OCR Text |
Show 8. Maintaining Fish and Wildlife Benefits The Problem Extent to which full conservation and develop- ment of fish and wildlife values should be sought in planning and construction. The Situation Water-development projects and programs may affect fish and wildlife favorably or adversely, de- pending upon the particular circumstances. In most cases losses can be minimized and benefits maximized without adversely affecting other pur- poses, if the relation of fish and wildlife values to other resources values is investigated in the early stages of planning a comprehensive basin-wide development. The amended Coordination Act of 1946 8 author- izes the Fish and Wildlife Service to investigate the effects of water projects upon fish and game. It has studied a large number of such projects in the Ohio River Basin and has made its findings avail- able to the Corps of Engineers and others. In general, substantial benefits accrue to fishery resources from multiple-purpose reservoirs in this basin; in part, downstream benefits are dependent upon adequate low-flow regulation. Dale Hollow and Center Hill Reservoirs in the Cumberland River Basin, are now providing excellent fishing, al- though fishing in Lake Harrington in the Kentucky Basin and Great Falls Reservoir in the Cumberland Basin has declined somewhat in recent years from previous high levels. The effects of reservoir construction on wildlife in the Ohio River Basin will be both beneficial and detrimental, depending upon the individual cir- cumstances. For example, three dry-bed reservoirs in the Musldngum Conservancy District have not seriously hampered wildlife productivity in the res- ervoir areas. Where permanent pools are main- tained, detrimental effects on some species of wild- life can be expected, although these can be offset by proper management of reservoir lands. Refor- estation on some of the Muskingum Conservancy District reservoirs, and proper management of the lands around Bluestone Reservoir offer opportuni- ties for increasing wildlife benefits. The Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that reservoir projects on the southern tributaries of the "Act of August 14, 1946, 60 Stat. 1080, 16 U. S. G. 661 et seq. Ohio will result in wildlife losses chiefly through permanent inundation of bottom land habitat. However, significant benefits to waterfowl may re- sult from construction of some of the proposed res- ervoirs in this part of the basin. The pools to be created by Cheatham Lock and Dam on the Cum- berland and Falmouth Dam on the Licking will afford the best opportunities for waterfowl develop- ment, because of their location near waterfowl fly- ways and because of the character of their shore lines. Under the amended Coordination Act of 1946 9 the Department of the Interior is required to recom- mend means and measures for mitigating losses to fish and wildlife that will occur from proposed water projects. The act further provides that costs of installing and maintaining such means and meas- ures shall constitute part of project costs and shall be included in cost estimates submitted to Congress by the construction agency. The intent of the ex- isting law is clearly to provide against reduction of existing fish and wildlife resources as a result of project construction. Mitigation of fish and wildlife losses may require providing replacement facilities which are not a part of the immediate physical structure of a mul- tiple-purpose dam and reservoir. Present policies restrict the mitigation of losses to means that can be provided strictly within the project limitations prescribed by the primary purposes of the project. As additional reservoir projects are built, this limi- tation may create problems in the Ohio River Basin as it has in other areas. The role of marshes, wooded swamps, and over- flow areas in providing habitat for wildlife is im- portant in the Ohio River Basin for nesting and migrating populations of migratory waterfowl. In addition, muskrats, mink, wild turkeys, bear, and deer, occur on wet-land habitat. Drainage of additional acreages of marshes or swamp lands causes corresponding reduction of aquatic wildlife habitat in the basin. Increased emphasis upon drainage for agricultural and public-health pur- poses adds importance to this problem. Protection of wet lands essential to the preservation of wildlife resources has, therefore, become increasingly im- portant. The Department of Agriculture through the Production and Marketing Administration gives financial assistance to landowners to drain farm lands. The Soil Conservation Service provides technical assistance to certain landowners in con- 9 Id. 678 |