2007-2008

Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program

San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program

Program Highlights
Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program and San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program 1

Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program

and

San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program

Balancing Species Recovery with 

Water Use and Development

Program Highlights 2007-2008

Program Highlights is produced annually to document the recovery programs’ progress toward recovery of the 

endangered fishes. This document is not a publication of the U.S. Department of the Interior or its agencies.

artners of the Upper Colorado River Endangered

Fish Recovery Program and the San Juan River

Basin Recovery Implementation Program work

cooperatively to recover endangered Colorado River fishes

while water use and development continues to meet

human needs in compliance with interstate compacts and

applicable federal and state laws. 

The recovery programs provide Endangered Species Act

compliance for fulfillment of federal trust responsibilities

P to American Indian Tribes and continued operation of 

federal water and power projects in accordance with project purposes. The Intermountain West is the nation’s

fastest-growing region and a critically important energyproducing area of the country. Recovery Program partners

recognize that their collaborative conservation partnerships

provide the most workable approach to recover endangered

species while meeting energy and water demands.
2 2007-2008 Program Highlights

Table of Contents

Recovering Endangered Fishes in the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Partners’ Active Commitment and Participation Key to Recovery Programs’ Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Demonstrated Achievements Draw Bipartisan Support for Endangered Fish Recovery Programs . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Federal Laws Authorizing Cost-Sharing Show Congressional Commitment to Species Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Recovery Programs Rely on Recovery Goals to Guide Actions and Measure Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Implementing Innovative Solutions to Manage Water and Improve River Habitat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 & 9

Yampa River Community Celebrates Completion of Elkhead Dam and Reservoir Enlargement . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Construction Projects to Improve River Habitat Nearly Complete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 & 11 

Reestablishing Endangered Fish Populations through Propagation and Stocking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 

Stocked Endangered Fish are Surviving and Reproducing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Addressing Nonnative Fish Management Challenges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Reaching Out to Local Communities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Research and Monitoring Track Endangered Fish Status and Support Adaptive Management . . . . . . . . .16 & 17

Expenditures

Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Providing Endangered Species Act Compliance for Water Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Colorado Pikeminnow Humpback Chub Bonytail Razorback Sucker

Illustrations© by Joseph R. Tomelleri
Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program and San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program 3

Recovering Endangered Fishes in the Upper Colorado

and San Juan River Basins

Geographic Scope:

The Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery

Program is recovering humpback chub, bonytail, Colorado

pikeminnow, and razorback sucker in the Colorado River

and its tributaries in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. The

Recovery Program was initiated in 1988 with the signing of

a cooperative agreement by the Governors of Colorado,

Utah, and Wyoming; the Secretary of the Interior; and the

Administrator of Western Area Power Administration. In

2001, the cooperative agreement was extended through

September 30, 2013.

The San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation

Program is recovering Colorado pikeminnow and razorback sucker in the San Juan River and its tributaries in

Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. The Recovery Program

was established in 1992 with the signing of a cooperative

agreement by the Governors of Colorado and New Mexico;

the Secretary of the Interior; the Bureau of Indian Affairs,

the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, the Ute Mountain Ute

Tribe, and the Jicarilla Apache Nation. In 2006, the cooperative agreement was extended through September 30, 2023.
4 2007-2008 Program Highlights

Partners’ Active Commitment and Participation

Key to Recovery Programs’ Success

iven the Colorado River Basin’s complex habitat

changes and demands on water resources,

Recovery Program partners recognize that collaboration is necessary to accomplish the dual objectives of

recovering endangered fish species while providing water

for human needs. Each partner fully participates in developing and implementing management actions leading

toward delisting of the endangered Colorado River fishes.

The recovery programs have earned accolades for their

G management approach, their proven track record of

accomplishments and their partners’ long-term commitments of staff, time, and money.

Congressional support and funding of agency involvement

and program construction projects demonstrate the effectiveness of public and private conservation partnerships.

The recovery programs’ success is a direct result of the

active commitment and participation of their partners.

Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish 

Recovery Program

◆ State of Colorado

◆ State of Utah

◆ State of Wyoming

◆ Bureau of Reclamation

◆ Colorado River Energy Distributors Association

◆ Colorado Water Congress

◆ National Park Service

◆ The Nature Conservancy

◆ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

◆ Utah Water Users Association

◆ Western Area Power Administration

◆ Western Resource Advocates

◆ Wyoming Water Association 

San Juan River Basin Recovery 

Implementation Program

◆ State of Colorado

◆ State of New Mexico 

◆ Bureau of Indian Affairs

◆ Bureau of Land Management

◆ Bureau of Reclamation

◆ Conservation Interests

◆ Jicarilla Apache Nation

◆ Navajo Nation

◆ Southern Ute Indian Tribe

◆ Ute Mountain Ute Tribe

◆ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

◆ Water Development Interests
Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program and San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program 5

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

“Faced with the need to manage the [Colorado] river for

threatened and endangered fish and other wildlife, the

Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Reclamation

and many other partners developed the Upper Colorado

River Endangered Fish Recovery Program, the Lower

Colorado Basin Multi-species Conservation Program,

and the San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation

Program. As a result we are making progress toward

recovery of endangered fish, while addressing the

demand for water development to support growing 

western communities.”

Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, Dec. 15, 2006

Colorado River Water Users Association Annual Meeting

Las Vegas, Nevada

“Although the Fish and Wildlife Service is legally mandated to conserve species protected under the

Endangered Species Act, we can’t do it alone. We know

that success requires the power of effective partnerships–

from State and Federal personnel to non-governmental

organizations. The Upper Colorado River and San Juan

River Basin recovery programs have succeeded in bringing stakeholders together, uniting conservation efforts,

and striking the necessary balances between species conservation and human needs.”

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dale Hall

COLORADO

"Balancing the needs of the environment with the beneficial use of our state's water continues to be a challenge.

Nowhere is this more evident than meeting our obligations under the Endangered Species Act. Colorado is

implementing collaborative solutions through several

Endangered Species Recovery Programs. On the

Colorado River we are working to recover endangered

fish, while protecting water users and ensuring the state

can develop its entitlements under interstate compacts."

Bill Ritter, Governor, State of Colorado

Demonstrated Achievements Draw Bipartisan Support 

for Endangered Fish Recovery Programs

NEW MEXICO

“Congress enacted Public Law 106-392 with strong

bipartisan support. Public Law 106-392 authorizes the

federal government to provide up to $46 million of cost

sharing for the implementation of capital projects... The

four participating states of New Mexico, Colorado, Utah

and Wyoming and their water users will contribute up

to an aggregate of $17 million to the programs, and 

$17 million will be contributed from revenues derived

from the sale of Colorado River Storage Project hydroelectric power....The substantial non-federal cost sharing funds demonstrate the strong commitment and effective partnerships that are present in both the San Juan

and Upper Basin programs.”

Bill Richardson, Governor, State of New Mexico

UTAH

“The Recovery Program is a mutually supported partnership involving the states of Utah, Colorado, New

Mexico and Wyoming, as well as environmental organizations, power users, water users and development interests. It is important to note that, because of the cooperation between the partners, water development along the

river has continued to proceed without a single lawsuit.”

Jon M. Huntsman, Jr., Governor, State of Utah

WYOMING

“These recovery programs have become national models

for collaboratively working to recover endangered

species while meeting water use and water development

demands in compliance with the Endangered Species

Act, state law, and interstate compacts in the Upper

Colorado River Basin region of the Intermountain

West.”

Dave Freudenthal, Governor, State of Wyoming

he recovery programs demonstrate that public and private partnerships can effectively recover endangered species

and resolve Endangered Species Act-related conflicts. State and federal leaders (including the Congress) continue

to provide bipartisan and critically important support and funding for these programs in recognition of their T

proven effectiveness.
6 2007-2008 Program Highlights

Federal Laws Authorizing Cost-Sharing Show 

Congressional Commitment to Species Recovery

lthough Congressional authorization to fund 

capital construction projects and operation and

maintenance has been enacted in federal law, the

Upper Colorado River and San Juan River Basin recovery

programs’ continued success depends on obtaining 

sufficient funding to implement recovery actions. 

CAPITAL FUNDS

Public Law (P.L.) 106-392 (2000) authorizes the Bureau of

Reclamation (Reclamation) to cost-share capital construction projects for both recovery programs. Colorado River

Storage Project (CRSP) power customers, water users, and

the states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming

provide non-federal cost-sharing funds. 

P.L. 107-375 (2002) extends the period to complete capital construction to 2008. P.L. 109-183 (2006) authorizes

an additional $15 million for capital construction for the

Upper Colorado River program and extends the capital

construction period to 2010 for both programs.

Power Revenues

The Secretary of Energy, acting through the Western Area

Power Administration, is authorized to expend up to 

$17 million of CRSP power revenues for capital projects

construction. These revenues are treated as a non-federal

contribution, but are reimbursable costs assigned to power

for repayment under Section 5 of the CRSP Act. 

A States Cost-Share Capital Projects 

The states fund contributions in a variety of ways:

◆ Colorado’s legislature created a Native Species

Conservation Trust Fund in 2000 through which an annual “Species Conservation Eligibility List” is funded by a

joint resolution of the State’s General Assembly. 

◆ New Mexico’s legislature appropriated funds to meet

the state’s cost-share contributions. 

