Halfordian Golfer wrote:

You're completely missing my point.

1) define the characteristics of the river you want to conserve
2) conserve it

Does the vision, including long term future vision, include trying to
restore the watershed to indiginous species? If yes, than that would
be part of the mitigation. If not than it's a moot point.

TBone


The river need water to even be a river. Without water it ceases being a
river. Right now, the river is basically an irrigation canal for the
water companies.


With respect to restoring the native Greenbacks. It's very difficult to
restore a tiny single isolated stream back to native species. In the
Poudre drainage, the DOW tried to restore several small feeders to
native Greenbacks. Here some shots of one of the few that were successful:


http://crystalglen.net/Fishing/IMG_1763%20(Medium).JPG

http://crystalglen.net/Fishing/IMG_1778%20(Medium).JPG

http://crystalglen.net/Fishing/IMG_1789%20(Medium).JPG

http://crystalglen.net/Fishing/IMG_1792%20(Medium).JPG



Most of the reintroductions were unsuccessful. In one, they either
failed to remove all the Brookies or someone put some in, in another
Rainbows somehow got back in and in a couple the Cutts failed to re
establish themselves. (You fished one of these unsuccessful restorations
with me). Greenbacks don't seem to be able to compete with other trout
or char.


Success is spotty even with very small self contained streams. Restoring
a watershed the size of the Poudre River watershed to native species
would be beyond any DOW's means. Consider the size of the watershed with
probably thousands of miles of streams and river. I don't think the
technology, will, money, support etc exists to accomplish such a massive
program.

Willi