2001 Department of the Interior
Environmental Achievement Award Recipients

Due to the leadership of Stephen K. McCall, Senior Environmental Protection Specialist in the Bureau of Reclamation’s Western Colorado Area Office, the public now has increased recreational access to over 20 miles of trout streams in the Gunnison River Basin. Mr. McCall worked to restore and enhance habitat quality as part of a mitigation commitment for the three storage reservoirs in the BOR’s Aspinall Unit. Community-based work groups, coordinated by Mr. McCall, involve stakeholders (environmental groups, the agricultural community, landowners, recreationists, the electrical power industry, and local, State, and other federal agencies) in BOR’s management of these dams and reservoirs.

These workgroups have endeavored to integrate environmental and recreational considerations into the operation of the Aspinall Unit. With professionalism and commitment, Mr.McCall spearheaded for BOR the acquisition and restoration of over 2,300 acres of riparian habitat to mitigate for wetland losses associated with the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program. That these lands are now being considered for inclusion in the National Wildlife Refuge system demonstrates the success of these efforts. As a result of Mr. McCall’s ability to build consensus for environmental objectives, local communities have learned the value of restoring and preserving the local riparian ecosystem while meeting flood control, water and energy development, and recreational objectives.