◆ Utah’s legislature created a Species Protection Account

within the General Fund in 1997 which receives Brine

Shrimp Royalty Act-created revenue. In 2000, Utah dedicated 1/16th of one cent general sales tax to water development projects and directed funding to the Upper Colorado

River Program. 

◆ Wyoming’s legislature appropriated its funding share

during its 1998 and 1999 sessions.

BASE FUNDS

P.L. 106-392 also provides up to $6 million per year (adjusted annually for inflation) of CRSP power revenues for base

(non-capital) funding for the two programs. This provides

up to $4 million for the Upper Colorado River Program

and up to $2 million for the San Juan River Basin Program.

The states, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and water users

also contribute substantial base funding each year. (See pages

18 and 19 for a budget summary of each program.) 

Capital Construction Cost-Sharing for Upper

Colorado and San Juan Programs

Upper Colo. Rec. Program . . . . . . . . . . . . .$108 million

San Juan Recovery Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$18 million

Total . . . . . . .$126 million*

*Sources of Revenue

Federal Non-Federal

Congress: $61 million Power Revenues: $17 million

States: $17 million

Water and Power: $31 million

$65 million 

Colorado $9.146 M $8.065 M $1.081 M

New Mexico 2.744 M 0.000 M 2.744 M

Utah 3.422 M 3.422 M 0.000 M

Wyoming 1.688 M 1.688 M 0.000 M

Total $17.000 M $13.175 M $3.825 M

Upper Colorado 

Rec. Program San Juan Rec. Program

Capital Project Cost-Sharing by the States
Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program and San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program 7

Recovery Programs Rely on Recovery Goals 

to Guide Actions and Measure Success

he recovery programs rely on recovery goals as the

foundation to develop and implement management actions and measure success as they work to

recover the endangered fishes. The recovery goals provide

objective, measurable criteria for downlisting to “threatened” and delisting (removal from Endangered Species Act

[ESA] protection).

Recovery is based on reducing threats and improving a

species’ status during the time it is listed under the ESA.

Recovery goals identify the number and age of fish that

comprise a specified number of self-sustaining wild populations (see pages 16-17). They also identify site-specific

management actions that reduce threats to the species associated with the ESA’s five listing factors. 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) will consider

downlisting or delisting the endangered fishes once the

required demographic and genetic standards for selfsustaining populations are reached, and the necessary 

management actions are achieved to reduce the threats that

caused the fish to be listed.

The Service approved the initial recovery goals on 

August 1, 2002, with the requirement that they be

reviewed and updated at least every five years to include

any new information. This review is underway with completion slated for 2008. Results will be available for public

review and comment in the Federal Register. 

T Actions to Recover the Fishes

The recovery programs implement management actions

within five major program elements. They primarily

address threats associated with present or threatened

destruction, modification, or curtailment of habitat or

range (ESA listing factor A) and disease or predation (ESA

listing factor C). 

The five program elements are:

◆ Habitat Management – Identify and provide adequate

instream flows.

◆ Habitat Development – Construct and operate fish

passages and screens at diversion dams and canals, and

acquire and restore floodplain habitat.

◆ Nonnative Species and Sportfishing – Reduce the

threat of certain nonnative fish species while maintaining

sportfishing opportunities. 

◆ Endangered Fish Propagation and Stocking –

Produce genetically diverse fish in hatcheries and stock

them in the river system. 

◆ Research, Monitoring, and Data Management –

Provide data on life-history requirements of the endangered

fishes and monitor populations to measure progress toward

achieving the recovery goals.

Highlights of recent accomplishments within each program

element to recover the fishes are described on the following

pages.

Endangered Species Act Listing Factors

A. Present or threatened destruction, modification, 

or curtailment of habitat or range.

B. Overutilization for commercial, recreational, 

scientific, or educational purposes.

C. Disease or predation.

D. Inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms.

E. Other natural or manmade factors affecting 

continued existence.

Management of nonnative fishes, like this northern pike, remains one of the

greatest challenges to recovering the endangered fishes.
8 2007-2008 Program Highlights

Implementing Innovative Solutions to

Manage Water and Improve River Habitat

he recovery programs implement innovative solutions to meet water needs of growing western communities while

providing adequate instream flows to restore river and floodplain habitat to benefit endangered fishes. Program

partners cooperatively manage water resources in accordance with state water law, individual water rights, and

interstate compacts. This is accomplished through water leases and contracts, coordinated water releases from upstream

reservoirs, efficiency improvements to irrigation systems, and reoperation of federal dams and reservoirs. These actions

benefit recreational, municipal, and agricultural water users, as well as the endangered fishes.

T

Five Colorado reservoirs participate in coordinated reservoir operations in the Colorado River to voluntarily release water to enhance river spring peak flows and improve fish habitat without affecting those reservoirs’ yields. Most of these reservoirs also contribute water for late-summer, base-flow augmentation.

