INTRODUCTION

State and Federal agencies, organizations and individuals are becoming increasingly aware of the critical nature of the issues facing us today in the management of threatened or endangered wildlife. On January 25, 1994, the Chief of the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Jack Ward Thomas, signed a Memorandum of Understanding made and entered into by the USFS, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), National Park Service, U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service to establish a general framework for cooperation to conserve species that are tending toward federal listing under the Endangered Species Act. It is a significant agreement in which the agencies agree to work together to achieve a common goal of species conservation through protection and management of the habitats and ecosystems. Also, in 1994, the International Association of Fish and Game Directors signed an ancillary agreement with the federal agencies to cooperate toward the same end. The requirements of federal planning systems and the National Environmental Policy Act can be fulfilled through accomplishment of Recovery Plans such as this one for Rio Grande sucker. In 1992 and 1993, the DOW and water and resource management interests sponsored two workshops to increase understanding of management concerns for native species, like the Rio Grande sucker, in the context of modern water and land management practices.

The primary mission of the DOW is protection of wildlife. This includes fishes that make up the native aquatic wildlife community in the Rio Grande basin. This responsibility is mandated by Colorado legislation through statutes and regulations decreed by the authority of the Colorado Wildlife Commission.

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(Dean Hendrickson)				General information:   (E. Phil Pister)

This page last modified:  09 December 2003