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2-8 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I and blue catfish have also greatly declined in number. Consequently, the quality of sport fishing is generally only fair. Tributaries of the upper Missouri, Yellowstone, and Platte Rivers and the alpine lakes in Colorado, wyoming, and Montana have cold waters which support high quality trout fisheries. Management of the larger reservoirs has at times produced high quality fisheries of trout, bass, northern pike, and walleye. High quality warm water natural streams, especially the Gasconade and Niangua Rivers in Missouri, contain a highly diverse population of fish. Although drainage has eliminated many of the wetlands in the lower states of the basin, extensive areas still exist in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and in the Nebraska Sand Hills. Duck populations have varied, but the goose population has been more stable during the past decades and has increased slightly. In some semiarid portions of the basin, development of small reservoirs and stockponds has enhanced waterfowl populations. 'This development has only partially offset the loss of natural wetlands. Historically, other aquatic or aquatic-dependent species have not fared as well as waterfowl. Large furbearers such as the river otter, now nearly extinct in the basin, and various large predatory birds such as the endangered whooping crane, and to a lesser degree, the northern bald eagle, the white pelican, the trumpeter swan, and the osprey, fall in this category. ~atural, Esthetic, and Cultural Resources Many unique or outstanding large natural areas in the basin have been preserved or are managed by the Federal Government. These areas include scenic badlands, high mountain ranges, mountain streams and canyons, alpine lakes, extensive coniferous forests, lakes and marshes in the sandhill prairies, and several unique landmarks and geological formations. Several outstanding