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<br />OGG1 <br /> <br />The Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed 1,8 million acres in the <br />"big bend" reach. of the Platte River as "critical habitat" for the <br />wnooping crane (see exhibit I}. This proposal was published in <br />the Federal Register, December 16, 1975. <br /> <br />According to Fish and Wildlife procedures, this proposal was sent <br />to the Governor of Nebraska for a 30-day revi ew period prior to <br />publication in the Federal Register. Following publication, the <br />general public and all interested agencies were given a 60-day period <br />to comment. The proposal has been pending since the end of this <br />review period. If and when the Secretary of the Interior decides to <br />change this critical habitat designation from proposed to official, <br />any Federally funded or licensed project on the Platte River or its <br />tributaries would have to meet regulations set forth under the <br />Endangered Species Act of 1973. The developing or licensing agency <br />would have to determine whether the proposed action would impact <br />habitat critical to the continued existence of the whooping crane. <br />If so, that agency would initiate formal consultation with the Fish <br />and Wildlife Service. <br /> <br />Summary <br /> <br />The Bureau concludes, based upon the morphological study, that the <br />Narrows Unit would have no effect on ice-affected flows and occurrence <br />of ice jams, Minimal effect, if any, on the dominant discharge of <br />the Platte River in central Nebraska is expected. As a result of <br />minimal change, if any, in the dominant discharge and ice-induced scour <br />through this reach of the Platte River, it is anticipated that the <br />,unvegetated channel width will remain essentially unchanged, Present <br />annual variations in the areal extent and location of the sandbars used <br />for night roosting are not expected to be altered, In addition, the <br />Narrows Unit would have a minimal effect on the river stages that <br />apparently contribute to the high ground-water levels underlying the <br />wet meadow habitat complex during the January-April period. <br /> <br />Therefore, the Bureau concludes that construction and operation of the <br />Narrows Unit would have no adverse effect on habitat components identified <br />as critical to migrating sandhill cranes; wet meadow complex, sandbar <br />roosting areas (Frith, 1974). Whooping cranes have been described by <br />Frith and the Fish and Wildlife Service (1975) as migrating with and <br />occupying th.e same wet meadow habitat and sandbar roosting sites as <br />sandhill cranes. Insofar as whooping cranes utilize these two habitat <br />components, no adverse impact is anticipated upon these species as a <br />result of the Narrows ~nit, <br /> <br />36 <br />