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<br />I <br /> <br />T~~ irri~3ted wsture., ". <<ell as 3ro~< 3~j~C,,~t tc t~" river, provide <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />Settlement in the flood plain is .pane "nd develop<cent, for the """$t <br /> <br />.0"", .." t land ~ahitat, I<h teh foJ rther add., to ~lle "ild 1 i fe ~nd plant diver< i ty <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />psrt, ;,as been for ranching and fIlrmin~ with so"", ,ecre3tional use. The <br /> <br />ofti" !1<>odplain. <br /> <br />,'ish ;n~ ac~".. to the river i. " probl~", for the ~eneral p"bl ic. Land <br /> <br />trend towards houeing for both 8e<1.sonal and penunent occup~ncy in or "~"r <br /> <br />alon~ the .treara i. Hiv..te ,,~d ijener311y po.ted ~y,ainst uespass. <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />the floodplaina<ea is increa..iGg. <br /> <br />The study area is ...;thin the hi.tori~al range of "e""cal threatened Or <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />The unincorporated to"",, of South FQ~k is looated at tile junction of the <br /> <br />end~ngered species: Rio Grande Cutt"r,"'t, blaCk-faMed ferret, "olverine, <br /> <br />Rio Grande and South Fork of the Rio GrAnde on U.S. Hi~h"Ay 160 (Navajo <br /> <br />rlver otter and lynx and is within th..tO.igration route of " stO.all r e-intrO- <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />Tuil) "hieh crosses the famous Wolf Creek Pass. This is the lllIIin east-west <br /> <br />d<.1ced flock of .moopin~ cranes. Peregrine falcon O1ay use the area as <br /> <br />highway in southwestern Colorado and it handles most of the cO/llII1ercial, <br /> <br />hunting habitat (ColorAdo Division of Wildlife 1978). Ho..ever, developOlent <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />recreational and to<.1rist traffic in this part of the stllte. In 1966, South <br /> <br />ible e"ception of the pere..rine hlcon, ...UI be found. <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />Fork had a population of 200 people. Presently, the popuhtion is 419 "ith <br /> <br />witl"in the flood plain makes it unlikely thst these species,..ith theposa- <br /> <br />a projected Jlro..th of sevenl times this amount. The cunent aIld planned <br /> <br />Some of the '!lost not..ble fish and wildlife spedes found ..ithin the <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />housing developments pr01llpted the need for this flood hu..rd study. <br /> <br />study area would include mule deer, elk, beaver, mu.krat, various ...aterfowl, <br /> <br />Natural And Beneficial Flood Plain Values <br /> <br />10n..-billed....rshwren,bluebirds,northern.hrtke,blackbLrdS, tree swallow <br /> <br />I <br />. <br /> <br />Settlement in the study area has made ser'OUS inroads ;~to th~ "ildlif~ <br /> <br />m~rsh ha..k, American kestrel, shorebirds, ~re~t-~orned o~l, woodpeckers, <br /> <br />habit..t of the flood plain. 1.0ss of additional riparian, Or Hteamside, <br /> <br />and i;ray jaY. 'The ""'st co...,on ~nd important fish i. th~ introduced rainbo.. <br /> <br />h~bitBl will continue unle.s development in the flood phin i. abated. The <br /> <br />At present, due to the relativelyhi..h degree of use and disturbance 1n <br /> <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />re",aining undeveloped habit..t ill important to tho'e wildlih .pedes th..t <br /> <br />trout. <br /> <br />use it on B p<>rmanent bBsis, as well as to those that m.y use it only <br /> <br />the floodplain, thereappe"rs tobef..wopportunitie. tore.toreittoa <br /> <br />,ea.onally. <br /> <br />natural and flood plain values thathave.urvived pnst dnvelopment . <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />Curr..ntly, wildlife ha!>itat in the flood phin eon.i.t. of dumps of <br /> <br />more pri.tine con~it ion. 'l'I1" b<,st that can be done i. to maintain the <br /> <br />..illow., spruce, narrow-leaved cottonwood, currant, >llder and rose inter- <br /> <br />The irri~ated pasture. and farmlands, in and i_ediatelv adjacent to <br /> <br />II <br />II <br />. <br /> <br />sper.ed "ithin the irrigated pasture and rangeland. '.!'hese island. of <br /> <br />the flood plain, are cLassified as importanl far,"hnd.. !!:ven thOLl,>;h these <br /> <br />vegetation, tied together by the influence of the river, furnish val"able, <br /> <br />lands are important, th"y do nol meet the Federal crited" requirement. to <br /> <br />...nJtheonly, remaining wildlif" habitat. At present there i. 4 degree of <br /> <br />he cla..ifi~d a. "Pt,,.e Fat",hnd.". <br /> <br />. . <br />~...~;:t~~C.Ul'''-, <br /> <br />~ --- ---.. .. <br />~~..W~~" .."~ <br /> <br />~,eb""" ,"-'u~.,,~ <br /> <br />J~''';''V'''''''L~ <br /> <br />";-,id. v<"vi<ie~ io. <br /> <br />"Th.. (lo.>ud plai" (pa'l .cu;",;y tl,,, ",~,l.."d !"rt ion lJ~~,1 [or ""stures) <br /> <br />open spa~~ ..nd wildl ife: t',i~ should be maint.oined_ <br /> <br />al"o _'~<ve" ~~ 4 n~tur~1 fl<>od det~nti",\ Area, sedi..ent or J~hri" trap, <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />II <br />II <br /> <br />7 <br />