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federal government stepping into state water law "a legitimate concern," but said the agency believes . the problems on the Dolores can be resolved without toying with river flows. Instead, Dodson suggested habitat improvement along the stream might work. Though he didn't elaborate on what kind of improvements could be made, environmentalists credit the Colorado Division of Wildlife for planting trees along one section of the Dolores - a move that has created more shade, lowering water temperatures and aiding the fish. "In regards to our motivation (for listing the stream), in that particular segment, it was to improve the condition ofthe brown trout fishery," Dodson said. "And habitat improvements appear to be the best direction to take." Dodson also cautioned that the EP A's decision to include the Dolores and five other river segments on the cleanup list is still subject to public comment and not yet final. An environmentalist who has pushed for Colorado to include the Dolores on its list of polluted waters said that state officials were overreacting to the EP A's request. Melinda Kassen, an attorney for Trout Unlimited, said Benevento and Ament were "rabble-rousing" and "playing to the base" by creating a sense that Colorado's long-standing water rights system was somehow being threatened by a favorite federal bogyman: the EPA. "The state doesn't like to be overruled by EPA," Kassen said. "Pulling out the water rights card, that's an easy response. . . because it's a core issue that Colorado thinks it needs to protect." Copies ofthe respective letters are attached. Mine Cleanup Improves River's Water: A new report by Trout Unlimited features the Animas River . as an example of benefits that come from the cleanup of abandoned mines. The group's report, "Settled, Mined and Left Behind," cited the Animas and the upper reaches of the Arkansas River among 10 Western waterways that have benefited from abandoned-mine cleanup. Rounding out the list are the American in Utah, the Sacramento in California, the Blackfoot in Montana, the Rogue in Oregon, the Red in New Mexico, the Salrnon in Idaho and the Kettle and Methow basins in Washington. A summary report on the Trout Unlimited Web site says: "While no specific site stands out as the epicenter of mining damage to the Animas, it is clear that thousands of abandoned mines dot the 1 86-square-mile watershed. Trout and other aquatic life were effectively wiped out by toxic loads of aluminum, copper, iron, zinc, cadmium and lead that washed out of Animas soil and groundwater during active mining in the area." The Animas River Stakeholders Group, which formed in 1994, and the Department of the Interior's Abandoned Minelands Initiative led restoration efforts. Scientific expertise helped land managers eliminate or reduce the sources of pollution. "Of the scores of mines that once operated in the basin, only a handful of mines still pose a threat to the Animas River's water quality," the report said. "Key strategies in cleaning up these abandoned mines include removing sources of heavy metals and acid drainage, segregating them in safe repositories and sealing existing toxic tailings from further leakage." 16