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<br />; <br /> <br />SBR WCAOND <br /> <br />005 <br /> <br />~ ~~ &?'~ {; <br />//. ~. q,7 <br /> <br />11:>- <br /> <br /> <br />, <br />, <br />1 <br /> <br />I <br />CHRISTOPHER TOMLlHSON/The Deily Sentinel <br />RETIRED BIOLOGIST GEORGE KIDD says the squawfish spawning grounds must be rebuilt. " <br />. , <br /> <br />Retired biologist proposes rebuilding;j <br />of the squawfish spawning grounds ~,~~': <br /> <br />By GARY HARMON <br />The Dally Sen~n~ <br /> <br />An an-ay of biologists, hydrolo. <br />elsts, engineers and statilticlans has <br />been enlisted In the cause of saving <br />the endangered Colorado squawlish, <br />but only one of them has the advan. <br />tage oC having seen the flsh in full <br />spawnlnll passion in the Grand <br />Valley. <br />Those o-o.eIVallons ought to be <br />paid greater heed today, said George <br />Kidd, who retired In 1975 as senior <br />fish biologist for the Colorado Divi. <br />sion of Wildlife, a )-.ar after Congress <br />adopted the Endangered Species Act, <br />It wasn't untill9'lll that the U.S. <br />Fish & Wildlife Service began mOlll. <br />torin~ the plight of the native and en. <br />dan~ered species of the upper <br /> <br />COlorado River basin and by \hen, the <br />species was well into decline. <br />In retirement, Kidd thought little <br />about tbe squawflsh until about 1990 <br />when he did some work for Fish & <br />Wildlife on the 15.mUe reach of the <br />Colorado - the stretch of the river <br />li'onl Palisade to the confluence with <br />the Gunnison River, <br />The quesllon then, of course, was <br />what was happening to the squaw. <br />fish, Even tbe intentional eradication <br />efforts of the federal agency three de- <br />cades previous seemed unlikely to <br />have lnf1Icted long.teno harm. <br />II wasn't WltU Kidd wa~ studying <br />old docwnents and pbotos at home. <br />though, that it struck him: "Sudae~y <br />I realized that these fish had lost their <br />spawn ill!; habitat. <br />"The restoration etron simplY isn't <br />working. We have to rebuild the <br /> <br />spawnlnggrowlCls." ,,' <br />Kidd now proposes doing just ~t - <br />in a report for Westwater Engineer- <br />Ing being used by the Ute Water Con.. <br />servancy District to meet the re- <br />'ltlirements of the, Endange~ <br />Species Act In its proposed pipeline . <br />enlargement. . " <br />Beckwater spawning and nursery <br />areas along the river through the <br />Grand Valley could Improve pros" <br />peets lor the squawlish by .glvIng <br />them something like their historic'. <br />spawning areas and providinB Ii Illi.. , <br />tive supply offISh to be released 1.:1>-'" <br />propriately Into the Illalnstem ,of thil .,' <br />Colorado. . ...." <br />Kidd proposes building such ba~.' <br />w.ter nurseries .t the old pallsll\le <br /> <br />See GROUNDS, page lOA '~. '. <br />