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<br />organizations will also install various conservation practices to create <br />and enhance wildlife habitat (vegetation) around ponds, regulating <br />reservoirs, wasteways, ditches, field edges, and odd areas. All <br />wildlife habitat (wetland and vegetation) will be inventoried in the <br />before and after individual salinity reduction plan condition in order <br />to determine wildlife values needed to replace values foregone. The <br />Habitat Evaluation Procedures (HEP) developed by the U.S. Fish an~ <br />Wildlife Service (USFWS) will be used by the SCS salinity team biologist <br />and other HEP certified SCS team members for these inventories. <br />Interagency biologists will participate in the inventories as time and <br />resources permit. <br /> <br />Water remaining in the reservoir or as a result of improved efficiencies <br />could be released on a schedule that will replace and enhance fish <br />habitat and reduce downstream flood damages. Potential release <br />schedules have been developed by SCS with assistance from the WGFD. An <br />annual release schedule will require concurrence from the Wyoming State <br />Engineer and the Eden Valley Irrigation and Drainage District. Reduced <br />annual reservoir drawdowns will improve fish habitat and related <br />recreational activities. <br /> <br />Implementation of the salinity control project will change flows in Bone <br />Draw from perennial to intermittent. Bone Draw, located about 5 miles <br />below the project, is a small tributary with flows that usually range <br />between 0.5 to 1.5 cfs of water from saline seeps that are fed and <br />maintained by irrigation return flows. During drought years, Bone Draw <br />has ceased to flow. Aware of' these flow regimes and the potential for a <br />salinity control project, the BLM and a local sportsman's group fenced <br />and continued to develop Bone Draw for a trout fry nursery. <br /> <br />Installation of the Selected Plan is not expected to have any adverse <br />effects on endangered species that may occur in the project area. A <br />Section 7 "no jeopardy opinion" has been issued by the USFWS for this <br />project. <br /> <br />There are several cultural resource sites and areas of high potential, <br />such as the Oregon Trail, located on or near the irrigated lands. Since <br />participation in the project will be voluntary, cultural resource <br />reviews and surveys will be conducted according to SCS rules and <br />regulations (7 CFR 656) during individual on-farm salinity control <br />planning and when specific project construction sites are identified. <br /> <br />The installation of structures will have short-term adverse impacts as a <br />result of, construction activities. Disturbed areas will be reseeded <br />with adaptable vegetative cover favorable to wildlife. Short-term <br />impacts are not considered significant. Long-term impacts are either <br />beneficial, not significant, or are a tradeoff between conflicting <br />environmental issues (maintenance of irrigation-induced wetlands and a <br />perennial stream vs. salinity reduction and water quality improvement). <br /> <br />The initial work for the Big Sandy River Salinity Control Study was done <br />in 1978 and 1979. A report entitled Big Sandy River, Colorado River <br />Basin Salinity Control Study, USDA Report, was completed in November <br />1980. However, the USDA report did not identify a viable alternative <br /> <br />S-3 <br /> <br />" <br /> <br />; ~. <br /> <br />'J <br />