Strawberry Aqueduct and Collection System, Bonneville Unit, Central Utah Project: documents and correspondence, 1979

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United States Department of the Interior FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE AREA OFFICE COLORADO - UTAH 1311 FEDERAL BUILDING . 125 SOUTH STATE STREET SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH 84138 March 23, 1979 / In Reply Refer To ^ 5 ) $ LC MEMORANDUM TO: Regional Director Bureau of Reclamation Salt Lake City, Utah From: Acting Area Manager U.S. Fish and W i l d l i f e Services Salt Lake City, Utah 11 CUPO-PnOVO SUBJECT: Bonneville Unit, Central Utah Project, Utah (BR)-Mitigatio of Terrestrial W i l d l i f e Losses Attributable to the Strawbe Aqueduct and Collection System Reference is made to discussions during the interagency meeting v/ith ju^'d personnel of your s t a f f , the Forest Service, the Utah Division of W i l d l i f e Resources and our Service on February 20, 1979; and the Sec­t i o n 8 Mitigation Field Team's report on the subject project which was transmitted to you by our memorandum of October 19, 1978. The following comments were prepared in cooperation with the Forest Ser­vice (FS) and the Utah Division of W i l d l i f e Resources (DWR) under authority of the Fish and W i l d l i f e Coordination Act (48 Stat. 401 as amended; 16 U.S.C. 661 et seq.). Conclusions drawn from the three public involvement meetings held during February 6-8, 1979 were: (1) The Section 8 Mitigation Field Team's report is b i o l o g i c a l l y sound; (2) There is broad general support of the concept that project caused losses of f i s h and w i l d l i f e should be mitigated; (3) There is. considerable opposition to the condem­nation of lands for w i l d l i f e m i t i g a t i o n ; (4) Most of the land in the recommended mitigation plan could be acquired on a w i l l i n g seller basis, and (5) County Commissioners of a l l of the involved counties .support the recommended mitigation plan. During the interagency meeting with your s t a f f , administrative re­presentatives of the FS, the DWR and our Service reaffirmed the support of t h e i r agencies for the recommended mitigation plan. All agencies present, expressed sensitive concern about the taking of lands by condemnation i f other viable alternatives exist. It was noted that there w i l l not be s u f f i c i e n t Section 8 funds available during the present calendar-year to secure the entire 14,315 acres and that land owner attitudes about selling are subject to change. -to