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<br />813 Black tern <br /> <br />814 The black terns would most likely be encountered in the project area during spring migration. Habitat <br />815 includes lakes and reservoirs and other open fresh water. nesting occurs in large marshes adjacent to <br />816 open water. Nesting populations occur in northern Utah around waterways and in wetland areas in <br />817 eastern Colorado and Colorado's San Luis Valley. Populations have been declining due to losses of <br />818 habitat and possibly pesticides. Suitable habitat should not be affected by the proposed plan. <br /> <br />819 White-faced ibis <br /> <br />820 The white-faced ibis typically nests in colonies in dense marsh habitats and feeds in shallow water and <br />821 flood-irrigated fields. Nesting does not occur in the project area and the species is considered a casual <br />822 migrant (BIA, 1999 and Reclamation, 1999). However nesting has been confirmed in Montezuma <br />823 County, Colorado just north of the project area, indicating that nesting in the project area is possible. <br />824 Suitable habitat should not be affected by the proposed plan <br /> <br />825 Yellow-billed cuckoo <br /> <br />826 The yellow-billed cuckoo would be considered a rare summer resident in the project area. Populations <br />827 have declined significantly throughout the species range; a major factor has probably been the loss of <br />828 mature riparian forests. Loss of prey insects to pesticides is also believed to be a factor. Protection of <br />829 riparian areas is critical to this species. Surveys of portions of the San Juan River in 1997 and 1998 <br />830 indicated that the birds are present in small numbers during migration and there is some evidence of <br />831 breeding (Johnson and O'Brien, 1998). Sites where birds have been observed generally consist of <br />832 dense Russian olive, tamarisk, and willow with and associated stand or an overstory of cottonwoods. <br />833 No birds were observed in sites with little vegetative understory. Factors that adversely affect <br />834 populations along the river may include grazing, oil/gas exploration, and agricultural practices <br />835 (Johnson and O'Brien. 1998). <br /> <br />836 The proposed plan is not anticipated to significantly affect this species. While a more natural <br />837 hydrograph seen under the proposed action may scour some of the riverbank riparian areas, they also <br />838 may be more conducive to maintenance and establishment of important cottonwood groves along the <br />839 river. <br /> <br />840 Roundtail chub <br /> <br />841 While this species is relatively common in parts of the Upper Colorado River Basin, it is uncommon in <br />842 the project area. The roundtail chub sustains a small population in the San Juan River downstream <br />843 from Navajo Dam and also occurs in tributaries such as the LaPlata and Man~os Rivers (BIA, 1999 and <br />844 Propst, 1999). The species also occurs in the San Juan above the reservoir (Reclamation, 1999). <br />845 Ryden (2000) collected this species between River Miles 78 and 177, but the species was uncommon. <br /> <br />846 The roundtail was one of the most common fishes collected from Navajo Reservoir within the first few <br /> <br />28 <br /> <br />00667 <br />