WSP04619 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

I- . .. 4 VII-11~2Jt!a il2 - Is .ntinuing populahon growlh alot the benefit, environmentally speabng? front range a VII-12, Para #l - It appears this .paragraph and the statements on p. VII-13 are paradoxical as agricultural lands are developable. VIIl-12, Para #2 - To reiterate, there is a difference in type of waterfowl habitat just as there is in type of fishery habitat. IX-IS, P"ra #3 - HCltchery fish from the Leadville Hatchery are not being planted in the Colorado River drainage b~cause it is knOVJll that kidney disease (KD) has occurred at the hatchery. Unless com- plete steriJizaticlil is accomplished future plants may be impossible. SUDlnlary: The construction of Mount Elbert and Otero as open can"ls could have a rathcr drastic impact on the big game herds in the areas. The location of the proposcd nine vehicular and four game crossings over the canal can be very important. If the crossingS arc not properly loc<).ted or vehicular use becomes hcavy,galTIC nlovenlent would be severely restricted. We view the buried conduit concept as having certain advantages. a. The conduit is 1. 3 miles Rhorter. b. The arca to be reseeded could actually benefit wildlife if the buried conduit concept is adopted. c. Buried conduits \vould not reslricl game movement. d. Maintenance surveillance of the buried conduit could be done by aircraft, precluding the necessity for additional roads, thus D,ini- IDizing the hllman harassD,ent factor as it affeels game populations. Some of these comments may appear to be a bit caustic, but they are not intended to offend. In recent years we have lost sO D,uch habitat and ga1Tlc potenlial to "developers" that we nlu.st becolll.c highly protective of that \vhich rcnlains.o Our concern as the Division of "\\Tildlife is, of course. the TIlCinagcn1ent and prot.ection oJ [ish and '.[.:ildlif~ and their habitat. Since we vic\\. the ran1ifications.of this project 2S being virtually unlirnited and since consiclerah1c garne habitat has alrc:acly been lost \vc believe Initigation of Lhese ane] possibl(~ future losses, or replaccr"''1ent in kind, should be given prin1~ consicler2tion. Future \vork should be done in such a ITlanner as to best pro- tect the fisheries [rorn construction cJarnage and fron1 sedin'1cnlation. \\'c do apprccirlte the cooperation \ve h2.ve received [roIn the Bureau of Rcclan'1ation personnel, the lands designated as a \vildlife area at Pueblo 11."5er\'oir, the propo~ccl fish unit, and the fU'Hling of the fisheries study. lYra)' \\'e continue to work together in the future as we have in the past. -11-