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• NORTH FORK - Low use. GENERAL DESCRIPTION The North Fork of the Gunnison below Paonia received a moderate amount of use by wintering bald eagles in 1979, and very little use in 1980. The river meanders through a relatively wide valley which supports orchards and pastureland. There is a substantial amount of coal mining activity within the North Fork Valley; the towns of Paonia. Hotchkiss, Lazear, Austin and Delta are scattered along the river. There are two fish hatcheries south of Lazear, one run by the USFWS and the other privately operated. Vegetation along the river varies. There are sections with dense stands of cottonwoods, others with continuous but dispersed trees. Some parts of the river have cultivated fields and orchards along the shores and are primarily private lands. Other sections of the bank are vegetated with desert shrubs and are primarily public lands. The North Fork froze in early January in 1979; the ice broke by the middle of February; and the water was clear of ice by the beginning of March. During the winter, running water was relatively clear; however, with spring runoff it became more turbid. In the second field season, the winter of 1979-80, the North Fork never completely froze and water • levels were very low. Upstream from Paonia, a major highway parallels the river. Downstream from Paonia a paved highway runs adjacent to short sections of the North Fork. INVENTORY DESCRIPTION In 1979, the bald eagle inventory of the North Fork was conducted pri- marily from the air. A Cessna 182 was flown along the North Fork on January 1, 23 and 31, on February 16, and on March 6 and 23. No im- matures were seen on any of these flights. The results of these sur- veys are listed below: Date Adults 1/09/79 2 1/23/79 2 1/31/79 5 2/16/79 3 3/06/79 3 3/23/79 1 (helicopter) L