Laserfiche WebLink
b. Aquatic Resources. Aquatic species in the North Fork Gunnison River <br />• within the Hawk's Nest Mine permit area typify those of a cool, fast- <br /> flowing, montane stream. Brown trout, rainbow trout, several species <br /> of sucker, dace, and sculpin comprise the local fish community. "Catch- <br />able" trout are stocked annually by Colorado DOW in the North Fork and <br />Anthracite Creek, and recreational fishing pressure locally has been <br />generally moderate for the past several years (Appendix D). <br />The main source of primary production in the North Fork Gunnison <br />River in the stretch of river adjacent to the permit area is periphyton <br />algae consisting primarily of diatoms and blue-green algae. The compo- <br />sition and densities of periphyton indicate the North Form Gunnison River <br />contains nitrogen and phosphorus sufficient to promote abundant algae <br />growth. Results of recent sampling of periphyton in the river adjacent <br />• to the permit area are reported in Appendix D. <br />The river's benthic raacroinvertebrate community is generally diverse <br />and abundant. Two major faunal groups of insects dominate, however; the <br />caddisflies (principally the net-spinning family Hydropsychidae) and <br />herbiverous mayflies. Stoneflies, true flies, beetles, and mollusca are <br />present in smaller numbers. The kinds of diversity and density in benthic <br />invertebrates reflects the relatively enriched quality of water found in <br />the area probably resulting from the quality of water in the outflow from <br />Paonia Reservoir, located immediately upstream. <br />An assessment of aquatic resources in the permit area was conducted <br />by Beak Consultants Incorporated for WSC in November, 1980. The resulting <br />report is included in Appendix D. <br />• <br />49 <br />