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The following is a description of the project provided by Scott Hobson of the City of Pueblo Planning Department. Description of the Project: The project is amulti-agency endeavor that will improve wildlife habitat, environmental education, and compatible recreation along the Arkansas River both within the stream and along the river corridor. The project is the vision of the Pueblo Natural Resources & Environmental Education Council (PNREEC). The PNREEC Council, formed in 1995, includes more than 75 organizations and citizens. The project identifies a series of improvements along the Arkansas River corridor from Lake Pueblo to the confluence with Fountain Creek. The most significant project is the Arkansas River Fisheries Habitat Restoration Project, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Section 206 Habitat Restoration funded project. The project provides for 9.5 miles of stream enhancement within the Arkansas River including improvements to fishery habitat and the streamside vegetation. These habitat improvements will be completed through the construction of the following structures and project features: vortex rock weirs, rock cross vanes, "w" weirs, bank and channel boulder clusters, point bars, riparian zone grading, native material revetments, biostabilization, and riparian bank plantings. The project is slated for construction starting in 2004 through Apri12005. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is providing $4.6 million of funding of the project including environmental reviews, design, plans and specifications, construction management and federal funding for construction of the project. City of Pueblo is the local project sponsor and is committing $420,000 for the project, as well as the funds to operate and maintain the project for projected 40-year life of the improvements. The project partners are providing over $2.2 million dollars in additional funding for the project. These partners include Great Outdoors Colorado ($1.48 million), Colorado State Parks ($110,000), Colorado Division of Wildlife ($23,000), Pueblo County ($210,000), Rocky Mountain Steel ($53,500), Trout Unlimited ($10,000) and the Pueblo Conservancy District ($120,330). The overall project goals outline by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers are as follows: (1) provide enhanced pool habitat and cover during winter low flow conditions; (2) direct flows during reduced flow periods into a more confined channel thalweg, to decrease width/depth ratio; (3) produce enhanced cover and aquatic habitat diversity; (4) restore healthy riparian function to the extent possible to improve terrestrial wildlife habitat; and (5) enhance basic energy flow throughout the food chain, by increasing nutrient input from organic sources and stimulating primary and secondary (macro-invertebrate) productivity with increased habitat availability and diversity.