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<br />no <br /> <br />'~'- <br /> <br />") <br />-.j <br /> <br />~.) <br /> <br />Table 6 <br />Summary of Ducks Produced on Wetlands Affected by the Project <br /> <br />~, <br />-' <br /> <br />8,262 <br />x .31 <br />2,561 <br />+ 601 <br />3,162 <br />+ 281 <br /> <br />3,443 <br /> <br />acres of wetland lost (8,460 acres -198 acres Blanca WHA) <br />ducks produced/acre of wetland low-density area <br />ducks lost <br />ducks lost in Blanca WHA (198 acres of wetlands and 410 acres <br />of wetland terrestrial habitat) <br />ducks lost in the San Luis/Head Lake wetland area (670, acres <br />of wetland) <br />ducks lost/year with the project <br /> <br />This loss of waterfowl translates into the loss of about 594 hunter-days and <br />the loss of 1,033 birds which would have been harvested without the project. <br />Other water bird use losses were calculated at 40 use-days/acre/season. The <br />8,460 acres of wetlands impacted by the project would result in a loss of <br />338,400 other water bird use-days/season. <br /> <br />D. Fishery <br /> <br />Fishery impacts of the project are limited to two co1d-water fishery ponds <br />(Mallard 4 and 5) on the Blanca WHA. These two ponds, totaling 30 surface <br />acres, produce about 5,251 pounds of trout annually. Water level drawdown due <br />to pumping would probably eliminate the trout fishery in these two ponds. <br /> <br />E. Structures <br /> <br />The main conveyance channel would either eliminate or remove from intensive <br />management about 4,000 linear feet of dikes and about 10 waterfowl nesting <br />islands on the Blanca IfffA (Mallard 4). <br /> <br />III. Mitigation of Project Effects <br /> <br />Development, operation, and maintenance of the Closed Basin Division project' <br />will result in adverse effects in varying degrees to wetlands, vegetation, <br />waterfowl production', other water bird use, existing fisheries, and various <br />existing structures. The adverse effects are alleviated by the following <br />mitigation plan as detailed below and summarized in table 7. <br /> <br />A. Wetlands <br /> <br />Approximately 8,460 acres of various wetland types will be affected by <br />construction of the conveyance channel (5,026 acres) and water table drawdown <br />due to project pumping (3,434 acres). The FWS has determined that these <br />affected wetlands are "Resource Category 2" wetlands based on recent mitigation <br />policy ru1emaking as published in Federal Register, September 9, 1980 (vol. 45, <br />No. 176) and Federal Register, January 23, 1981 (vol. 46, No. 15). <br /> <br />11 <br />