WSPC06199 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

-, .0'01.006 . . -.\>~~ \)~V.\ r:..i'~/ \ <> \fI/'<:... \)~ Fish and Hildlife Plan Closed Basin Division, San Luis Valley Project, Colorado June 1981 The primary purpose of the Closed Rasin Division, San Luis Valley Project, is to deliver water to the Rio Grande to assist the State of Color2do in meeting its commitments for water deliveries to the States of New Mexico and Texas under the Rio Grande Compact of 1939 and to assist the United States in meeting its com- mitments to Mexico under the Rio Grande Convention of 1906. Additional project purposes, as stated in the authorizing legislation. Public La<, 92-51L, (1972), included deliveries of water to Alamosa National Hildlife Refuge (NHR), establishment of l1ishak NWR, stabilization of water levels of San Luis Lake, development of recreational facilities at San Luis Lake, and fish and wildlife enhancement. This report provides a revised plan to mitigate project-caused losses to wildlife and wildlife habitat from the construction and operation of the Closed Basin Division, San Luis Valley Project, Colorado. Measures to enhance fish and wildlife resources are also included. The man-days use and monetary benefits associated with the enhancement features are provided. This document has been prepared with cooperation from the Fish and Hildlife Service (HiS), ,Bureau of Reclamation (RR). Bureau of Land l1anagement (BLM), and the Colorado Division of Hildlife (CDW). The BR and ~,S have formally concurred with the revised mitigation plan. The BLll and CDW have expressed their informal con- currence with the revised mitigation plan. A detailed environmental description of the Closed Basin project area is contained in the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FES 79-37 August 27, 197Y). However', for the sake of completeness, the following brIef description of '"etlands, waterfowl production, and other bird use in the project area is provided. It should be remembered throughout the following discussion that the prime consideration in developing this plan was the replacem.ent of we tl<1nds impacted by the project on an acre-for-acre basis. Two other important con- siderations were the replacement of the habitat value of acres of vegetation adversely impacted by the project and the replacement of waterfowl production and other water bird use losses caused by the project. The fourth, but not least important) consideration was concerned with the enhancement of the fish and wildlife resources in and immediately adjacent to the project area. I. Existing ,Project Conditions The brief description of the existing conditions within the Closed 1"'8in Division and the San Luis Valley is separated into (1) waterfowl production, (2) other water bird use, and (3) bird species of high Federal interest. 1 . ~<J<"J~fl"l'~~~~~~~~r~~~i1F~S~"'i?;r::~~~~~~~~'~~{~;~4~"'.!t~~~7~rf~.'