Laserfiche WebLink
<br />71 peregrine falcon, roundtail chub, bald eagle, Colorado pikeminnow, northern leopard frog (Rana <br />72 pipiens), razorback sucker, yellow-billed cuckoo, bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), and alcove <br />73 rock daisy (Perityle specuicola). <br /> <br />74 BACKGROUND <br /> <br />75 On August 6, 1991, the Service issued an updated Recovery Plan for the Colorado pikeminnow <br />76 that identified the San Juan River from Farmington, New Mexico to lake Powell as a recovery <br />77 area. The Service issued a final biological opinion for the Animas-laPlata Project] in 1991 with <br />78 a reasonable and prudent alternative that included. seven years of research to determine <br />79 endangered fish habitat needs in the San Juan; operation of Navajo Dam to provide water for a <br />80 wide range of flow conditions for the endangered fish; a guarantee that the Navajo Reservoir <br />81 would be operated to mimic a natural hydrograph and such operation would be based on <br />82 research; legal protection for the reservoir releases to and through the endangered fish habitat to <br />83 lake Powell; and a commitment to develop and implement San Juan River Basin Recovery <br />84 Implementation Program (SJRBRIP). As a result of this opinion, the SJRBRlP was formulated <br />85 (Service, 2000). <br /> <br />86 The SJRBRIP' was established in 1992 to protect and recover the Colorado pikeminnow and <br />87 razorback sucker in the San Juan Basin while water development proceeds in compliance with <br />88 applicable Federal and State laws, including fulfillment of Federal trust responsibilities to several <br />89 Indian tribes. The program is intended to provide measures for compliance with the ESA for <br />90 water development and water management activities in the San Juan River Basin. The program <br />9 I includes elements to protect the genetic integrity of the species, to augment populations through <br />92 stocking, to protect and restore habitat, to protect water quality, to address non-native fish <br />93 competition, and to monitor population status and trends. <br /> <br />94 The Coordination Committee of the SJRBRIP has adopted principles for conducting ESA <br />95 consultations (SJRBRIP, 2001c) on water development and these should be referred to for <br />96 information on ESA consultation for existing and future water developments. The Service uses <br />97 these principles to evaluate water project compliance with the ESA. When consultation is <br />98 initiated, the Service determines if progress toward recovery has been sufficient for the SJRBRlP <br /> <br />]The Animas-laPlata Project would deplete flows from the Animas River, a major <br />tributary of the San Juan River upstream from critical fish habitat. <br /> <br />'The SJRBRlP is a major cooperative effort among entities interested in the goals of <br />endangered fish recovery, maintenance of existing Navajo Dam and ReseJ;Voir authorized <br />purposes, and additional water development in the San Juan River Basin. In addition to <br />Reclamation, participants include the Service, Bureau ofIndian Affairs,.Bureau of land <br />Management, Southern Ute Indian Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Navajo Nation, Jicarilla <br />Apache Nation, water development interests, and the States of Colorado and New Mexico. <br /> <br />4 <br /> <br />00654 <br />