Since 2000, releases from upstream Colorado River reservoirs, averaging 48,000 acre-feet per year,

enhanced summer base flows and improved endangered fish habitat (see table below).

Continued on page 9

Wolford Mountain Reservoir Williams Fork Reservoir Green Mountain Reservoir

Dillon Reservoir

Ruedi Reservoir

Eagle

Mesa

Pitkin

Routt Grand

Glenwood

Springs

Grand

Junction

Eagle River

Colorado River

Blue River

Colorado River

Utah Colorado

Roaring Fork

Year 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Water 45,565 68,305 19,613 72,108 17,640 53,177 55,477 53,884

(acre-feet)
Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program and San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program 9

◆ Cooperative relationships help the recovery programs

adapt to emergency and weather-related issues. Last summer, damage to Xcel Energy’s Shoshone Power Plant on the

Colorado River in western Colorado threatened to interrupt

downstream deliveries of water. Reservoir operators and private irrigation companies worked to quickly implement

actions to meet all water users’ and endangered fish needs.

◆ Water users worked together in 2007 to meet a variety

of flow requests for research and construction activities on

the San Juan River that benefited fish and wildlife and

recreational interests. Releases from Navajo Dam were

reduced for a trout habitat improvement project and

improvements to the diversion structure on a community

irrigation ditch. Flows were provided for habitat mapping

work in the endangered fish critical habitat area and to

accommodate razorback sucker and Colorado pikeminnow

stocking efforts.

The Bureau of Reclamation operates Navajo Dam to help recover endangered

fishes.

Yampa River Community Celebrates Completion of 

Elkhead Dam and Reservoir Enlargement

Colorado River Water Conservation District Board President Bill Trampe (left)

welcomes Colorado Department of Natural Resources Executive Director Harris

Sherman at the dedication of the Elkhead Dam and Reservoir enlargement.

he Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish

Recovery Program participated in enlargement of

Elkhead Dam and Reservoir in northwest

Colorado. The project was dedicated on July 11, 2007, as

a model of local, state, and federal cooperation to produce

new water storage to benefit people and endangered fish in

the Yampa River Valley.

The Recovery Program partnered with the Colorado River

Water Conservation District and other state and local

agencies on the 13,000 acre-foot, $31 million project that

almost doubled the size of the existing Elkhead Reservoir

and brought the dam up to current safety standards.

More than 200 people gathered for the dedication while

children played at the water’s edge and boats navigated the

lake. Speakers stressed the precedence of a project that

meets the needs of endangered species, people, industry,

and recreation.

Colorado Department of Natural Resources Executive

Director Harris Sherman shared Colorado Governor Bill

Ritter’s appreciation for the importance of the project. 

“This represents a win-win situation for the community

and a balance between the needs of people and species conservation...” he said. “This is a model for what we ought

to be doing in the other river basins in Colorado.”

T The need to protect endangered fish in the Yampa River

was a driving force in the creation of a project that balances

the needs of people and the environment. The project sets

a precedent in that 5,000 acre-feet of the new water storage were dedicated to, and financed by, the Upper

Colorado River Recovery Program. Other water is set aside

for future development in the Yampa Valley.

Additionally, the Recovery Program can access up to

another 2,000 acre-feet of water for the endangered fish

under a long-term water lease. During summer 2007,

5,000 acre-feet of permanent water was released into the

Yampa River for the fish. 
10 2007-2008 Program Highlights

Construction Projects to Improve 

River Habitat Nearly Complete

Continued on page 11

Recovery Program Capital

Construction Projects in

Western Colorado

he recovery programs are working cooperatively with American Indian Tribes, water and power customers, and

local landowners to improve fish habitat. Projects include constructing fish passages at diversion dams for endangered and other native fishes; screening diversion canals to keep fish from entering and becoming trapped, and

acquiring and restoring floodplain habitat to serve primarily as fish nursery areas.

T

Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish 

Recovery Program

◆ Fish passages and screens are in place at major diversion dams and canals in western Colorado. The Redlands

Diversion Dam on the Gunnison River, and the Grand

Valley Irrigation Company and the Grand Valley Project

diversion dams on the Colorado River no longer impede

fish migration or present the risk of entrapment in canals.

The Price-Stubb Diversion Dam fish passage will be completed on the Colorado

River near Grand Junction, Colorado, in March 2008, and become operational

in April. Removal of this last barrier to fish migration will provide endangered

fish access to an additional 52 miles of critical habitat that has been blocked

since 1911.

◆ Redlands Diversion Dam fish passage restored

access to 50 miles of Gunnison River critical habitat for

endangered fishes when completed in 1996. To date, 102

Colorado pikeminnows, 24 razorback suckers, 1 bonytail,

and almost 86,000 other native fish have used the passage.

