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<br />" <br /> <br />t'l(J'2 <br />-'- <br /> <br />OMAHA,WORLD.HERALD Thursday. September 15,1983 <br /> <br />18 <br />Cranes' Need <br />,F or Platte River <br />Js Disputed <br /> <br />By John Barrette <br /> <br />.\\'ORLD-HERA..lO BUREAU <br /> <br />:, 'Lincoln - An 'aquatic eCologist 'said <br />. 'Wednesday that the Plane River in Ne- <br />. braska is no longer critical habitat".for <br />:whooping cranes. '.,' <br />. ~'I would agree wirh ~l1e assessment <br />of others that it is not serving a critici1l <br />functipn for whooping cranes. nor has it <br />lor some time:' Ge",ld J. Louer. Mon. <br />roe. ~,Y.. testifled..al a hearing on,a, <br />water right sought for lhe Calherland.' <br />irrigation project _ " <br />. AI issue "in the hearing is whether <br />"'ater for-the project should be <liveried <br />..1rom the Plane. .'hich could change,the <br />habitat and possibly threaten ,survival <br />, 01 the few whooping cranes left ,in the <br />. wild, <br />lO,uer's testImony was challenged by <br />Patrick A. Parenleau. National Wildlife <br />FedE"Talion allomey. who questJoned~ <br />Looer's qualificaTions to speak 'on IS- <br />sues involving endangered species in~ <br />Nebraska, <br />Panama BioJogiSl <br />J. Michael Jess. director of the Stale <br />D'epa~ment of Water Resources and <br />,the heanng officer. ruled againSt Par- <br />enteau on that objection but reserved <br />judgment orf-a challenge or testimony <br />from another witness. <br />Onh-. moments earlier, Parenteau <br />had moved to strike all the lestimonv of <br />C. Michael Cowan 01 rural Panama. <br />:\eb.. a biologist and consultant for the <br />lillie Blue Narural Resources Distncl.~ <br />which s~eks Ihe Yt'.:3ter ri~L <br />Jess delaved his decision on Cowan's <br />1eSlln10nV for al least two weeks while <br />the opJXlsmg anorneyS: draft ahd submit <br />legal briefs on.Cowan'squaliflcalions. .. <br />The continuing hearing is being held <br />(or three davs thiS week and will be <br />rex:essed UnlfJ OClober. when more les- <br />Hmony is expected.. <br />Louer. whose work and education in- <br />cludes aquanc ecology and biology, was <br />testifying as a 'wnness called by Lexing. <br />10n anomey Richard G, Kopl. Kopf <br />represents several objectors 10 the Ca- <br />therland project. among them the Cen. <br />tral Platte and Twin Vallev Natural <br />Resources Districts and the CIty of <br />Kearney. <br /> <br />In.~trram flows ::.. , <br />Cent",1 Plane 1\RD has pro~ the <br />,!>ralne Bend Water projecl to irrigatt <br />10.000 acres and a Twin Valley project <br />proposal would irrigate 55.000 'acres 01 <br />land, Koprs clients oppose diverSion of <br />water from the Platte River baSin 10. <br />lhe LillJe Blue baSin lor.the CarherJand <br />projecl. which would irrigate 66.soo <br />aCres.!. - <br />. .'It is OUt position that (he-~'~le.~ <br />should be left in the basin of, ongln. ' <br />Kopf- fold Jess. However. he also said <br />his clients ""iew issues of endangered <br />species and Ihe Pla.tle River as tied to <br />concerns on the part of environmental. <br />ists a bout in-st rea m nows. <br />On Ihe endangered species aspects of <br />,Ihe case. Kopfs queslions .and Lauer's, <br />responses were somewhal similar to <br />those that developed Tuesday when Ihe, ' <br />Lillie Blue ~RD presenjed its case, <br />Louer resrified whooping craneS are <br />"opponunistic" birds and .are nexible <br />enough in seeking habnar to choose ei- <br />ther shallow nver or marshy standing <br />Water areas. <br />Trees Along River <br />. He said the Platte has changed from <br />a Slream or Inlenniuenr flows. with no <br />noY.' al limes and now at others. (0 one <br />of perennial flows lhat are relatively <br />conrinuous...He said lhat change. rather <br />than reduced flow. accounts for the <br />growth of .woody vegelation 'along lhe <br />nver. - . . <br />. Testimony .(rom .Louer and "cowan, . <br />as well as various 'studies. shows <br />whoopIng cranes. prefer an area wllh <br />waler and open expanse lo one that has <br />significant vegetation. <br />.' Lauer said trees along the PJarle are] <br />about ,40 years old. .indicating to hIm <br />thaI the nver changed from Intermit- <br />tenl 10 perennial after Kingsley 'Dam <br />was built in wesleni 1\ebraska on rhe <br />Nonh Plarle River, _, ' <br />He said the Plane has become a non. <br />lmdirionaf stopover-. lor. whooping <br />cranes rather tlian a critical habitat <br />that the fe.. left in tlie ..ild need 10 <br />SUf\'lve. He said: however. that the estl- <br />maled it whoopmg cran.es could use the <br />r(\o'er if flov.' conditions ""ere riRhl. . <br />The Platte RIVer flo-"-'s are an Issue <br />. because or an opinion from the Game <br />and Pa.rks Co~mission saying certain. <br />levels of flo..... are necessar\' to maintain <br />Ihe stream m a condition that is habita- <br />ble for whoo'prng cranes, least tern and <br />bald eagles, <br /> <br />c..-l'3 <br />