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<br />105l <br /> <br />are not available, these areas are in many respects similar to the <br />nationally-lmovm vacation-lands of the Gunnison Country. <br /> <br />UplpJ1d ~2ll1e a..,d fur animals are in many We;IS less .?.ffected th2:1 <br />fishes by chan~es in the amounts of r;ater "v"ilable, ]181'ticularly if strsam <br />flow or lake elevations do not fluctuate greatly after " neT! set of condi- <br />tions has been put into effect. But all !U1imals are de]Iendent upon their <br />natural rood supplies. If deer or elk, for example, are prcvcenteLl from <br />reaching summer or winter ranGe by canals \,hich they ca.~.,ot cross, or if <br />their winter or summer range is roduced in area by inundation resulting <br />from construction of a reservoir, the effect is a re&lction in the total <br />numbers of game species \',hich can be supported on the ran.[ies of the Stat8. <br />A similar situation prevails in the production of domestic sheep or cattle <br />when a reservoir inundates hay meadO\~s formerly used te produce riintcr <br />feed sufficient to carr,{ over the animals that in other months \"ould ra..,ce <br />on National Forests or other public lands. Loss of lands "hich provide <br />winter food automatically limits the number of animals rlhich would use <br />adjacent summer range lands. <br /> <br />The foregoing paragraphs are intended to provide a background <br />against which the various features of the Gunnison-Arka"lsas Project nay <br />be viewed objectively. A sound comprehensive plan of development imylies <br />full consideration of all interests and needs. In a plan which "o~ld <br />seek the fullest use of some of the resources involved and the preserva- <br />tion of others, some compromise is inevitable. . <br /> <br />TIe shall not attempt in the follo,dng discussion of the project <br />features to go into details. ~e wish rather to Doint o~t in seneral ter~s <br />how those features, as planned, would affect fish and .;;ildlife, and hO\~ <br />they might be modified to protect e"~stinG values, <br /> <br />The features ]'Ihich rle ,';ill consider here are as follows: <br /> <br />(1) Diversions from the Fryin::o Pnn niv8r ;!nO its tribut"ries, <br /> <br /> <br />(2) Div2rsions from the ~oarinG Fork River ,,~i its tribut?Ti"", <br /> <br />(3) Construction of Aspen Reservoir on Roerinc; rork River, <br /> <br />(4) Modification of e:dstin[; r8s'2rvoirs, incl'~"-ing Clear Creek, <br />Twin Likes, ~~d Turquoise Lak~, 2nd co~st~lction of Pu~81o <br />Reservoir on the Arkansas River, and <br /> <br />(S) Diversions of natural stream flow from the Arkansas Ri,er <br />))etTl8en Leadville and Salida by the Arka.,s2s For;er Cc.nal. <br /> <br />In the prouosed diversion of ~)proximately 60,000 acre-feet of <br />water annually from the F~[inc Pan River and its tribut2~ies, one large <br /> <br />3 <br />