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<br />Wetland project to aid_fislI,other wildlife
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<br />
<br />The U:S. Fish and Wildlife Service
<br />and Bureau of Reclamation have made.
<br />offers to. buy $750,000 in e.asements
<br />from a total of seven landowners in
<br />. . Utili and two in' Colorado thfough
<br />agreements expecied to' benefit. fish,
<br />wildlife, .andpeople in' ,the upPE<r
<br />Colorado River basin.
<br />Through, the multi-agency Upper.
<br />. Colorado RiverRecoyery Pr,ogram, the
<br />. ,two federal ag;encies are working with .
<br />. private landoWners to remove ()rcreate . .'
<br />. notches, in riverside . levees, ~ allowing .
<br />river wate~s tq flow in and' giving
<br />ColoradosquaWfish, razorback suckers
<br />. and other' endangered fish apoint-or-
<br />, ,'entry into: these lush areas" The fish Burea,'u of Redamation photo
<br />grow significaritly faster in these wet- . Wetlands provide essential habiiat to not only endangered fish, butto hun-
<br />lands, where water is warmer and. dr.eds of species" of wildlife. These areas also help control flooding, filter
<br />chock-full of microscopic food, water pollution and replenish ground water suppiies.
<br />. . "Increasing these floodplain habitats '. '. ".
<br />is one of the best ways we have of strictly voIuniary, and that latidowners '.
<br />restoring endangered fishes, ", said Pat who agree to provicle access to their,
<br />. Nelson, a. U,S. Fish and Wildlife proper!}' and allow diKes to be removed.
<br />Service biologist with' the Upper or breached will be compensated at fair
<br />Colorado.. River Endangered . Fish market value. . .'. .
<br />Recovery Program. , , ' , "We.'re doing business out in the
<br />Andalthoughrestoringendangered open and making sure the landoWl!ers
<br />. fish populations remains top priority, . know what we're asking of them,"
<br />the benefitS of this Project promise to . Soker said,' "It's just practicing -good
<br />'be, much, more' v.'idespread,,', In government", ' '
<br />Coiorado for,example,an estimated 90' Soker also has been eyeing another
<br />percent of fish' and, wildlife species 14 pieces oriand that could. provide
<br />, depend on riparian 'areas for their sur~ . additional habitat considered crucial to
<br />. viva!. Maintaining. these wetlands the fish, He and others already have
<br />. could help prevent other native fish, .begin gathering information on these'
<br />birds, . mammals a,nd.' plants - from additional sites to determine their suit- ,
<br />becoming endangered, biologists Say, . ability for the fish,
<br />. "These wetland. areas are some pf .' , The land should beiiefit also from
<br />the most important types of hahltat for this effort, scientists say_ For ex1m1ple,
<br />all Western wildlife species that people restoring wetlatidhabitats and re'con-
<br />like to see, including waterfowl, eagles: necting them to the river provides an
<br />deer arid elk," Nelson said. outiet for high waters and therefore can
<br />Dave Soker;the RecoveiyPrograni's help limit downstream flooding.,
<br />land acquisition coordinator, , has done In addition, river water itself could
<br />. most of the legwork for this project be improved, Wetlands can help replen-
<br />. Over the past two years, Soker has ish ground water supplies and filter
<br />introduced this concept to landowners, water pollutants fiom'the river, These,
<br />city, councils, county commissioners areas also elm, enable native willows
<br />and other lOCal' organizations in eastern and cottonwood trees to regenerate.'
<br />utah and western-Colorado,' ., To comply with . the. National
<br />Soker explained that the project is Environmental Policy Act, the
<br />
<br />
<br />Recovery' Program 'drafted ~nd made'
<br />,available to the public' an environmen-
<br />tal assessment document last February.
<br />'Open houses were held 'in Vernal,
<br />Grand Junciion and Delta, Based on the
<br />environmental assessment process, the
<br />Service and R:eclamation determined
<br />. that acquiring these . lands, for endan-
<br />gered fish' habitat would not cause
<br />environmt:ntal ho/ffi. .
<br />A question raised by some citizens.
<br />. was whether this effort could increase
<br />,mosquito production. According to
<br />Recovery Program Director Henry
<br />,Maddux; that would be unlikely.
<br />"We are not planning to increase the
<br />overall 'number or'size of standing
<br />waters; we just want to reconnect some
<br />wetllU)ds to, the river and allow endan-
<br />gered, fish"to use~the, areas for groWth
<br />. and survival," Maddux said, "We don't
<br />anticipate. an 'increase, in mosquitoes,
<br />But we will work with local mosquito
<br />abatement districts to evaluate the'situ-
<br />atioii over time,
<br />"The bottom line, though, is that we
<br />anticipate this project will provide a
<br />boon to recovery of endangered fishes
<br />while also enhancing .habitat for other
<br />species of wildlife and plants and bene-
<br />fitting people in the process,"
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