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<br />Summary
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<br />Of approximately 2.8 million acres within the unit area, about one-fifth is
<br />private land, while more than two-thirds is national forest or national resource
<br />land. National forest and national resource lands are used for livestock grazing
<br />along with non-Federal rangeland. Of the private land totaling about
<br />585,000 acres, 66,450 acres are irrigated crop or pasture lands, largely
<br />planted in feed crops for cattle and sheep.
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<br />Although there are appropriated water rights to irrigate approximately
<br />66,450 acres, water is not available to serve that amount of acreage in 8 of
<br />10 years; about two-thirds of eligible acreage is irrigated in an average year.
<br />Most of the irrigated lands are located along State Route 10 from Price to
<br />Ferron in a strip roughly 10 miles wide.
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<br />Nonirrigated lands have been used primarily for grazing. Average size of the
<br />210 farms in Carbon County is 1,605 acres, with 50 to 60 acres irrigated, while
<br />in Emery County the 446 farms average 484 acres, with an average of 90 to
<br />100 acres irrigated.
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<br />An estimated 11,000 acres of wetland occur within the San Rafael River
<br />drainage, and 8,000 acres within the Price River drainage; an additional
<br />3,400 acres of wetlands occur along the San Rafael River and 2,850 acres along
<br />the Price River, for a total of 25,250 acres. Of these, onfarm wetlands are
<br />estimated to occupy some 15,000 acres. Other wetlands include approximately
<br />2,740 acres along Cottonwood, Ferron, Huntington, and Rock Canyon Creeks.
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<br />One major wetland type in the area-the palustrine persistent emergent
<br />(sedges, brushes, and grasses)-is largely manmade, existing because of current
<br />irrigation practices or as stock ponds created by constructing low dams across
<br />small drainages. Other major wetlands within the project area exist along
<br />rivers, streams, and larger canals and drains, supporting plant communities
<br />commonly referred to as riparian communities of cottonwoods, willows, Russian
<br />olive, tamarisk, and black greasewood.
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<br />The concept of improving irrigation efficiency to reduce salinity in the Colorado
<br />River was, accordingly, balanced against the environmental consideration of
<br />protecting irrigation-induced wetland, riparian vegetation, and aquatic habitat.
<br />It was recognized that full wildlife habitat replacement in-kind and in-place
<br />could result in significant seepage and salt loading. SCS and Reclamation
<br />consulted separately with the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) on wildlife
<br />mitigation and habitat replacement. Reclamation's off-farm mitigation plan is
<br />directed toward providing in-kind habitat replacement, while the USDA relies
<br />on voluntary onfarm habitat replacement by individual landowners through
<br />agency provision of technical assistance and cost-share funds.
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<br />Animals, characteristic of life zones ranging from high mountain forest to salt-
<br />desert shrubland, are found in the project area, including approximately
<br />90 species of mammals, 270 species of birds, 26 species of reptiles, and
<br />9 species of amphibians. Mule deer are the principal big game mammals in the
<br />project area, although herds of pronghorn also exist, primarily in the rangeland
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<br />(','.le 4:23
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