Colorado pikeminnow and razorback sucker reproduction

has been documented upstream of the fish passage. 

◆ Tusher Wash Diversion Dam canal fish screen on the

Green River in eastern Utah is scheduled to be constructed

in 2010. Once completed, all major diversion canals 

identified in the recovery goals for the upper Colorado

River system will be screened.

◆ About 2,700 acres of restored floodplain habitat is

managed for all life stages of endangered fish. 

The Grand Valley Project fish passage was completed in 2005. Full-time operation will begin with completion of the downstream Price-Stubb fish passage.
Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program and San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program 11

Recovery Program Capital Construction

Projects in the San Juan River Basin

San Juan River Basin Recovery

Implementation Program

◆ Fish passages are being considered at the Arizona

Public Service Company weir and the Fruitland

Diversion Dam, which will provide endangered fish access

to 180 miles of critical habitat.

The Navajo Nation operates the fish passage at the Public Service Company of

New Mexico weir.

Arizona Public Service Company weir

◆ A fish passage at the Public Service Company of New

Mexico weir on the San Juan River has allowed 22 razorback suckers, 29 Colorado pikeminnows, and more than

87,000 other native fish to move upstream since 2003.

◆ Hogback Diversion Dam canal fish screen construction is scheduled for completion in 2009.

◆ Fish access has been restored to an additional 36

miles of critical habitat on the San Juan River with the

construction of passages at the Public Service Company of

New Mexico weir and the Hogback Diversion Dam, and

Fruitland Diversion Dam removal of the Cudei Diversion Dam.
12 2007-2008 Program Highlights

atchery-produced, genetically diverse stocked fish form the foundation to reestablish naturally self-sustaining populations of razorback sucker and bonytail in the upper Colorado River system and razorback sucker and Colorado

pikeminnow in the San Juan River. Both recovery programs implemented new stocking plans in 2003 to expedite

reestablishment of wild populations (see population criteria on pages 17-18).

The recovery programs fund six hatchery facilities to produce the fish necessary to meet the stocking targets: Dexter

National Fish Hatchery and Technology Center, J.W. Mumma Native Aquatic Species Restoration Facility, Ouray National

Fish Hatchery, Grand Valley Endangered Fish Facility, Uvalde National Fish Hatchery, and Wahweap Fish Hatchery.

H

Reestablishing Endangered Fish Populations 

through Propagation and Stocking

Fish Stocked in 2006 and 2007 to Meet Annual River Stocking Targets

Species River Annual River Target Fish Stocked 2006 Fish Stocked 2007

Colorado pikeminnow San Juan .......................................... 303,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326,547 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479,226

Razorback sucker San Juan ............................................ 11,400 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18,793 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,933

Colorado and Gunnison.......................9,930 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,559 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,098

Middle Green ...................................... 9,930 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,091 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,014

Lower Green........................................ 9,930 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,313 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,539

Bonytail Colorado ............................................. 5,330 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,554 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5,570

Middle Green ...................................... 5,330 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,045 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5,409

Lower Green........................................ 5,330 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,270 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5,404 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists remove razorback suckers raised at

Uvalde National Fish Hatchery in south Texas to stock in the San Juan River.

A biologist from the Ouray National Fish Hatchery near Vernal, Utah, stocks

razorback suckers in the Green River.

The State of Colorado’s J.W. Mumma Native Aquatic Species Restoration

Facility in Alamosa, Colorado, raises bonytails and Colorado pikeminnows for

stocking.

◆ Since 1996, about 162,300 subadult razorback suckers,

295,250 subadult bonytails, and 8,000 subadult Colorado

pikeminnows have been stocked in the upper Colorado

River system.

◆ Since 2002, almost 1.8 million juvenile Colorado

pikeminnows have been stocked in the San Juan River.

◆ Since 1994, about 48,300 subadult or adult razorback

suckers have been stocked in the San Juan River.
Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program and San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program 13

Stocked Endangered Fish are Surviving 

and Reproducing

he recovery programs’ stocking efforts have been successful in helping to reestablish endangered fish populations

throughout the Upper Colorado River and San Juan River basins. The recovery programs continue to monitor sur- Tvival and reproduction of stocked fish to evaluate and improve stocking strategies.

Razorback Sucker

◆ Stocked razorback suckers are moving between the

Green, Colorado, and Gunnison rivers. This exchange of

individuals between rivers suggests that razorback suckers

may eventually form a network of populations or subpopulations.

◆ Stocked razorback suckers are behaving as wild fish.

They have been recaptured or observed in reproductive condition at spawning sites in the Green and San Juan rivers.

◆ Stocked razorback suckers are reproducing in the

Green, Gunnison, Colorado, and San Juan rivers based on

captures of larval fish.

