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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />10 <br /> <br />The mountainous tributaries of Huntington. Cottonwood and Ferron Creeks, which <br />converge and form the San Rafael River. support brown. rainbow and cutthroat <br />trout above stream diversions. Below these diversions in the project area, <br />game fish nearly disappear because of dewatering and only a few remnants of <br />game fish and non-game fishes remain. The San Rafael River and its <br />tributaries in the project area and below supports only non-game fish. <br /> <br />The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (Division) considers the roundtail <br />chub (Gila robustal a sensitive non-game fish (Utah Division of Wildlife <br />Resources 19B7). Roundtail chubs are found in both the Price and San Rafael <br />rivers and in the lower reaches of Huntington. Ferron and Cottonwood Creeks. <br />This species appears to be on the decline in Utah. <br /> <br />The terrestrial and aquatic habitat in the Price and San Rafael basins support <br />approximately 90 species of mammals, 270 species of birds and 30 species of <br />fish. Since the proposed project would primarily affect the irrigated <br />farmland zone and some riparian and aquatic habitat below the project, not all <br />types of wildlife found in the Price and San Rafael drainages would be <br />affected by the project. A joint study made in 1977-1978 by the Division and <br />Soil Conservation Service inventoried the mammals and birds inhabiting or <br />utilizing irrigated farmlands. potentially irrigable rangelands, and wetlands <br />in the Price and San Rafael River drainages of Carbon and Emery Counties <br />(Division 1978). In that study 23 species of mammals and 120 species of birds <br />were recorded. Of the 120 species of birds 79 species were found utilizing <br />wetlands. while twenty three species were found only in wetland habitat <br />(Tables II and III). Population densities of wetland-inhabiting birds per 100 <br />acres were found in the same study to range up to 7207.5 for red-winged <br />blackbirds (Table IV). Wetland habitat is essential to the birds found only <br />in wetlands. It also furnishes the required winter and nesting habitat for <br />ring-necked pheasants and breeding, nesting and wintering habitats for red- <br />winged and yellow-headed blackbirds. <br /> <br />Twelve species of mammals utilized wetlands as well as rangeland and/or <br />farmlands (Table V) while 11 species utilized only rangelands and/or farmland <br />(Table VI). <br /> <br />"' "' "0" 0 <br />U 'J l: " ~ <br />