. We have management agreements with some
of the irrigation companies and the Sugar
Company wherever they have or own impoundments
that.. we can develop for fishing, hunting and
recreation. But we do feel there is a dire
need for additional recreation opportunity in