◆ Razorback sucker larvae are surviving through the

first year in the Green, Gunnison, and San Juan rivers based

on captures of juveniles. Numbers of larvae collected from

the Green River in 2007 were the highest ever recorded. A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist uses a light trap to collect razorback

sucker larvae in Cliff Creek on the Green River near Jensen, Utah.

Colorado Pikeminnow

◆ About 8,400 recaptures of stocked Colorado

pikeminnows were reported from the San Juan River in

2004-2006, with many of these fish reaching sexual 

maturity. Numbers of recaptures in 2005 and 2006 were

higher than in previous years.

◆ Recaptures indicate that stocked fish are surviving,

with many fish approaching adulthood. Biologists anticipate documenting natural reproduction through the collection of larvae in future years.

Bonytail

◆ Over 60,000 subadult or adult bonytails have been

stocked according to the new stocking plan from 2003-

2007. 

◆ Research is under way to modify the stocking plan to

improve bonytail survival. Almost 1.8 million juvenile or subadult Colorado pikeminnows have been

stocked in the San Juan River since 2002.
14 2007-2008 Program Highlights

Addressing Nonnative Fish 

Management Challenges

redation or competition by nonnative fish species is a serious threat to the endangered fishes and perhaps the most

challenging to manage. Over the past 100 years, more than 50 nonnative fish species have been introduced into the

Upper Colorado River Basin. The recovery programs are working hard to meet the challenge of nonnative fish management by removing the most problematic nonnative fishes from rivers and preventing nonnative fish from entering the

river system in areas inhabited by endangered fish. These actions recognize the dual responsibilities of state and federal

wildlife agencies to conserve native fish species while providing sportfishing opportunities. Where feasible, sportfish

removed from rivers are translocated to off-channel ponds accessible to local anglers.

P

Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish 

Recovery Program

◆ Efforts focus on northern pike and smallmouth bass,

the two species considered the most problematic. 

◆ Since northern pike removal efforts began in 1999,

many of the larger, more predacious fish have been

removed from critical habitat in the Yampa River. 

◆ Smallmouth bass were removed from about 500

miles of river where the highest densities are known to

occur. In the most intensely sampled reach in the Green

River, a collaborative effort of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service and Utah Division of Wildlife Resources exceeded

the numerical goal for smallmouth bass reduction.

Declines in Adult Common Carp

Catch Rates in the San Juan River

30

20

10

0

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

A nonnative channel catfish collected from the San Juan River. Fish of this size

are seen less frequently since removal efforts began.

San Juan River Basin Recovery 

Implementation Program

◆ Active removal since 2001 has reduced the abundance of nonnative adult channel catfish in high priority

reaches: the upper and lower sections of the San Juan River

where data showed channel catfish numbers were highest.

◆ Removal efforts in 2008 will shift into a secondary

phase. Biologists will expand removal efforts into middle

river reaches to manage the channel catfish population.

◆ Active removal beginning in 2001 has reduced the

abundance of nonnative common carp to a level where

collections of Colorado pikeminnows continued to outnumber common carp in 2007.

In 2007, 92% (492) of the estimated 533 adult smallmouth bass were removed

during 14 sampling trips from the confluence of the Green and Yampa rivers

to Split Mountain campground in Dinosaur National Monument.

600

500

400

300

200

100

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Smallmouth Bass (8”or larger) Removed from 

26 Miles of the Green River: 2007

Removal Goal: 346 fish (65%)

Starting Population = 533 fish
Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program and San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program 15

Reaching Out to 

Local Communities

he recovery programs work proactively to increase public support for endangered fish recovery. Wherever possible, the

recovery programs involve local communities to help promote awareness of the endangered fishes and their recovery.

As a result, innovative educational programs are now in place in many communities within the Colorado and San

Juan river basins.

T

Recovery Program Web Sites

Upper Colorado River:

ColoradoRiverRecovery.fws.gov

San Juan River: southwest.fws.gov/sjrip

A new interpretive exhibit opened in 2007 featuring an aquarium with 

endangered fish at a visitor center in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

The recovery programs provide information at major water conferences in

Colorado, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming.

Local annual water festivals include information about endangered fish.

The fish passage at the Public Service Company of New Mexico weir on the San

Juan River continues to provide educational opportunities for students from

local schools in New Mexico.

Fifth-grade classrooms established aquariums with endangered fish. During the

school year students care for and help tag and release the fish into the river.
Population Criteria for Humpback Chub Recovery in

the Upper Colorado River Basin

Downlisting Delisting

Over 5 years of monitoring:

• Maintain five populations

with no net loss of fish

• One core population > 2,100

adults

For 3 years after downlisting:

• Maintain five populations

with no net loss of fish

• Two core populations, each 

> 2,100 adults

16 2007-2008 Program Highlights

Research and Monitoring Track Endangered Fish Status

and Support Adaptive Management

he recovery programs monitor reproduction, growth, survival, and abundance of endangered fish in the wild.

