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<br />001Q91 <br /> <br />Section 2 - Background <br /> <br />Four specIes of fish that occupy the Colorado River near Grand Junction have been listed as <br />endangered pursuant to the Endangered Species Act (ESA). These species are located within the <br />"IS-Mile Reach", a segment of river that extends from the confluence with the Gunnison River <br />upstream 15 miles to the Grand Valley Irrigation Company Diversion Dam near Palisade, Colorado <br />(Figure 6.0). The four native species that have been listed are the humpback chub (Gila cypha), <br />bonytail (Gila elegans), Colorado pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus lucius), and razorback sucker <br />(Xyrauchen texanus). <br /> <br />The Upper Colorado River Endangered Fishes Recovery Program has been developed to aide the <br />recovery of the four listed fish species. The purpose of the Recovery Pro[,'Tam is to provide a <br />programmatic approach to recovering native Colorado River fishes listed under the ESA while <br />allowing Upper Basin states (Colorado, Wyoming and Utah) to develop additional water supplies as <br />authorized by compact entitlements. The original Recovery Program agreement was signed.in 1988 <br />by the Secretary of the Interior, Administrator of Western Area Power Administration and the <br />governors of Colorado, Wyoming and Utah. All participants agreed to cooperatively work toward <br />the successful implementation of a recovery program that will provide for recovery of the <br />endangered fish species, consistent with Federal and State laws. <br /> <br />The Recovery Pro[,'Tam was initially comprised of recovery actions that lacked certainty or the <br /> <br /> <br />commitment of long-term implementation. In 1999, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service <br /> <br /> <br />completed the "Final Programmatic Biological Opinion for Bureau of Reclamation's Operations <br /> <br /> <br />and Depletions, Other DepletiolJS, and Funding and Implementation of RecovefY Program Actions <br /> <br /> <br />in the Upper Colorado River Above the Confluence with the Gunnison River" (also referred to as <br /> <br /> <br />the "I5-Mile Reach Programmatic Biological Opinion" or the PBO). The PBO described specific <br /> <br /> <br />recovery elements to recover the four listed fish species and to "provide a means to avoid the <br /> <br /> <br />likelihood of jeopardy and adverse modification of critical habitat for new and existing water <br /> <br /> <br />projects".. These recovery elements included habitat protection, habitat development and <br /> <br /> <br />maintenance, native fish stocking, non-nalive fish control, and research. <br /> <br />RECOVERY PROGRAM ALTERNATIVES <br />2-1 <br />