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<br />~7 <br /> <br />Other Habitats for Recovery of Endangered Fishes in the Upper <br />Colorado River Basin", that describes various selected strategies <br />for habitat enhancement of flooded bottomlands that might benefit <br />endangered fishes. One such strategy proposed is to reconnect <br />riverside ponds formerly used for gravel mining and allow seasonal <br />access by fish to highly productive, warm, low velocity habitats. <br />This strategy is thought to be appropriate for the gravel pit.at <br />29-5/8 Road. <br /> <br />In some upper basin river reaches, bottomlands have been isolated <br />from the channel by dikes and levees. Riverside ponds with <br />connection to the channel would substitute for historic flooded <br />bottomlands. The flood plain of the Colorado River in the Grand <br />Valley near Grand Junction, Colorado has been converted from <br />flooded bottomlands to gravel pit ponds from gravel mining <br />operations. Many of these ponds are not connected to the river <br />but are highly productive and excellent growth of Colorado <br />squawfish and razorback sucker have been realized in these ponds <br />(Osmundson and Kaeding 1989). Adult Colorado squawfish and <br />razorback sucker make extensive use of flooded river mouths, <br />inundated lowlands, backwaters, and gravel pits during the spring, <br />April through June (Kaeding and Osmundson 1989; Tyus and Karp <br />1989; Tyus and Karp 1990). These fish may use these areas to <br />avoid higher water velocities or for feeding. Gravel pit ponds <br />connected to the river were as much as 10.5 C warmer than the <br />river that would aid adults in maturation and feeding. If the <br />bottom of the ponds is sloped, native and non-native fishes will <br />return to the river as the spring flows subside. If non-native <br />fishes have only seasonal access to such ponds, they may not <br />become overly abundant where they may adversely impact the <br />endangered fishes. <br /> <br />A final conceptual plan (Burdick 1994) was written for this site <br />describing the proposed .action and followup b;'ological studies. <br /> <br />V. Study Area <br /> <br />Colorado River upstream from Grand Junction, Mesa County, Colorado, <br />River Mile 174.3-174.7. <br /> <br />VI. Study Methods/Approach <br /> <br />A sequence of steps at this site is as follows: <br /> <br />1. TODOQraohv of Site. One-foot contour mapping of the site will be <br />conducted to determine if the site is suitable for the proposed <br />action. The proposed action will include mechanical excavation of the <br />downstream end of one gravel-pit pond that is currently not connected <br />to the river. This work will be conducted by the Bureau of <br /> <br />3 <br />