|
<br />bl1i:~~es.these'trai:ls will c0nneetexisting trails and cow;plete a partiany c0tnpleted netw0rkq;1:'a~lilJ;'l ,
<br />tlil1i~,atemifdtTht(;l;lli~er. '
<br />
<br />'WUy:isltilie;p'ilQj-e'elprQlI'O$e'Il? ,:Ri,p'ari:an'h~bitat is the 11'lOstPI"~~~~tivenattit~ecosystep'iin CQ11!llf<<~.an~i'tis .
<br />impoJrtantto BiwMe \larlety of wildlife sl1eeies. ,Over 75%ofwilanifespeeies,inha~it'nparlan B.I'~s'f0\.''(a.t,)!ellsta
<br />pl$t !if the year. , 1Jn1'0inl;u:nately, OVet 561% ofwet1llnds ancliirip~'aFellsinQ010ra~ohavebeel1,10sti~~;to,
<br />d~~10,~ent01'Ialtk;O'fg00cl'res0ureemanagement. Todmy,l'Itrarlanareasc0mpnse less tfum l,%,Cj~\l11\lttll'~ll:Il:d
<br />fuCdl\;J~0.(1i~wnofBasalt 2(il0!q~. '
<br />
<br />mPl!l'ilUlC0rridorshavebeen,loSttodevelopment, Whi:letheripa1iian, a1!ellsthatremaihhavebeenft;llgmeJj}l~ "
<br />lUrd, d~gFadedbY(lhangesinadjoinUtg llllitl~Ufl(;js., .lijeyel0lJrt\eL\tcoRtlnu~stoClJlnve'rtfll!lOdplainlln~'~~!Ul,,'.,
<br />1mbita~st()h~lln,land-uses. , The frag\J!!:elited, remawng areas'arevulnera.1i;leto~n~bllliee;b0tThts~1\l.1Q;41,
<br />'large'SG~e. . Types of disturbance included trl)lnplmg,from reereati()naluse'~o,ff.r0ad. vehieleS,l1t0~tii~rtbfkes,
<br />h:i:kiers~;in..strelP1'l~avel.mining;erosi()rt ffomd:eveloPntelfit9lVllfeep<baiiksand: ad:jacentvatleywa}lsoj, .' " '
<br />mail'l'tienartceactimties for roads;' difches,t:lOwer lines, itri'gatidl):&ivel'sIof\s,artd railroads; adjacentrlU1:~,u$eS
<br />sU\lhaslivestock graiing and fanning;lllr.ge-sca.le cotlsttactioPS'l;i.di l\sroad::butldingj,and large~sea;fe,llm:d
<br />m:anag~n:ierJt;pF!lGtices sneh as 10ggingand,col!1"l'rtinfug;,
<br />
<br />MasUtrttrodantly,thelong-tenn s1:U'Vivlllof riparian e6rrldOl'sdl:lp'ehd's'onihe.effeetiveprotectioul1lfllillLVer's
<br />liyfu(itlbIDcregitrre;' Wat~~uarity,Tl:0ws,artdfroQqingpat!el!JisrltusthematntllineatostiPPortnatiMe;:~l~t '
<br />c0n1liU'OOJ;1ties-aodrt11e wiltfl5:fe'thatdep'ends ontheltl..F6texa:mple~1l.ii!'t(jWle:ateotf(jnwood(Pi;ipUrtt$ ",'",.,
<br />4n~~tif(iIil()rllquires penodic ftood:ihgto. stimulate seedgerritiuarion artd~ew ,estal$lisbnrent.Pr0t(\Cltiol1ofthe
<br />ftmdlUfiental, qrtdel:11';ringhydr0Iogic regime. req'uiresproteetfugalidman:aging hydtdlogicproeesses.$a1e*,te\'rd
<br />throttghouttI!J:ewatershed. ,'" ,
<br />
<br />L0'ss,:fi:agmentation"anddegradationofrlparian areas,ha.ve,'seti.li\nrotionehmwgesrnth:e compositio~qf11i.~an .
<br />planteommuniti:es;reducti91lsi:nplant rooting depthlU1dthea1')il~ty tlJ.stabiliae batiks. ,1!b:el'esultso$'t1\.ell;e
<br />changestl1J,llud:eareductionin shadi1'ig,oftliewater chll.lUlel,.increased variaJJility of the water tel'ltperl'\~ll,the
<br />establil!hn1.entoHnvasive,.plant speci'es,loss' of habitat 'for' aquati.cmacro-invertebrates,amphibilU1s;,~li1s
<br />and birds, diminisbedcontribution of organic matter, and an oVerall degtadatien of water quality.
<br />
<br />
<br />Less of aquatic habitat quality is reflected in the conservation status of Co lot ado' s freshwater fishes.t1hre-e
<br />speeie$haveg~ne extinct, and thirty-seven of Colorado's forfy-rtil'tenative ,freshwater fishes arelistedas: ,
<br />threatened, endangered,. or of specialcoucem by the State 'and: Federal government. A::coerdingtotheNa.tlin1e
<br />Conservancy more than 22% offreshwater fish species and stlhspeciesin Colorado are of globa:lconserv!ltion
<br />conelilm. The Nat:ureConservancy' also estimates that 75% of Colorado'S, altlphibians are,imperileiil.
<br />
<br />Much oftheRoaringFork Riverwatershed is located in aSeenic area popularf6r fishing and boating.S:evlJral
<br />reaches.ef the R.oaringFork River and its. tributary; the Fli)'UigpanRiVer; arepremier:fishingdestinati'Ql.'I;'Sin.,
<br />Colonado.Gam.e fish in the Roaring Fotk include rairibow~(;)\:lt(Oncorhyncnus mykiss), browntrout'"e(:.Yi!l.lmo
<br />trutta), brook ttout(Salvelinus fontinalis), and the Colorado iRivercutthro!lt trout {Oncorhynchus clUJ'Kki)., '
<br />Nativeflsh. s~ecie$inc1ude the 1ll.ountain.whitefish(Oncorhynchu'S clarki,pl~uriticu$) (Roaring Fork
<br />ConserVaney 200t}.
<br />
<br />The Colorado Wildlife Commission has designated two river reaches in the watershed as "Gold Mec:l\l1.' WaterS."
<br />GoldMedal Waters are streams, lakes, and reservoirs that have: high qtllllifyaquatic habitat, ahighpelicetltage
<br />oftrol.ltoverfourteen inches in length; and that offer the greatest'potenti~l fortl'ophy trout fishing. These .
<br />reaches are upstream and dOWllstream of the proJect reach:, (1) the R.oaring Fork between the Crystat~iVer
<br />confltletlce' in 'Carbondale and the confluencewith,.the Colorado Rivetin'@enwoodS.pringsand.(2)tlil.e'"
<br />Fryingpan between theR.uedi Reservoir and its conf1tlencewtth the Roaring Fork in Basalt. The Roaring Fork
<br />-7-
<br />L:ISecllon FolderslSECAIBoard MeellngslSeptember 2002\Agenda Item 19-Corps report attachement.doc 09/03/2002 PM
<br />01:22
<br />
|