Historically the Middle Pecos River was a wide, sediment-ladened braided river with a diversity of habitats, ranging from low-velocity backwaters to swift main channel settings. Under the natural river regime, flood flows periodically changed the river course within the floodplain. Various species, especially fish, adapted to this type of dynamic river channel and the variety of habitat that it provided. Since 1942, the ecological conditions within the Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge (BLNWR) section of the Pecos River have been degraded by excavating straight channels, encroaching nonnative vegetation, and controlling reservoir flows. As part of the Endangered Species Act consultation process associated with the Carlsbad Project Water Operations and Water Supply Conservation Final Environmental Impact Statement, the Bureau of Reclamation agreed to “partner with federal, state, and private entities to participate and assist in the completion of ongoing habitat improvement projects on the Pecos River.”