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Winter refused to lessen its grip on areas of the upper Missouri River basin in early April. The first half of the month had cold temperatures – the coldest span ever recorded in April across the much of the region – and numerous late-season snow storms. Portions of the upper basin had 140 percent of the average annual snowpack. Runoff into the Fort Peck Lake in Montana and Lake Sakakawea in North Dakota is expected to be above average at least through August. This year’s plains snowpack was heaviest in areas of central and northern Montana. These conditions caused the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to raise its 2018 runoff forecast for the basin above Sioux City. The Corps’ 2018 forecast is now 30.2 million acre feet (MAF). This amount of runoff would be 119 percent of the long-term average for the upper basin. By comparison, last year’s upper basin runoff was 29.6 MAF – 117 percent of average. (An acre foot is the amount of water needed to cover an acre of land one foot deep.) The Corps’ Missouri River reservoir system began the runoff season on March 1 at the base of the annual flood control pool. This zone provides 16.3 MAF of flood control storage capacity designed to capture spring runoff. About 80 percent of the runoff into the reservoir system comes from snowmelt in the upper basin each year. High runoff into the reservoirs benefits many of the river’s authorized purposes, including hydropower, fish production, recreational access, and ample water for municipal and irrigation intakes. The Corps believes the reservoir system is capable of handling this year’s runoff, and at this point there is a low chance of major flooding along the Missouri River, although there has been minor snowmelt-related flooding on some tributaries this month. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed two district court rulings that had blocked construction of a $59 million federal dam project on Montana's Yellowstone River. Federal District Court Judge Brian Morris had twice sided with environmental groups, which claimed that this Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation project on the Yellowstone would harm endangered pallid sturgeon. The case focuses on Intake Dam, an irrigation diversion dam near Glendive, Montana. The Corps and Bureau of Reclamation proposed replacing a century-old rock and wood weir with a new concrete dam. Judge Morris issued two injunctions in the past two years that prevented the start of construction. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that only 125 wild pallid sturgeon remain in the upper Missouri River basin. Pallids have struggled with natural reproduction because of the dams and reservoirs constructed on the Missouri, and the fish was placed on the federal endangered species list in 1990. The Yellowstone River is a potential spawning site for the pallid. However, conservation organizations – including the League – are concerned that pallids won’t be able to get past the new dam, even with a fish bypass channel. The League also expressed concern about the cost of the project and whether the new structures could survive the massive ice flows that occur in the Yellowstone River every spring. Following the ruling by the Court of Appeals, the case will return to the district court level for further legal action. League staff will continue following this case as it moves forward. In their first joint meeting, three new Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee (MRRIC) work groups met in Omaha in April. The purpose of the meeting was to develop recommendations related to the Army Corps of Engineers’ new five-year strategic plan for the recovery of three federally listed species: the pallid sturgeon, least tern, and piping plover. The work groups developed over 40 recommendations that will go on to the full MRRIC for review in May. If approved by the full committee, the recommendations will be submitted to the Corps. The new work groups are focused on fish, bird, and human considerations. The League's Regional Conservation Coordinator is a member of the fish work group, which is working to recover habitat for a self-sustaining population of pallid sturgeon. The bird group is looking to recover the least tern and piping plover. The human considerations group is working to lessen possible impacts of recovery efforts on people who live and recreate along the river. This is the first time MRRIC has had the opportunity to weigh in on the Corps’ five-year plan, which is part of a new Adaptive Management Plan that the Corps and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will start to implement later this year. The League has urged the Corps to select recovery actions that work with the river rather than against it as the Corps works to implement the Adaptive Management Plan. The League is also asking that the plan include benefits such as improved water quality, reduced flood risk, and increased outdoor recreation opportunities in addition to actions that will help recover the three listed species. The League submitted comments to the Army Corps of Engineers on a proposed supplemental Environmental Assessment (EA) for vegetation control on emergent sandbar habitat – habitat created by the river or built with heavy equipment by the Corps. This habitat provides nesting and rearing areas for the least tern and piping plover, two federally listed species. Vegetation control is designed to create or preserve habitat on sandbars. Both the least tern and piping plover nest on bare sand. In our comments, we stated that protecting water quality must be a top priority for the Corps and asked the Corps to carefully consider any possible impact vegetation control might have on water quality. The Corps indicated it would use pre- and post-emergent herbicides applied by helicopter, all-terrain vehicle, or a backpack sprayer. The agency also said that only aquatically approved chemicals would be used in quantities deemed safe by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). However, the League believes that EPA-approved herbicides could still have negative impacts on fish, wildlife, and invertebrates in the river. We asked the Corps to avoid spraying vegetation when pallid sturgeon and other rare native fish are spawning. Our concern is that chemical levels might be too high for those sensitive species, forage species, or critical invertebrate species. If the Corps would implement these steps, vegetation control could be completed with the lowest possible impact on people, fish and wildlife, and the river. South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (GFP) hosted a Fish and Wildlife Resource Summit April 21 in Oacoma. The goal of the summit was to create an effective working relationship between GFP and outdoor groups across the state. The meeting was attended by representatives of 19 outdoor organizations, including the Izaak Walton League. The discussion focused on creating sustainable habitat and a dedicated conservation fund. The groups explored ways to improve public access, the new recreation and respect program, and how to establish an effective voice for conservation issues. The groups also expressed the need to educate recreationists and other people about the importance of clean water and quality habitat across the state. GFP wants to hold additional meetings in the future with outdoor groups and landowners across the state to work to improve relationships between sportsmen and other outdoor recreationists and farmers and ranchers. Members of the League’s Rapid City Chapter along with League staff took part in the third annual Earth Day Expo in Rapid City on April 22. The League had a booth at the event, where we talked with hundreds of people about the Clean Water Challenge, Save Our Streams and Creak Freaks programs, Missouri River recovery, and how they can prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species. The League was asked to make a presentation about our organization and upcoming activities of the Missouri River Initiative. For many people who attended the expo, this was their first exposure to the Ikes and our programs. We received many favorable responses and people expressed interest in learning more about the League and the local chapter. For more information or questions about the topics in this newsletter, please contact: Paul Lepisto Photo credits: Paul Lepisto (5); Army Corps of Engineers; NASA © 2018 Izaak Walton League of AmericaAll rights reserved. |