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<br />Facfsheet:, Riverside wetlands 3ndendangered fish
<br />
<br />. The V,S. Fish and Wildlife.
<br />Service and Bureau of Reclamation
<br />. . are working to acquire access to
<br />riverside wetlands for' endangered. .
<br />'fish habitat They are doing this by
<br />.' developing agreements or purchas-
<br />ing. easements from. willillg .
<br />. landowners, to protect or. enhance
<br />existing wetlands and.floodphiins
<br />,and allow.'access to the property for
<br />. research arid monitoring, ' '
<br />. Priority properties'. are .those
<br />, immediately adjacent to the river' in
<br />. areas. whereJlooding is most Iik~ly
<br />to occur, The Upper, Colorado River,'
<br />Endangered Fish Recovery Pr(lgiam .
<br />Spent about $75;000.forthispurpose:
<br />in fiscal year 1998 and has set aside
<br />about $1.7 millio~ for 1999, .
<br />key points of this initiative are: .
<br />~ The project is strictly voluntary,
<br />Landowners are under no obligation
<br />to participate but would be. com pen- . " Wetlands' are bel ieved essential
<br />, sated at fair' market value lor proper- to recovery 'of ,endangered ,fish such'
<br />.' ty rights if they choose to selL" as . the nizorback sucker and
<br />. The preferred agreements would Colorado. squawfish. . These areas
<br />: ,involve 'using easementS, riot actual-provide warmer, slower-moving
<br />Iybuyirig the land.,This would allow water and an abundance of micro-
<br />orlgirial landowners to maintain their scopic food. YOUngendarigered,fish
<br />'property title. Other activities such grow significantly ,f~ter in these
<br />as grazing, farming;: fishing and areaS, which may then enable them
<br />hunting would be allowed on the to become large enough to t1ienfeilcl.
<br />property as long as these actions did for themselves, in the main' river
<br />,not harm endangered fish.. " .' ", channel lind escape predation.' by
<br />.' '. Landowners' would ,not be ,otberadultfish, .' . '. .,'......
<br />. required to, provide public access to . Wetlands also help control flood-
<br />their land. ing, filter waterpolluiants; replenish
<br />'The Project would help achieve groundwater supplies and' provide
<br />progress toward recovery of end an- habitat for hundred~ qf'species'of
<br />gered fish,. \vhichin turn would plants and wildlife: In fact, wetlands
<br />allow the states 'of Colorado, Utah: producemore plant and anirrialmate-
<br />and Wyoming to develop more water rial than any other habitat type on
<br />for human purposes while comply- . earth, including BraZilian rain forests,
<br />ing with' the Endangered Species . Riparian, or'riverside, areas have
<br />Act . been called "streams of life" and the
<br />. The' proposed' project would "lifeblood" of the arid West.
<br />involve easements for up to 5,750 Scientists estimate that 60 to 90 per-
<br />acres along the Green River; 3,50'0 cent of all terrestrial wildlife species
<br />acres along the Colorado River; and require wetlands for their survival.
<br />750 along the Gunnison River, . Wildlife that commonly use wet-
<br />
<br />
<br />. Dikes built ;i1ong riverbanks have dried up many wetlands,deslroying
<br />valuable habitat used by fish, birds, deer and o.ther wildlife.
<br />
<br />_. Phot.o by Connie Young
<br />
<br />,hmds along the Colorado River basin
<br />include deer, 'elk, rabbits, raccoons,
<br />squirrll\s,' muskrats, beavers, mink,
<br />foxes, . coyotes, fish" frogs, turtles,
<br />snakes;. . ducks, geese, songbirds,
<br />shorebirds, . quail, . pheasants, owls,
<br />hawkS and eagles. ..
<br />"Biologists . believe boosting
<br />riverside. wetlands may help keep
<br />other native fish, birds, plants and
<br />mammals -from 'becoming, endan-
<br />gered. ,. ..
<br />. Restoring wetland 'habitats also
<br />can help replenish l1ative. willows
<br />. and cottonwood ~ees,which can
<br />pro...ide roosting areas -for eagles,
<br />herons and many other birds,
<br />. '. Historically; upper Colorado
<br />River basin floodplains'. frequently
<br />were inundated during' spring runoff,
<br />Today in the upper Colorado River
<br />basin, stream-side wetlands have
<br />been drliined or cut off from the river
<br />by dikes, and'many of the, rivers'
<br />"backwaters" have. disappeared,
<br />Habitat lossis one of the key reasons
<br />for the decline of many fish and
<br />wildlife Species.
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