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Article: Rivers at risk. (rivers and national parks legislation)
- Article from:
- National Parks
- Article date:
- May 1, 1995
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1995 National Parks Conservation Association. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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FROM ITS HEADWATERS in the mountains above Zion National Park in Utah to its terminus 200 miles downstream at Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Nevada, the Virgin River flows virtually unimpeded through an arid, fragile landscape.
One of the last predominately free-flowing rivers in the West, it sustains a remarkable variety of wildlife, including 139 special status species, considered rare or listed by federal and state governments as endangered or threatened. Among them are the bald eagle, Mexican spotted owl, peregrine falcon, desert tortoise, leopard frog, Virgin River chub, and woundfin minnow. The Virgin River's varying elevation, descending from 1 1,3 00 ...