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-" C\.l o o C r-, ~' . ,. species, and the Fish and Wil dlife Service is considering the Colorado River in the Grand Valley for designation as critical habitat for those species. The razorback sucker, a species designated as threatened by the State of Colorado, is also found in the Colorado River in the Grand Valley. The Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed the razorback sucker for Federal classification as threatened. Fish species that have been found in washes and drains in the Grand Valley include two species of sucker, carp, flathead minnow, channel cat- fish, bullhead, and green sunfish. Drains in the Stage One area have not been sampled for fish populations. The dominant wildlife habitat in Stage One is agricultural (7,823 acres), and its value is largely dependent on edge vegetation along washes, fence rows, and ditches. The other habitat types in Stage One are desert shrub (1,349 acres), phreatophytic shrub (s16 acres), cotton- wood woodland (10 acres), marsh (102 acres) and aquatic (10 acres). The agricultural habitat type will be most affected by Stage One construction. The distribution of roadsides, field edges, drains, washes, and ditch banks within the agricultural area provides a good distribution of wild- life cover. It is estimated that there are 10-ls miles of "edge" per square mile of agricultural habitat (ECI, 1976). Based on this figure there are approximately 153 miles of edge in Stage One. -, The principal game animals in the valley and the Stage One area are pheasant, dove, waterfowl, and rabbit. Furbearers such as raccoon, beaver, and muskrat are present but provide only minor hunting or trap- ping opportunities. A small herd of antelope roams the desert north of the Stage One area. Numerous small mammals and songbirds occupy the entire valley. Raptors such as hawks and owls hunt the small mammals in the valley and favor open areas. Use of the valley by migratory waterfowl has greatly increased in recent years with the construction of Walker, Mack Mesa,' and Highline Lakes. Two species of birds classified as endangered, the whooping crane and the peregrine falcon, may occur in the valley as seasonal transients, and the bald eagle, also an endangered species, is a winter resident. The Grand Valley is not considered critical habitat for any of these species, but the river bottom areas are consistently used by bald eagles wintering in the valley.