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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Upper Colorado River Basin and San Juan River Recovery Implementation Programs The Upper Colorado River Basin and San Juan River Recovery Implementation Programs are cooperative, long-term programs of Federal, Tribal, and State agencies, environmental organizations, and water development interests aimed at re-establishing self-sustaining populations of endangered Colorado River fish sPecies while providing for continued water development in these two river basins. The Upper Colorado River Program, administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service's Region 6, encompasses the Upper Colorado River upstream from Lake Powell, excluding the San Juan River. The San Juan River is included in its own Program that is administered by the Service's Region 2. An important approach that is common to both the Programs is that they each can serve as "reasonable and prudent alternatives" for water development proposals (Region 6) or any action (Region 2) undergoing formal consultation under section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, when it is determined that a proposed action is likely to jeopardize the continued existence of the endangered fish. Of course, this interpretation is possible only when the proposed project or action is consistent with the terms of the respective Recovery Program. The two Programs, by virtue of not only the time of their establishment (Upper Colorado RIP - 1988; and San Juan RIP - 1992). but of the river systems, land ownerships, and development activities within those systems, differ in their make up and in their approach. The Upper Colorado RIP deals primarily with the impacts upon the endangered fish and their designated critical habitats brought about through depletion of flows. The San Juan RIP encompasses other actions which may affect the survival and recovery of the endangered fish species, including not only water Quantity. but water Quality and physical habitat modification. These aspects of water Quality and alteration of physical habitat are still subject to full saction 7 compliance within the Upper Colorado basin, but they are not covered by the Recovery Implementation Program. Another difference between the programs, arising from increased information gathered since the inception of the Upper Colorado Program. is the native fish community approach taken in the research and management actions of the San Juan Program. Native fish communities are still priority resource issues in the ecosystems of Region 6, but they are not included in the cooperative Program. Since the establishment of both Programs, critical habitat has been designated for the endangered fish species, Questions have arisen concerning the flexibility of the programs to address the issue of adverse modification or destruction of critical habitat within their existing frameworks. The Service has informed participants of both programs that, as long as tha programs continue to make documented, on-the-ground progress toward recovery of these fish, they can serve as reasonable and prudent alternatives for determinations of adverse modification of critical habitat as they have in the past for jeopardy determinations. The following is an abbreviated side-by-side analysis of the two programs, much of the text has been taken from the agreements that established the programs or the documents guiding the on-the-ground conduct of the programs. We encourage the reader to obtain these documents for more details concerning the cooperative efforts of the Upper Colorado River Basin and the San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Programs.