Humpback Chub. (Photo: Arizona Game & Fish Department)
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Setting the course for a Colorado River with less water is an enormous challenge that’s not likely to satisfy everyone. And climate change has created a collision course with wildlife.
The river isn’t just managed to accommodate people. Governments are also responsible for the ecosystems that sustain fish, birds and other animals. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is an important player in the battle that’s ahead. A letter submitted by USFWS to the Bureau of Reclamation has as many questions as answers.
Four fish species are at the forefront: “The endangered Colorado pikeminnow, razorback sucker, and bonytail, along with the threatened humpback chub, evolved in the Colorado River basin and exist nowhere else on earth,” according to the U.S. National Park Service. According to USFWS, the Lower Basin is home to 27 Endangered Species Act “listed and sensitive species.”
As agencies weigh in on how to manage the river in the future, they are asking Reclamation to tell them precisely the water conditions they might have to deal with in protecting wildlife. It’s uncharted territory.
Reclamation is working to build a new agreement as a set of rules from 2007 nears expiration. The agency has released a segment of […]
Full article: www.8newsnow.com
Coral reefs already face a litany of threats. Experts say storm runoff from the recent…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Xqa0B9r7Y8 Iowa water: Pulitzer Prize winner Art Cullen and award-winning cinematographer Jerry Risius have teamed…
Clean water is essential for life, yet millions of Americans unknowingly consume contaminants through their…
Human brains contain higher concentrations of microplastics than other organs, according to a new study, and the…
From the Office of the Governor: In anticipation of a multi-day, significant atmospheric river in Northern California,…
From Governor Newsom: Scientists, water managers, state leaders, and experts throughout the state are calling…