OCR Text |
Show A small moose herd ranging in the Rock Creek drainage may abandon the drainage because of construction and recreation activities and loss of essential habitat. Beaver habitat in Upper Stillwater and lower South Fork would be greatly reduced. Resident populations of these sites would be lost or displaced. Silting of stream during construction could occur. The reservoir would require clearing and inundation of an area immeditaely adjacent to the High Uintas Primitive Area. Loss of present livestock grazing in and adjacent to the reservoir. Fluctuating water levels in the reservoir would create significant adverse visual impacts during the fall. The Bureau of Reclamation agrees that this evaluation is reasonable. ( b) Currant Creek Reservoir Currant Creek Dam would impound the waters of Currant Creek and inundate about 290 acres of undisturbed aspen, grass- sagebrush and wet meadow- strearnside willow communities. ( See Figures A- 10 and A- 11) About 190 acres of this area consists of valuable big game habitat. Flooding of the willow- bottom lands would eliminate a feeding and resting area important to the development of an expanding moose herd. The basin area is also used by a growing elk herd, and by deer, beaver, and many other animals and birds. Inundation would displace those animals mobile enough to escape and destroy those that are not. Amphibian and reptile populations would fare quite well because the marshy streamside habitat lost would be replaced by a stable reservoir shoreline. The reservoir would inundate about 1.5 miles of Class II stream, thereby eliminating the habitat and natural production of resident populations of cutthroat, rainbow, brook, and brown trout as well as other stream adapted non- game Species. In addition, the dam would cause reduced stream flows to occur and thus adversely 2- £. lO- ll. 223 |