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<br />~o OMAHA WORLD-HERALD Wednesday, September 14,1983
<br />(:atherland Hearings Open, , '
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<br />1 mg. cition'Won't Harm Cranes'
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<br />l~y John Barrette panment of Water Resources, on a
<br />'WORLD-HERALD BUREAu request from the lillie Blue 1\ RD for a
<br />.', ',waler appropnation to build the Cather.'
<br />.: Lincoln - The Calherland irrigallon land project.
<br />,project in south-central Nebraska The Catherland project would diven
<br />: l"ouldn't threaten't,he existence of the -125,000 acre-feet of water annually Irom
<br />whoopmg crane and two other endan. the Central Nebraska Public Power and
<br />gered spkies of birds. a biologist and' Imgation Disllict's Johnson 'Lake
<br />,consultant for the project's backers tes- power generation flow,' which is'
<br />: tilied Tuesday. " returned to the Platte through the
<br />,," C. Michael Co.wan 01 rural Panama, Phelps County Canal. ' ,
<br />',Neb., a consultant lor the lillie Blue The project would take the water
<br />:Natural Resources DIstrict, said the during months when the canal isn't be-
<br />~Platte River in Nebraska is no longer a ing used for irrigation and transPort the
<br />-prairie river and isn"t important to the water east by a new canal system ~o B
<br />:whooping crane's continued existence..' reservoir near Campbell. Neb. The pro-
<br />_~ "The river now is completely dam- Ject is designed 10. irrigate 66,500 ac~s
<br />,mated by riparian vegelation," Cowan 10 Kearney,' Adams; Clay, Franklm,
<br />'said, He said the 'whooping' crane is op- Webster and Nuckolls Counties.
<br />. portunistic and seeks marshy areas Environmentalists say they are con-.
<br />, ';.'i1h vast open expanses 10 land and cerned that reducing flows in the Plane
<br />''take off during migration. ' will produce deterioration of the habitat
<br />Litt1e Blue River for mlgrator~' waterfowl. Court rulmgs
<br />:: Cowan said sightings of whooping require that the env~ronmenta1 impa~t
<br />. cranes dot the map and rnu~ often are on .en~an~ered species be assessed m
<br />at bodies 01 standing water rather than water project analyses.
<br />:in river water areas. He said [he river Reduced Flows ~
<br />. also is marked bv advanced Slages of In March 1982, the State Supreme
<br />"human development. Coun ruled the officials of the Little
<br />~ ~ Cowan said dtvening some water Blue NRD must c~n~1t with the Ga~e
<br />. from the Plane River to the'Linle Blue and Parks Commission about the 1m.
<br />: River basin wouldn't adVersely affect . pact. Subsequently, commission em.
<br />, Ihe wildlife habitat of the Plane for the ,ployees issued an opmlon saymg the
<br />: whooping cranes. . whooping crane and the twO other typeS
<br />.: "In other words, if you went OUI' of lowl could be affected by redUC~
<br />. there and shul off a spiEO!' and turned flows 10 the Plane., '
<br />'off all the water in the Pia lie River" ,'111e opmlon slud the nver flow should
<br />: he said, "I don't think il would aff";'l 'be 1,700 cubic leet per second between
<br />: Ihe whoopmg crane population at'a1L" 'Ovenon and Gra,nd Island to help scour
<br />. He said bald eagles winter in the the nver and mamtaIn the habitat.
<br />: Ovenon area becaus~ power plants . P~trick P~repteau, ano':ley .for the
<br />. there keep the river water. wann e- National Wildlife Federation m Wa.
<br />nouEh so Ihal it ooesn't freeze and the shington D.C.,' Tuesday challenged
<br />: eaEles can lish, ' whether Cowan had the necessary ex.
<br />, "The eagles are using somelhing tha~ penise on whooping .cranes and the
<br />humans have created," he said. other Species to offer hiS teStimony.
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<br />. '. As (or th~ least (em, COVi<;in 5a:id ~ha~ Parenteau registered objections to
<br />: walenowlls at the edge of ns dlstnbu- the testimony and said he mighl later
<br />.liOnal pane~ ",hen II nests In Ne- ask that Jess strike aU or pans of it.
<br />, braska. He saId least temnestmg along At the close of the initial dav of the
<br />: Ihe Pla!te west -of, Grand Island WIll continued hearing, John VanDerwalker
<br />: c~ntmue to m~~se and decrease WI~ 61 the Platte River Crane Habitat
<br />, clJmaCllc COndtllODS, Trust, based in Grand Island, said he
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<br />;. ~atherland Project was skeptical of Cowan's testimony. He
<br />.. The testimony came on the first day referred to Cowan as the shark .expert
<br />:of a continued hearing conducted by J. and said the expens on whooping
<br />,!>iichael Jess, director 01 the State De- cranes, bald ea~les and leasltems,had
<br />
<br />yelto be heard from at the hearing.'
<br />That was 8 reference to Cowan's doc.
<br />toral thesis work on protein levels in a
<br />type of fresh.water shark. Parenteau
<br />brought 'that out, during Questioning
<br />about Cowan's background, but Lincoln,
<br />alloniey Roben Crosby also questioned
<br />Cowan at length about his credentials.
<br />Crosby is one of the lawyers lor the
<br />Little Blue NRD.' ' ,
<br />. Cowan said he has an environmental
<br />consulting finn called Associaled Envi-
<br />ronmental Services Co, thaI has done
<br />many studies about the impact of w~ter
<br />projects in Midwestern states.' ",
<br />Cross examination .o( Co'wan was ex-
<br />pected today, The hearing is ,scheduled
<br />to continue through Thursday and then
<br />be recessed until October. '
<br />, Appeals could send the issues benire'
<br />the State Supreme Coon. ' ,
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<br />c- \'2.
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