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<br />" <br /> <br />PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT PLAN: Colorado Instream Flow Appropriations <br /> <br />1. Issue <br /> <br />The Colorado Water Conservation Board filed applications for instream flow rights on <br />the Colorado mainstem and Yampa rivers on December 27, 1995. This has shifted the <br />focus of this activity from the policy decision-making arena, which by definition is a very <br />public and public involvement-intensive process, into the legal arena, where public <br />involvement has little or no impact. [n this context, quantifiable measures of <br />performance in the coming year will be difficult because public opinion per se has no <br />relevance in the water court proceedings. Nonetheless, there are significant opportunities <br />for public involvement activities that can support this project in the context of the larger <br />recovery effort. <br /> <br />2. Affected Publics, Concerns, Needs and Public Activities To Date <br /> <br />Water Users: The primary concerns water users (both individuals and their <br />organizational and legal representatives) have been and will continue to be potential <br />impacts of these appropriations on existing and potential water supply -- both quantity <br />and how the rights will be administered. An additional concern, which is the subject of <br />legislation under consideration by the 1996 Colorado General Assembly, is the process <br />by which the Colorado Water Conservation Board can modify its instream flow rights. <br />Past public involvement activities have included: conducting CWCB meetings in the <br />affected basins to make it easier for affected publics to provide input before decisions <br />were made; involving water user representatives in the development of the instream flow <br />legislation. <br /> <br />Environmental Groups: Their primary concerns have been and will continue to be <br />whether the appropriations adequately address the habitat needs of the fish. While water <br />users are concerned that the process for modifying the rights might not provide adequate <br />flexibility for future water development, environmental groups are concerned that the <br />process needs to provide sufficient for recovery of the fish. A. continuing concern is the <br />extent to which the state is committed to meeting its obligations under the Recovery <br />Program on this and many other program activities. Past public involvement activities <br />have included: involving environmental groups in the development of the instream flow <br />legislation. <br /> <br />General Public: Outside of water users, environmental groups and, to a lesser extent, <br />recreationists, this activity and the Recovery Program overall probably is not of <br />widespread concern except for those times when the news media shines a spotlight on a <br />Recovery Program accomplishment or controversy. In this context, the ongoing need <br />related to the instream flow appropriations is providing a clear and simple explanation of <br />the complex hydrological, biological and legal aspects of these filings. Past public <br />involvement activities have included: issuing news releases before and after all critical <br />decision points; developing fact sheets, brochures and other handout materials for <br />