Laserfiche WebLink
<br />water agreement. Development of the long-term contract involves additional public input and <br />documentation under NEP A and the Endangered Species Act. <br /> <br />Backl!1'Ound Information <br /> <br />Recovery Prornun <br /> <br />The Colorado squawfish (Ptychocheilus lucius) and razorback sucker (Xyrauchen rexanus) are <br />only found in the Colorado River Basin and are listed as endangered under the 1973 Endangered <br />Species Act. A number of factors, ranging from habitat reduction or alteration to introduction <br />of non-native species, account for the current rarity of these species. Since 1978, the Service <br />has maintained that a jeopardy (risk of extinction) situation exists due to these factors and due <br />to the declining numbers of the endangered fish. The Service has concluded that timely actions <br />should be taken to offset these factors. <br /> <br />In response, the Recovery Implementation Program (Recovery Program) for Endangered Fish <br />Species in the Upper Colorado River Basin was organi7ed in cooperation with private, State, and <br />Federal interests (Fish and Wildlife Service, 1987a).1 A Final Environmental Assessment on <br />the Recovery Program was published by the Service in 1987 (Fish and Wildlife Service, 1987b). <br />That assessment provided a general review of impacts of the Recovery Program and called for <br />site specific NEP A compliance documents as individual parts of the program were implemented. <br />The program is designed to recover the fish while providing for water development and use to <br />proceed in a manner compatible with applicable State and Federal laws. So long as progress is <br />being made under the Recovery Program, it serves as the best method of avoiding a <br />confrontation between resource protection and water development; a confrontation that would <br />benefit neither the native or endangered fish nor water use and development, The Recovery <br />Program consists of five principal elements: <br /> <br />1. Habitat management <br />2. Habitat development and maintenance <br />3. Native fish stocking <br />4. Non-native species and sportfishing management5. Research, data management, and monitoring <br /> <br />The Recovery Implementation Program Recovery Action Plan (RIPRAP) was developed under <br />the Recovery Program to spell out specific actions and timeframes believed to be required to <br />recover the fish (Fish and Wildlife Service, 1993). The RIPRAP also provides a framework to <br /> <br />1 See References Cited section at end of report for complete reference citations <br /> <br />2 <br />