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Methow Valley News April 6, 2000 Endangered Species Coverage Publisher's Comment ~ by Lee Hicks We're not there yet "Where are we on all this?" After a year of what can only be called an "intensive process," there appears to be much left to do in fish and water issues as the 2000 irrigation season is imminent. It’s been well over two years since National Marine Fisheries Service presented the Methow basin with its first listing of an endangered fish species. We now have two endangered listings, one threatened and another a good probability in the near future. In the background this year is the prospect of litigation that could artificially influence decisions and undermine countless meetings and hours of work involving citizens and local, state and federal officials. After all the effort, the parties can agree on one thing—fish need water. But even that consensus provides a point of divergence rather than convergence in the debate. "How much water and when?" is the next question. "And how do we arrive at the answers?" NMFS as well as US Fish and Wildlife Service have begun their biological analyses with broad assumptions that more water is needed for fish. But the agencies acknowledge they set high stream flow targets to create extra margins of safety. That is amply clear in recent negotiations by agencies and the Wolf Creek Reclamation District regarding a habitat conservation plan. The "aim high" strategy may not be necessary and might not work, some biologists and hydrologists say. Studies and additional work are needed to factor in basin hydrology, characteristics of fish in the watershed and other habitat needs. On April 18, the the Methow basin watershed planning unit is set to restart negotiations with federal and state agencies in hopes of providing some assurances for water users while protecting fish. The best part of the planning unit proposal is the premise that we need to learn as we go before locking in to untested assumptions that unreasonably threaten irrigation and the Valley's future. Opinion | Sports |
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