Results are used to track progress toward achieving the recovery goals, assess the effectiveness of management

actions, and adjust recovery efforts through adaptive management.

Downward trends in some humpback chub and Colorado pikeminnow populations and increased abundance of problematic nonnative fishes have been observed during dry weather and low river runoff conditions since 1999. The recovery programs implement management actions to reduce these impacts.

T

HUMPBACK CHUB

◆ Five humpback chub wild populations inhabit 

sections of the Colorado, Green, and Yampa rivers.

• About 3,000 adults occur in the Black Rocks and

Westwater Canyon core populations on the Colorado River.

• About 1,000 adults occur in the Desolation/Gray

Canyon core population on the Green River.

• Populations in Yampa and Cataract canyons are small,

each consisting of up to a few hundred adults.

A survival study is being conducted on young-of-the-year Gila species from the

Yampa River in Dinosaur National Monument in northwestern Colorado.

Collected fish are being cultured at two hatchery facilities.

BONYTAIL

◆ Stocking continues to reestablish bonytail populations in the upper basin. Before stocking began, the species

had nearly disappeared in the Upper Colorado River Basin.

• Stocking has expanded into floodplain wetlands to

enhance growth and survival of the species (see pages 12-13.)

• Recaptures of stocked bonytails in several locations

throughout the Green and Colorado rivers provide information about life-history and habitat requirements.

A biologist collects a stocked bonytail from the Green RIver.

Population Criteria for Bonytail Recovery in the Upper

Colorado River Basin

Downlisting Delisting

Over 5 years of monitoring:

• Maintain two reestablished

populations, one in Green River

system and one in Colorado

River system, each > 4,400

adults, with no net loss of fish

For 3 years after downlisting:

• Maintain two reestablished

populations, one in Green River

system and one in Colorado

River system, each > 4,400

adults, with no net loss of fish

Continued on page 17
Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program and San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program 17

Demographic Criteria for Colorado Pikeminnow

Recovery in the Upper Colorado River Basin

Downlisting Delisting

Over 5 years of monitoring:

• Maintain exchange of fish

among populations

• Maintain populations in

Green and Colorado river systems with no net loss of fish

• Green River system > 2,600

adults

• Colorado River system > 700

adults and establish 1,000

subadults in San Juan River

For 7 years after downlisting:

• Maintain exchange of fish

among populations

• Maintain populations in

Green and Colorado river systems with no net loss of fish

• Green River system > 2,600

adults

• Colorado River system 

> 1,000 adults or Colorado

River system > 700 adults and

the San Juan River > 800 adults

Population Criteria for Razorback Sucker Recovery in

the Upper Colorado River Basin

Downlisting Delisting

Over 5 years of monitoring:

• Maintain two reestablished

populations, one in Green River

system and one in either

Colorado River system or in San

Juan River, each > 5,800 adults,

with no net loss of fish

For 3 years after downlisting:

• Maintain two reestablished

populations, one in Green

River system and one in either

Colorado River system or in

San Juan River, each > 5,800

adults, with no net loss of fish

COLORADO PIKEMINNOW

◆ Wild Colorado pikeminnow populations occur in

the Colorado and Green river systems of the Upper

Colorado River Basin:

• Abundance of adults in the upper Colorado River system increased from about 450 in 1992 to 870 in 2005.

• Abundance of adults in the Green River system declined

from 3,100 to 2,300 in 2001 - 2003. Reproduction in 2006

was strong, and the next 3-year estimate of adult abundance

will be completed in 2008.

Monitoring the age of Colorado pikeminnow provides insight on reasons for the

downward population trends and guides actions to reverse these trends.

◆ Stocking continues in the San Juan River to achieve

requirements of the recovery goals (see pages 12-13).

• Before stocking began, an estimated 19 wild adult fish

remained in the San Juan River.

• The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service concluded in 2005

that Colorado pikeminnow and razorback sucker populations in the San Juan River are more secure today than during the 1980s, and the threat of extinction has been reduced.

RAZORBACK SUCKER

◆ Razorback sucker populations show success as

stocked fish survive and reproduce (see pages 12-13).

• Stocked razorback suckers in the Green and San Juan

rivers have been captured at spawning sites in reproductive

condition and captures of young fish in the Green,

Gunnison, Colorado, and San Juan rivers demonstrate that

these fish are reproducing.

A Navajo Nation Department of Fish and Wildlife technician moves a stocked

razorback sucker from the fish passage at the Public Service Company of New

Mexico weir on the San Juan River.

