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iOi- ~L' 13 . The floodplain of the South Platte River adjacent to and within the upper portion of. the flood pool of the proposed Narrows Reservoir Is an eKtenslve marsh. Emergent vegetation with nUmerous sloughs and over- flows characterize this river segment. The marsh area, In combination with the upper part of the Joint use pool of Narrows Reservoir, would offer an excellent opportunity for development of high quality waterfowl habitat for the production and wintering of waterfowl. Small open lakes and level ditches of one-half acre or less could be created which would fill by seepage. About 200 of these water areas, comprising about 100 acres.of open water, In combination with existing and established nesting cover, could be expected to be highly productive of waterfowl, primarily ducks. . The upper portlon.of Narrows Reservoir would be managed primarily for waterfowl but also would be beneficial for upland-game hunting and wildlife-oriented recreational uses. Headows and bottomland fields would be diked and managed to produce food for resident and migratory waterfowl. The wet meadowlands would be opened to form small ponds or level .dltches of one-half acre or less, or diked to form larger areas of marsW. Development would emphasize nesting sites for ducks which would Include emergent vegetation, meadows and uplands, and leveled and planted dikes and spoil along the existing and proposed open water areas. Small Islands and nesting platforms would be constructed for geese on the larger marshes and open waters. Water rights for lands acquired for fish and wildlife would be used for these purposes wherever feasible. The upper portion of Narrows Reservoir would be closed to boating and other recreation during the waterfowl production season. Narrows Res. ervoir also would be closed to boatIng during the waterfowl hunting season to provide protection for resting waterfowl. Capital costs associated with the management area would be $2,935,000, comprising $1,957,000 for land acquisition and $978,000 for development. Annual operation, maintenance, and replacement costs would be $37,000, Costs for the management area, based on 1965 prices, are shown In Table 3. Establishing and developing the State wildlife management area as presented herein would mitigate the annual loss of 24,800 man-days of upland-game hunting, the production loss of 1,000 ducks a year, 800 man-days of sport hunting for other wildlife, and the loss of 1,100 fur-animal pelts annually. in addition, the area would produce 1,500 man-days of upland-game hunting for a benefit of $4,500; 6,000 man- days of waterfowl hunting for a benefit of $27,000; the production .