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<br />rHj~'1t'iU <br /> <br />Additional Considerations <br /> <br />There are several possible ecological impacts of development in the Yampa <br />River basin that wi 11 be important to cons ider in the regional analys is, but <br />which, due to time and fiscal constraints or lack of sufficient data, may not <br />become subjects of forma 1 mode Is. One of these i nvo I ves the popu I at ions of <br />stream benthic invertebrates, The benthic invertebrate fauna include larval <br />forms of various insects that are prominent in the diet of trout and other <br />fish. Here again, increased sediment loads could have a detrimental effect on <br />these populations and, consequently, have further impact on the valuable sport <br />fishery in the region, <br /> <br />Routine sampling of benthic populations in the Yampa River basin has been <br />initiated (Steele and others, 1976), so that data are available to define the <br />fauna composition, and to some extent anticipate major impacts'of development. <br />The difficulty with constructing reI iable models of the benthic populations is <br />the absence of data quantitatively relating sediment yields to reproduction <br />and growth of the organisms. <br /> <br />Land Use <br /> <br />The predominant current land uses of the Yampa River basin, grazing and <br />timber harvesting, represent a combined total of 89 percent of the basin's <br />land area (Colorado Water Conservation Board and U,S, Oepartment of Agricul- <br />ture, 1969, table 4), Irrigated cropland and mineral industries contribute <br />significantly to the economic productivity of the basin, despite the currently <br />small areas involved. With the impending rapid growth in development of the <br />basin's energy resources, competition for available land resources will occur, <br />Included are the following: <br /> <br />a, Increased land areas taken out of existing land use for an indefinite <br />period of time, due primari Iy to strip-mining; <br /> <br />b. Increased demands for recreational areas and facilities, affecting <br />publ icly and privately owned forests, parks, and other areas; <br /> <br />c. I ncreased urban i zati on, pr imar ily around ex i st ing popu lat i on centers; <br />and <br /> <br />d. Changes in land use due to competition for water supplies, for ex- <br />ample, irrigation versus energy development, <br /> <br />Evaluation of economic development proposals with respect to ownership <br />and uses of land resources 'will serve to determine areas of impending confl iets. <br />Analysis of this aspect will entail collaboration with county planning commis- <br />sions, as wel I as those State and Federal agencies having responsibil ity for <br />planning and management over publicly owned lands, <br /> <br />The U,S. Geological Survey is in the process of mapping 20-quadrangle <br />sheets at a scale of 1:250,000 for Vernal and Craig, including both surficial <br />and bedrock geology. In addition, the U,S. Geological Survey has scheduled <br />land-use mapping from aerial photography for these two quadrangles. A series <br />of miscellaneous geologic investigations map sheets is planned by the U,S, <br /> <br />25 <br />