Endangered Big Bend Mosquitofish Habitat Environmental Assessment June 2005
Skiles JR and The Mangi Environmental Group. 2005. Endangered Big Bend Mosquitofish Habitat Environmental Assessment June 2005
Big Bend National Park (BIBE) is proposing to construct a new pond in the Rio Grande Village for the purposes of securing habitat for the Big Bend mosquitofish (Gambusia gaigei). The entire wild population of this federally endangered fish exists only in three small spring-fed ponds in the Rio Grande Village at BIBE. Two of the ponds, Spring 1 and Spring 4 ponds, are man-made and the third is a natural beaver pond. The Spring 4 pond is at high risk of failure due to leak-induced loss of berm integrity. Pond failure and drainage risks the loss of over 50 percent of the entire Big Bend mosquitofish population, and 1 of only 2 genetic reservoirs. This environmental assessment (EA) analyzes two alternatives with respect to their environmental impacts: the No Action alternative, which is not to construct a new pond for the fish and to leave the existing Spring 4 pond in its current conditions, and the NPS Preferred Alternative, which is to construct a new pond to provide habitat for the Big Bend mosquitofish using a design similar to that of the Spring 1 pond. The NPS has no plans to modify the structure or function of the existing Spring 4 pond. This pond would continue to be operated as it is currently, concurrently with the new pond.
- Type
- Administrative
- Authors
- Skiles, J.; The Mangi Environmental Group
- Date of Issue
- 2005-06
- Units
- BIBE
- Keywords
- Big Bend Mosquitofish, Big Bend National Park, Endangered Species, Environmental Assessment, environmental impacts, Plan
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | At-risk Biota | T&E Species and Communities