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<br />3. Fishermen have expressed a strong desire for larger fish to catch in . <br />Blue Mesa Reservoir. Therefore, establishment of a larger size <br />strain of wild trout which would spawn in the small tributaries of <br />Blue Mesa Reservoir should receive high priority. <br /> <br />o <br />;:, ) <br /> <br />4. Increasing.public access should receive high priority. <br /> <br />f:':._ <br /> <br />~ <br />e..) <br />CO <br /> <br />5. Riparian habitat management was identified as a major improvement <br />opportunity. Improvements in streambank vegetation increase bank <br />stability and decrease erosion, resulting in decreased siltation of <br />stream channels. When siltation is reduced, the natural production <br />of food for trout is usually improved. Trout have a much better <br />chance of reproducing successfully if clean spawning gravels. are <br />present. Overhanging streambank vegetation improves a fishery by <br />shading the water and keeping water temperatures cooler in the summer, <br />by providing resting and hiding places for fish, by contributing <br />organic material to the stream, and by providing habitat for insects. <br />The benefits of this simple low-technology, low cost improvement, <br />especially if it is appl ied over large segments of stream, are <br />difficult to overstate. <br /> <br />6. A sign1ficant percentage of persons participating in the workshop or <br />interviews indicated a preference for fishery and recreation <br />improvements which could be implemented without the construction of <br />reservoirs on currently free-flowing streams. <br /> <br />Once a list of selected areas for fishery and recreation enhancement was <br />developed, a data collection program was undertaken to confirm the conditions <br />and limiting factors. described by the area experts, and to establish a basis <br />for further screening of the potential improvement opportunities. The data <br />collected and reviewed includes data assembled from previous studies and data <br />gathered during field surveys conducted by the study team in the fall of 1987. <br />The information was used to prepare characterizations of fish habitat, water <br />quality, waterfowl areas, recreation facilities, and existing public access for <br />each of the potential improvement areas.. A summary of existing conditions and <br />limiting factors is provided in Table 5.2. <br /> <br />Major improvement opportunities for fisheries, waterfowl, recreation and <br />public access are presented in Table 5.3. The alternatives listed in the table <br /> <br />-5- <br />