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<br /> <br /> <br />CO <br />"1;..' <br />I... ~.) <br />..-i <br />..:""J <br /> <br />~ c~ ~h ;_~ 198; <br />COLORi{DO WATER <br />COi\'~;r::F(\Ii\TION BOARD <br /> <br />;,,-; <br /> <br />Fish and Wildlife Plan <br />Closed Basin Division, San Luis Valley <br />Project, Colorado <br />June 1981 <br /> <br />The primary purpose of the Closed Basin Division, San Luis Valley Project, is to <br />deliver water to the Rio Grande to assist the State of Colorado in meeting its <br />commitments for water deliveries to the States of New Mexico and Texas under the <br />Rio Grande Compact of 1939 and to assist the United States in meeting its com- <br />mitments to Mexico under the Rio Grande Convention of 1906. Additional project <br />purposes, as stated in the authorizing legislation, Public Law 92-514 (1972), <br />included deliveries of water to Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) , <br />establishment of Mishak NWR, stabilization of water levels of San Luis Lake, <br />development of recreational facilities at San Luis Lake, and fish and wildlife <br />enhancement. <br /> <br />This report provides a revised plan to mitigate project-caused losses to <br />wildlife and wildlife habitat from the construction and operation of the <br />Closed Basin Division, San, Luis Valley Project, Colorado. Measures to enhance <br />fish and wildlife resources are also included. The man-days use and monetary <br />benefits associated with the enhancement features are provided. This document <br />has been prepared with cooperation from the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), <br />~ureau of Reclamation (BR), Bureau of Land Management (BLM) , and the Colorado <br />Division of Wildlife (CDW). The BR and FWS have formally concurred with the <br />revised mitigation plan. The BU1 and COW have expressed their informal con- <br />currence with the revised mitigation plan. <br /> <br />A detailed environmental description of the Closed" Basin project area is <br />contained in the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FES 79-37 August 27, <br />1979). However, for the sake of completeness, the following brief description <br />of wetlands, waterfowl production, and other bird use in the project area is <br />provided. It should be remembered throughout the following discussion that the <br />prime consideration in developing this plan was the replacement of wetlands <br />impacted by the project on an acre-for-acre basis. Two other important con- <br />siderations were the replacement of the habitat value of acres of vegetation <br />adversely impacted by the project and the replacement of waterfowl production <br />and other water bird use losses caused by the project. The fourth, but not <br />least important, consideration Was concerned with the enhancement of the fish <br />and wildlife resources in and immediately adjacent to the project area. <br /> <br />I. Existing Project Conditions <br /> <br />The brief description of the existing conditions within the Closed Basin <br />Division and the San Luis Valley is separated into (1) waterfowl production, <br />(2) other water bird use, and (3) bird species of high Federal interest. <br /> <br />1 <br />