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<br />-,...~.~ <br />~ <br /> <br />.t~;':i, <br />"'-'~~ <br /> <br />- 1 0 - <br /> <br />The Bureau of Reclamation has been trying to establish a base for <br />a second and better alternative than the "no alternative" stance of <br />the Fish and Wildlife Service. In other words, the Bureau has been <br />seel<ing a solid foundation for a new biological opinion, a final opin- <br />ion that will permit construction of the Project to proceed. <br /> <br />It was emphasized that some of the early statements of the Fish <br />and Wildlife Service with respect to the Green and Colorado River sQuaw- <br />fish problems may have been overstated. There does not appear to be <br />sufficient evidence from those studies to establish trends in fish <br />reproduction, etc. <br /> <br />The majority of the involved biologists believe that the San Juan <br />River has already been adversely impacted by depletions by man of river <br />system waters. It is evident that presently the biolOgists do not I<now <br />how much water or what magnitude of stream flows are required for success- <br />ful reproductfon of-the squawfish in the San Juan River. Ne~ther do they <br />I<now exactly what I<ind of habitat is required by the endangered fish. <br />Most of the biologists appear to believe that the Bureau of Reclamation <br />has the ability to regulate the ri~er to improve living conditions for <br />endangered fish by using releases from Navajo Reservoir. They also feel <br />that the river needs a long-term management plan. <br /> <br />At Albuquerque the Bureau of ReclaIDation technicians o~tlined a <br />concept for a new biological base which,they hoped the Fishland Wildlife <br />Service might be able to accept for ~ Efnal Biological Opinion that would <br />permit the initiation of construction of the Animas-LaPlata Project <br />simultaneously with investigating and implementing a solution to the <br />endangered species problem. There was considerable discussion of this <br />concept by those of us representing Colorado and New Mexico. <br /> <br />Between August 3 and 10 the Bureau of Reclamation had an opportunity <br />to confer with biologists of the Fish and Wildlife Service. As a result <br />