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Show 1445 N. 10 St. Manitowoc, Wis. 54220 January 24, 1980 The Honorable Phillip Burton Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs Chairman, Subcommittee on National Parks and Insular Affairs Subcommittee on Water and Power Resources 2454 House Office Bldg. Washington, D.C. 21515 Dear Congressman Burton: I am sending the enclosed document to you from Wisconsin where I live but the subject involves an issue I've long had a concern about - damming the White River for storing water for oil shale development, commencing with Tracts Ua and Ub. Not only was the White River - in its entire 100+ mile length in Colorado and Utah - proposed for Wild and Scenic River classification but, of greater importance, is its warm water river regime function in supporting floodplain and associated mammal and bird habitat, and aquatic environment for endemic fish species. Just completed U.S. Pish & Wildlife research on endemic species in the White River confirm use of this river by Colorado squawfish, now one of four endangered species in the Colorado River Basin. Apart from other issues arising from this Dam construction by the State of Utah, i.e., increased salinity in the Colorado River, impending committment of Green River water for coal and nuclear power development by Utah, undeterminable accumulating impacts on terrestrial and aquatic environments throughout the length of this River and its tributaries, is the issue of infringement on management mandates of Federal Agencies responsible for public resources. Just in the Upper Colorado River are these examples: - A Colorado River Storage Project development of the Bureau of Reclamation - the Central Utah Project - will dewater or entirely destroy 9 wild fly fishing rivers on south slopes of the Uinta Mountains in direct conflict with mandates of Ashley and Uintah National Forests to manage and sustain aquatic and terrestrial habitats. - Development of other units of this C.R.S.P. has critically reduced warm water habitat of endemic fish species throughout the length of the Colorado and its tributaries even though preservation of habitat is the responsibility of the BLM and the Park Service in rivers flowing through their enclaves. Floodplain habitat, too, has been destroyed, and, in a significant corridor for migratory birds. While the U.S.Fish & Wildlife Service is carrying out research on critical habitat areas in this Basin for four of the endemic fish species now endangered, these fish are migratory ..Some reproduce in Dinosaur National Monument, both |
