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<br />Additionally the Coordination Committee urges the Service, "illrtll its consiste,tJt wit~ the
<br />applicable regulations, to address the section 7 consultation needs of the tribes, Moreover, the
<br />Coordination Committee recognizes that the Department ofthe Interior intends to use its authority
<br />to the fullest extent possible to preserve and protect the water resources of the tribes in the Basin.
<br />
<br />3.0 Operation of Navajo Dam
<br />
<br />As a result of section 7 consultation on the Animas-La Plata project and a commitment made
<br />under section 7(a)(1) of the ESA (August 1991 memorandum), the Bureau of Reclamation
<br />operates Navajo Dam to benefit endangered fish, while continuing to meet the Dam's authorized
<br />purposes, Since 1991, most formal section 7 consultations on projects that deplete water from the
<br />San Juan River have relied on the operation of Navajo Dam to benefit endangered fish as a
<br />reasonable and prudent alternative to avoid jeopardy and/or destruction or adverse modification of
<br />critical habitat.
<br />
<br />4.0 Long Range Plan
<br />
<br />The Program's initial Long Range Plan (LRP) was necessarily focused on the approximately
<br />seven-year research period as defined in the October 25, 1991 Animas-La Plata biological opinion,
<br />The LRP defined the principal Reco~c,y Program actions scheduled for completion through 1997,
<br />The leseMch efforts during the Apploximately SC,Cl1-ycar research period did not include
<br />implementation of specific, on-the-ground recovery actions that would directly benefit endangered
<br />fish or their habitat and that would thus ,serve, as ,comp?nents, of reasonable and prudent
<br />alternatives to avoid jeopardy tor biolowcal oiLiniims iStJued /1urih~ th4ttlme, Therefore, the
<br />Service did not utilize the Program to identifY reasonable and prudent alternatives when a federal
<br />agency proposed an action that was likely to jeopardize listed species and/or destroy or adversely
<br />modifY d"sighatcd critical habitat, "ill, s"b,,,q,,Cllt h"pkllldltdttou by ,pvll,vIS of watcI
<br />dc,d(lf>IlICllt Mid watel management adi,ities (ploject SpOllSOIS) to cOIl,plde COMl.1ltat;oll, Now
<br />that the aPl110),.;matcl) SC,Cn-yelh research period has concluded, the Ip~{jgrarri's Biology
<br />Committee is in the process of identifYing and prioritizing all foreseeable actions determined to be
<br />necessary to achieve recovery of endangered fish and their habitats in the Sa" roarl Basin, including
<br />projects requiring capital construction funds, and developing an updated LRP, The Coordination
<br />Committee will review the recommendations of the Biology Committee and adopt an updated
<br />LRP, incorporating capital, monitoring, and research projects as appropriate, The LRP, as
<br />amended and updated annually, will be the basis for formulating annual budgets and making
<br />funding requests to whom?? for the Program, The LRP will be reviewed annually by the
<br />Coordination Committee and modified as needed to reflect new information and actions needed to
<br />achieve recovery while continuing with water development. Additionally, amendments to the LRP
<br />will be ulade tv reflect available funding and changes in priorities for implementation of recovery
<br />actions,
<br />
<br />5.0 Incidental Take
<br />
<br />Section 9 of the ESA and federal regulation pursuant to section 4( d) of the ESA prohibit the take
<br />of endangered and threatened species, respectively, without a special exemption, Take is defmed
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