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• Backwaters of the Colorado River provide nursery areas for cer- <br />tain riverine species. Tf releases of water upstream did not <br />occur, withdrawal of water from these backwater areas might tem- <br />porarily dry up this habitat. Water withdrawals may also entrain <br />the eggs, fry, or larvae of these species. Depending on the <br />velocity and volume of the withdrawal and the design of the water <br />intake facility, it is possible that juveniles or adults of these <br />species could be impinged on the screens of the intake. The <br />water intake facility will be designed to eliminate or reduce <br />significant entrainment of organisms. <br />SUMMARY <br />Overall, the wildlife of the Colony permit areas are typical <br />for canyon and plateau country throughout northwestern Colorado. <br />The topographic and lithographic variability of Parachute Creek <br />and Roan Plateau area, and the resultant vegetation diversity, <br />• provide habitats suitable to a variety of terrestrial species. <br />The aquatic ecosystems are somewhat less diverse, although a few <br />areas within the Parachute Creek basin provide a limited sport <br />fishery. From the standpoints of aesthetic and recreational <br />values, the most notable wildlife components are (1) the exis- <br />tence of mule deer on the uplands and their winter concentration <br />in canyon lowlands, (2) the abundance of blue grouse on mixed <br />shrub/aspen/conifer uplands, and (3) the availability of suitable <br />raptor nesting sites along canyon walls. Ecologically, the most <br />important wildlife components probably are the diversity and <br />density of small mammals and birds resulting from the marked <br />topographic and vegetational variety within the permit areas. <br />• <br />H-18 <br />