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<br />Wintering bald eagles at Nankoweap Creek <br /> <br /> <br />t <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />A H'imeli"g bald f'aR/f' ;n 'he wild of the <br />Gmml CallYou <br /> <br />by Robert !\(esla <br />US. Fish ami Wildlife Service <br /> <br />Approximately 200 to 300 bald E'agle~ (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) <br />mip;r"te south from the Northern States and Canada to over winter <br />along rivers and lakes in Arizona. The confluence of Nankoweap <br />Cret'k and the Colorado River is the onl}' area in the Grand Canyon <br />where bald l'agles can be fOW1d consistently during the winter <br />months, duE' to thl:'" rainbow trout spawn. <br /> <br />\Vith the completion of Glen Canyon Dam. the character of the <br />Coloritdo River below the Dam changed from it turbid stream that <br />supported a native, warm water fishery, to a cold, clear stream that <br />supports a largely non-native, cold water fishery. Rainbow trout that <br />inhabited tributaries and those that were subsequently slocked <br />quickly colonized the River under these new conditions. Shortl}' after <br />the trout had established them.c;elves they started spawning in it few <br />small tributaries to the Colorado River. In the mid.1970's rainbow <br />were fust observed to be spa,..Tting in Nankoweap Creek, and by the <br />mid-1980's 1500 spawning rainbow trout were counted in the lower <br />portion of the creek. <br /> <br />In response hl the increase of spawning trout small numbt>r~ of uilld <br />eagles began wintering along the River in the area of the Creek. By <br />winter 1990 as many as 26 eagles were observed at the mouth of the <br />Creek feeding on spawning trout. <br /> <br />The rainbow trout spawn at Nankoweap Creek now supports the <br />largest conCE'ntration of wintering bald eagles in the southwE'st.lf the <br />trout spawn continues at its present level, future years will note an <br />increac;e in the wintering population of billd eilgles ill Nankoweilp. <br /> <br />Glen Canyon Dam EIS Team Organizational Structure <br /> <br />The Glen Canyon Dam EIS team has been <br />ils~mbled.111E' Bureau of Reclilmfltion (Rec1ilmiltion) is <br />the lead agency with responsibility delegated to the <br />Regional Director Roland Robison and his Assistant <br />Rick Gold. <br /> <br />rarticipation br the following ilgencies is being <br />plmmed for thE' preparation of the EIS. Other people <br />from these ;I1l;E'nciE.'s ilnd from oth('r coopernting <br />il~I'IKit..s will review the written material prior to <br />publication of the documents. The agencies are: <br />. DUn?o1U of Reclamation, Salt lake City (SlO <br />. Nationall'ark Service (NPS) <br /> <br />. Fish and Wildlife ServicE.' (FWS) <br /> <br />. Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) <br /> <br />6 <br /> <br />. Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD) <br />. Bureau of Indian Affairs (DlA) <br />. Reclamation Denver (ACRM) <br /> <br />111e first meeting for the Glen Canyon Dam EIS tea'll <br />was held during the week of June 18th. Organizatil n <br />and plilIllling was a primary purpose of the meetin~. <br />Also, Larry Freeman of Shipley Associntes fro 11 <br />Bountiful. Utah. provided il training session on E:S <br />preparation. The second and third meetings will focus <br />on becoming better acquainted with GCESresearch af d <br />formulation of alternatives. <br /> <br />GCDEIS team members are being a<;signed spedJic <br />topics for the EIS write.up and will \\tori<.. as il 8fllUP to <br />dL<;cuss and analyze impacts. <br />