|
<br />".' .-.\ ~,'. "
<br />:"'l" .' ~ A ~. _
<br />-'-'~<-~\i'~'< '. ,
<br />
<br />r~::t<<~.~~\, "
<br />I .,....,A. _.~.. _ '"',
<br />.~ '-'- -...)". '. "\ ":-'-.
<br />...~ ~. " . '-..:.. '. ...
<br />. '."....., ~ ~ - ~ .~
<br />--" ..- f.\t~:~ . :.'
<br />g~~'~~:~~,,.-..@bJi.~.~
<br />"'~< "'''''~'''' '. -. J.~"I";~'<'~"~
<br />'Sl~"'l';"~' ...01:::;.; '",0;-'..",- ~~'" "'.1 ~
<br />~' ~:-._~ ~'="'"'""'-'-""'~<;:~,.'
<br />. - -~ 11'..-
<br />- ---~.. - -
<br />. .-
<br />-:~-
<br />
<br />Endangem::! Species Act sute
<br />and federal mm~1'li re ffiiUl-
<br />~ted to protect the habitat of
<br />threatened and cndwgered
<br />specio. but the Buili adminu-
<br />tf;uion has decided to ignore its
<br />kp1 fC5pornibiliries.
<br />
<br />AieT roensive lesarch,
<br />park officials applied
<br />or,1. yur-round mini.
<br />mum Ilov.' of 300 rubie feci
<br />per ~econd (cfi), shoulder
<br />lloW's (:ill a\'C'nge in wet ycus)
<br />of 800 c6 for 80 <hys U1d a
<br />one-day scouring flow of
<br />between 2,000 md 12.000 ~,
<br />depending on availOlble ....-ate!. The Colora.do
<br />WaItT Corucl'V&lion Booud alrady had a right
<br />[0 a minimum f1ov.' of 300 ds (except in
<br />drought.! ....-hen it drops 10 200 d"-s), but that
<br />right is irudequ:ne for trout proto:aion beaUK
<br />it ....'as e\ublished in 1965 md therefore is
<br />junior to the right of the Aspin.ill Unit, .....h.ich
<br />.....as esu..blished in 1956. The Witer
<br />ConsefVOltion Boi.rd and Gunnison River
<br />trout could get nothing if the current drought
<br />continues and Aspinill w,uer is allOOlled for
<br />other uses. kpinill's right, how~r, is junior
<br />10 the park's, .....hich Colondo's Wuer u,urt
<br />says dite> to 1933. So b}' mnouncing mat il
<br />was going to proteer Aspinall's yidd, the Bush
<br />Wninisu-.ltion threw 2'1>01,' the .....ater right the
<br />Puk Servi<;.e had .....orked ior, pbnned for, md
<br />gone to court for-i right owned b}' t,!-'e
<br />American prople.
<br />~Flshuics ue not built uound minimum
<br />Bows but around fin'f)~..bk Bows, ~ remarks
<br />David Nickum, director of Colorido Trout
<br />t.:n1imited.. "A minimum Boy,......ill typically get
<br />,'Ou i minimum fuhe!}'. Thats not wh.u we
<br />have tOOi}' in we Bli.ck Canyon of the
<br />Gunnison md the Gunnison Gorge {a Burau
<br />of Land" ~lin;q;cment wilderness uca di~'
<br />do....nsueam]. I'm very concerned dut it m;.iy
<br />be whal we see in the future if steps u-en'r
<br />uken to prote<:;t the rcsourcc.~
<br />~Idinda ~scn, who dirc;;:ts TU'5
<br />Colorado Witer Project, adds this: "If' we
<br />ha\'e 300 d's year mer rar. there will be no
<br />gold-mcclaJ fishe!}' in the GunniKln River.
<br />Trout need uw biSC 110\'0 but the'Y also need
<br />those lihoulder flows ind peik flows. ~
<br />Beause of the droughl, the Bureiu oi
<br />Red.unatJon rdea.sed only :50 as from
<br />.~pin.al1 during the .....inter oi :002,03.
<br />
<br />'The Bush Administration threw away the water right
<br />the Park Service had gone to cour11or-a right
<br />owned by the American people.'
<br />
<br />down from the side canyons b}' the fluh
<br />floods of 5Ummer--began accumulating in
<br />the main channel. The IpKes under cobbles
<br />md boulden-habitat for ehe wmonflies
<br />aut comprilie i huge put of the dlet of
<br />Gunnison River trOUe-were umented shut.
<br />Tubifo: wonns, which pass .....hirling disea.sc
<br />to trout, prollieu:erl :n the sedimenu. The
<br />u,lorw.o Dh-ision of \(~udlife h:u just fin-
<br />ished an electro-fishing surve)' of a two-mile
<br />metchofriverjll5c below the pouk. In the late
<br />1980s. before .....hirling discOlSt' showed up.
<br />this mccr;h held 12,000 wild riinbows over
<br />sO: inches. 2,000 of them between 16 and n
<br />inches. In 2002 it hdd 87. Browns C'o'Olved in
<br />Europe with .,,;hiding diSC.:l.SC, 50 the~' can
<br />115u.uly lo]elite the pM:uite. But because
<br />brov>11s requirestrucrutC md slO''''et tlows than
<br />riinbows. they've not filkd the va.cant niche.
<br />Dr. Jack Sunford, professor of c<:olog.Y it
<br />the l1ni\-ersiry of ~10nrmi, gf'"W up nound
<br />the Bl;.ick Culyon and hu been srud~'ng its
<br />ccolog)' sincc the mid 1970s. "The river hasn't
<br />t1115hed ....ell in a long time,W he told me.
<br />-Because pm tlo....'S ha\'c been 50 bidl}' cur-
<br />railed wc have large iccumubtions of organic
<br />matter in bub-otters. If thesc bid:v.01ten u-e
<br />flushed lcgularly. groundwater mo\'es up
<br />rhroug.~ the guvel bns ro producc a re.al
<br />h~th}' food web and very imporrmt raring
<br />areas for troUt. The terrenrial \'egetaeion.usa
<br />dogs thc ri\~l. creating tubiut noc conducive
<br />co HOUL And thc \'eget.Ollion rurroWli the
<br />chmnd so sandbars don't form. \l:"hen I WJ.5
<br />i kid thc Ci.nyon had huge sandbars. Soy,..
<br />the:"'re gone or covered .....ith pbnu. ~
<br />The san.:iNn and badtv.-uCt5 Wt the ?uk
<br />Servicc hid napa:! to restore provided cicio.!
<br />lipiwnlng in.:! nursa)' habiut tor fow endm-
<br />gered fuh t.:'w e\'Oh.eJ with high. sf'ling
<br />lloy,.-s-the humpbuir. ;hub, =r~k ru.:!m.
<br />bony tail chub md u,londo pikcminnUVi' (the
<br />new PC n;lffiC fOI iquiwnsh). l-ndn tI'Ie
<br />
<br />Thc park's ?roposi.1 Wlin': fc:icn. F;>r
<br />eumple, ~ickum and IUssen W{)!_
<br />md mil quio:k rlnwdO\'ons incr [he
<br />
<br />
<br />\,EERLESS
<br />I
<br />I
<br />I
<br />
<br />
<br />"SIMPLY THE FINEST"
<br />
<br />Plea~ write for catalog
<br />and dealer information.
<br />
<br />PEERLESS REEl COMPANY
<br />427-3 Amherst Street,
<br />Suite 177
<br />Nashua. NH 03063
<br />TeL & Fax 603-595-2458
<br />
<br />00235!1
<br />
<br />f1>RDJ&R<d 15
<br />
|