Stocked razorback suckers are being recaptured in the Green River.
18 2007-2008 Program Highlights

Expenditures

Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program

Total Partner Contributions = $186,877,900 (FY 1989-2008)

Water Users

$2,496,000

FY 88 Appropriation

$973,000

Utah

$5,523,300

Wyoming

$2,343,100

Nonnative 

Fish Management

9%

Information, Education 

and Public Involvement

1% Research and Monitoring

8%

Propagation 

and Genetics 

Management

9%

Habitat Restoration

53%

Program 

Management

12%

Instream Flow 

Identification and

Protection

8%

* Includes Reclamation capital 

appropriation of $20,979,700 under 

ESA authorization prior to FY 1999.

** Includes both annual and capital project

funding.

Bureau of Reclamation: capital cost of

Ruedi Reservoir fish water releases 

(beginning in FY 03)

$4,410,000

Partner Contributions

(FY 1989-2008)

Projected Expenditures

by Category

(FY 2008 only)

Power Revenues

$68,857,200**

Bureau of Reclamation 

(capital)

$63,288,700*

Colorado

$16,471,300

U.S. Fish & 

Wildlife Service

$22,515,300
Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program and San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program 19

Expenditures

San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program

Total Partner Contributions = $39,988,309 (FY 1992-2008)

(Not including in-kind contributions)

Program

Management

9%

Nonnative Fish

Management

22%

Flow Management

and Protection

4%

Propagation and

Genetics Management

23%

State of New Mexico

$1,207,467

Bureau of Land Management

$350,000

State of Colorado

$362,000

Southern Ute Indian Tribe

$1,255,234

Jicarilla Apache Tribe

$19,000

Research and

Monitoring

40%

Habitat

Restoration

4%

Bureau of

Indian Affairs

$6,461,000

Bureau of

Reclamation

$9,082,939

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

$1,966,233

Power Revenues

$19,284,436

Projected Expenditures

by Category

(FY 2008 only)

Partner Contributions

(FY 1992-2008)

Information,

Education and Public 

Involvement

1%
20 2007-2008 Program Highlights

Providing Endangered Species Act Compliance 

for Water Projects

he Upper Colorado River and San Juan River

Basin recovery programs respond to the challenge

of water management by working cooperatively

with local, state, federal, and tribal agencies to meet the

needs of people and endangered fish. The programs’ goal is

to achieve full recovery (delisting) of the endangered fishes,

not just to avoid jeopardy (offset impacts of water project

depletions) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The

recovery programs provide ESA compliance for water

T development and management activities by all parties,

including the federal government. Responsibilities to offset

water project depletion impacts do not fall on individual

projects or their proponents. 

The recovery programs provide ESA compliance for more

than 1,600 water projects depleting more than 3 million

acre-feet per year. This is accomplished through cooperative efforts. No lawsuits have been filed on ESA compliance for any of these water projects.

Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program

Summary of Endangered Species Act Section 7 Consultations

(1/1998 through 12/31/2007)

San Juan River Basin Recovery

Implementation Program Summary of Endangered

Species Act Section 7 Consultations

*Amount included in individual states’ new depletions.

Depletions

Number of

State Consultations Acre-feet/yr

New Mexico 18 617,216

Colorado 94 217,456

Utah 12 9,140

Total 124 843,812

Number of

State Consultations Acre-feet/yr Acre-feet/yr Acre-feet/yr

Colorado 1,079 1,483,770 173,254 1,657,024

Utah 81 421,868 70,969 492,837

Wyoming 142 83,498 32,410 115,908

Regional* 238 (regional) (regional) 0

Total 1,540 1,989,136 276,633 2,265,769

Historic New

Depletions Depletions Totals
Upper Colorado River Endangered 

Fish Recovery Program

Program Partners:

State of Colorado

State of Utah

State of Wyoming

Bureau of Reclamation

Colorado River Energy Distributors Association

Colorado Water Congress

National Park Service

The Nature Conservancy

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Utah Water Users Association

Western Area Power Administration

Western Resource Advocates

Wyoming Water Association

Upper Colorado River Endangered

Fish Recovery Program

P.O. Box 25486, DFC

Denver, CO 80225

303-969-7322

303-969-7327 Fax

coloradoriverrecovery.fws.gov

San Juan River Basin Recovery 

Implementation Program

Program Partners:

State of Colorado

State of New Mexico

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Bureau of Land Management

Bureau of Reclamation

Conservation Interests

Jicarilla Apache Nation

Navajo Nation

Southern Ute Indian Tribe

Ute Mountain Ute Tribe

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Water Development Interests

San Juan River Basin Recovery

Implementation Program

2105 Osuna Rd. NE

Albuquerque, NM 87113

505-761-4745

505-346-2542 Fax