WSP04160 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

and also prOlected under state law in Colorado ami Utah, Its goal is to I'ecover and delisllhe species wilhin 15 yeal's, The program provides for estaolishing instreanl flows for the species, while respecting state water rights systems and interstate compacts. It specifies procedures for identifying now needs fol' Ihe nshes and estahlishing rights under state programs, It is anticipaled that much of the waleI' needed for rhe Colorado River below the Gunnison and the Green River will be provided by refining operations al existing federal reservoirs such 8S Blue Mesa and Flaming Gorge. Where fedel'al reservoirs do not exist, Ihe pl'ogram calls for buying wafer righls from willing sellers and converting them 10 in- strealll nows under slale water laws. (Sel": thearticl~ nil nWater Ri"dHS Acquisilion-" p. 6 ) In accol'dance wilh the Endangered Species Act, waler projecls will still be subject to Section 7 consultation. Under Section 7, indirect impacts cBused by waler deplelions frolll new df'velupment will be offset by 8 one-time contribution of $IU pel' aCl'e-fool made by the waleI' projecl proponents, This contribution will be based on the average annual depletion of Ihe project. adjusted annually for innation, (This provision of the program is being implemented by the FWS, on a case-by- case basis, depending on whether progress toward protection of inslr~81l1 flows has been sufficienllo offset the impacts of R water deplelion project.) For projects cansing direct impacls to habitat occnpied by endangered species. such 8S obstruction to migration routes or adverse physical nlteration of occupied habitat, the FWS will, whene\oef possible, suggest reasonable and prudent alterna- tives to offsellhose direct impacts to avoid a jeopardy sima'- .!;~n. EstRblishing instream now needs and defining modified opentlionsare the subjeclsofsludy for BlueMesR and flaming GOlge. However. tile program indmles 8 specific proposal for Ruedi Reservoir 10 release 10,000 acre-feet in the Colorado River 8S needed. Waler released from federal reservoirs will be protected Rnd administered Rccording to stale water law. Habitat Development The habilal development componenl ensures Ihat direcl habitat management lechniques are thoroughly explored, Those techniques determined 10 be useful to recovery will be employed at suitable IOCR lions in the Upper Basin, Ap- proRches could include the construction of grow-out (rearing) ponds, where fry and young-of-the-year are reared under conditions closely similar to those thai exist in the wild. Other lechniques inclucJe providing spawning and backwater habi- talS where lack of such habitats are limiting recovery. and Ihe develop me III of fish passages, Native Fish Stocking The potemia' benefits of slOcking the rare fishes will he carefully investigated, Where its found Ihat stocking would contrihute to recovery, a stocking program will be imple- mented, It will be preceded by developmelll of a genetics ll1anagemf"nt plnn. research on the survivabilil)' of hatchery slock in thl: wild. evahuuion of hAtchery capahilities. design of a hatchery produclion program and development of 8 mon- itoring program. 2 Non-Native Species and Sport Fishing More than ]0 non-native species fire esuthlished ill the presem Upper Basin range of the fom rare fishes. Some non-nati ve fishes are known to prey on the lalvae and young of the raTe fishes with devastating effectiveness. For Ihis reason, stocking of n011-nal ive species will be con fined to areas where absence of con fii ct with the four rare native tishes can be demonstrated, The FWS and the slates will also assess Ihe feasibility of selectively removing non.native species from areas considered to he essential to the rare tishes. A mulli-faceted infomlation and eduCAlion program is being implemellled to inform and educale anglers and the general public conceming the status and loco lion of em..lan- gered fish populations, in orclerto reduce accidemallaking of the species, 'n,is will be complemellled by a taw-enforcement program, Research, Monitoring and Data Management Continuing research is part of every progrnm elemenl to ensure that scientifically sound and appropriate measures are being taken 10 recover the endangered species. A stRndardized monitoring program is in place in the Upper Basin 10 track population trends and nuclUations, A common dala base has been established. and all field data are repone<.' and incorpo- !lIled illlo Ule dala base, INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS A Recovery Implementalion Committee has been estab- lished 10 guide and 'lirectthe recovery efforl over the 15-year period, Members include the Regional Director, Fish and Wildlife Servic~. RegiC'1I 6. Denver; Regional Director. Upper Colorado Ri'.er Region, Bureau of Reclamation: Area Man- ager, We8tern Area Power Administration; representatives (one eactI) appointed by Ihe governors of the Colorado, Utah and Wyoming; one representalive from water users~ allll one represeillative from ellvironmental organizatiulls. The Implementalion Committee appointed a Management Group and Technical Group 10 dcvelop recommendations on Ihe management and the financial and technical aspecls of the progmm, These groups meet on a monthly or bimonthly basis, as needed, FUNDING Sources of annual funding (in 1988 dollars) include the FWS ($600.000/year), Reclamation ($1.5 million/yea" and the states of Colomdo, Wyoming and Utah ($200,000/year tOlal)-for a total of $2.3 million per year. In addition. waler project sponsors provide auditionsl fUlllling frUIt) the: $IO-per- acre-foot depletion charge assessed for new water develolr ment and comributed to the plOgram. Funding is adjusleu annually fot'inOalion. (See the article on p. 3 for information on the critical issue of Congressional funding fur the program.) --Tom Pius Water lJ!iers Representative Recoverv PlOeralll.