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36 When a Recovery Impleme' .ation Program for the San Juan River is developed and implemented, Reclamation may direct funding for the research effort through the Recovery Implementation Program. Funding of the research and all other recovery activities for the endangered fish of the San Juan River could then be a shared responsibility of the participating parties in the Recovery Implementation Program. Incidental Take Section 9 of the Endangered Species Act, as amended, prohibits any taking (harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture or collect, or attempt to engage in any such conduct) of listed species without a special exemption. Harm is further defined to include significant habitat modification or degradation that results in death or injury to endangered fish and wildlife by significantly impairing behavioral patterns such as breeding, feeding, or sheltering. Under the terms of Section 7(b)(4) and Section 7(0)(2), taking that is incidental to and not intended as part of the agency action is not considered taking within the bounds of the Endangered Species Act provided that such taking is in compliance with the incidental take statement. With protective provisions included in the reasonable and prudent alternative contained herein, the Service does not anticipate that construction and operation of the proposed Project will result in any incidental take of Colorado squawfish. The Service anticipates that a small but presently unquantifiab1e number of endangered fish could be taken as a result of the research program which is part of the reasonable and prudent alternative to preclude jeopardy. The take would be associated with activities, such as capture, holding, or transporting fish, required by the research program. The following reasonable and prudent measure and resultant terms and conditions to reduce the amount of incidental take shall be implemented. 1. A permit which will include measures to reduce take will be obtained in accordance with 50 CFR 17.22 and 32 from the Fish and Wildlife Service. If during the course of the action the amount or extent of the incidental take as permitted in item 1 above is exceeded, Reclamation must reinitiate formal consultation with the Service and provide detailed circumstances surrounding the take. BALD EAGLE The bald eagle is listed as endangered in the conterminous United States, except for Washington, Oregon, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan where it is listed as threatened. Its overall decline has been attributed to the loss of breeding habitat, illegal shooting, and the occurrence of chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides in its food supply which caused egg deterioration and reproduction failures. In recent years, the national bald eagle population has been increasing. The bald eagle is a wide-ranging migratory bird species most often associated with and dependent upon water. Its food base includes fish, waterfowl, small mammals, and carrion.