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during FY 97 to confirm FY 96 results. See attached FY 97 annual report for Adobe Creek. Gravel Pit at 29 5/8 Road There are -340 gravel pits in the Colorado (Grand Valley) and Gunnison (Delta) rivers. The Gravel Pit at 29 5/8 Road was connected to the Colorado River (RM 174) to determine if gravel pits can serve as a surrogate floodplain habitat to assist in recovery of the endangered fishes. A final report was developed for the Gravel Pit at 29 5/8 Road: "8urdick. B,D.. J. Flair, M. Lloyd. and B. Scheer. 1997. Native and nonnative fish use of two gravel-pit ponds connected to the upper Colorado River at 29 5/8 Road near Grand Junction.- Colorado. U.S. Fish Wil dl. Serv.. Grand Junction. CO." Levee Removal Native fishes used all of the eight floodplain sites sampled: razorback suckers used Bonanza Bridge. Baser/Chew. Old Charley Diked. and Old Charley Wash; Colorado squawfish used all sites except Johnson J-4; one larval razorback was light-trapped in Bonanza Bridge. one in Baser/Chew. and one was drift-netted in Old Charley Diked. During the period of time that floodplain terraces and depressions were inundated, the fish catch was dominated by nonnative fishes. To keep things in perspective. however. the main channel and main-channel backwaters were also dominated by nonnative fishes (based on fyke net data). Results are preliminary. but approximately 99% of fishes caught were nonnatives. regardless of location or habitat type. Actually. there were more native fishes found in the floodplain habitats than in the main channel habitats. So far. there is no evidence to suggest that restoring floodplain habitats will lead to an increase in the percentage of nonnative fishes in the system. Again, however. results are preliminary. Data will continue to be collected during 1998 pre- and post-runoff, to monitor species response to habitat restoration. A hypothesis presented last year. that shallow depressions will become death traps for nonnative fishes. and that native fishes are too smart to become stranded. is not entirely true. As flows were subsiding during 1997. massive numbers of fishes were observed leaving floodplain habitats. The vast majority of fishes that became stranded were nonnative. However, there were also 20 flannelmouth suckers. 2 speckled dace. and 2 roundtail chubs captured after floodplain disconnection. No endangered fish were found stranded. 5