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<br />Merging water development, fish recovery is Pitts' goal
<br />
<br />funding for the program. including a
<br />$1 million appropriation in 1988 for
<br />water acquisition.
<br />"Congress likes cooperative efforts
<br />that solve problems," Pitts said. "We
<br />get appropriations because there is
<br />grass roots and Congressional suppon
<br />for the program in all three states
<br />involyed. "
<br />Based in Loveland, Colo., Pitts, 48,
<br />is the principal of Tom Pitts and
<br />Associates, a water engineering con-
<br />sulting finn.
<br />Pitts liyes in Loveland with his
<br />wife, Shirley Coffman, a psychOlogist
<br />for Thompson School District. His
<br />daughter, Erin, 23 is pur.;uing a doc-
<br />torate in psychology at the Univer.;ity
<br />of Chicago; his son, Kevin, 25, is in
<br />computer sales.
<br />Prior to establishing his own firm in
<br />1980, Pitts studied at Louisiana
<br />Polytechnic University, receiving a
<br />bachelor's degree in civil engineering
<br />in 1967. From 1967 to 1972 he
<br />worked for the Los Angeles County
<br />Rood Control District and from 1972
<br />to 1980 worked for a national engi-
<br />neering consulting firm.
<br />During his 25-year career, he has
<br />participated in more than 150 water-
<br />related projects, has written or presented
<br />more than 50 professional paper.; and
<br />has worked with a variety of other envi-
<br />roomental and water resoun:e issues.
<br />According to Pitts, some of the
<br />biggest hurdles facing the Recovery
<br />Program inyo1ve administrative chal-
<br />lenges. '
<br />"The biggest challenges are making
<br />sure that the basic agreements in the
<br />Recovery Program are kept by all the
<br />parties, so that all participants will
<br />continue to support the program," he
<br />said. "If we don't have a program,
<br />we're not going to recover the fish,
<br />and we're going to have conflicts."
<br />Despite the challenges, Pitts says
<br />the program has progressed in many
<br />areas.
<br />"We're making progress in the
<br />propagation and genetics area: we 'ye
<br />made progress in acquiring water for
<br />the program from Ruedi Reservoir;
<br />and the Colorado Water Conservation
<br />board is apparently about to appropri-
<br />ate 581 cubic feet per second of water
<br />
<br />By Fred Quartarone
<br />Public Information Specialist
<br />Colorado Division of Wildl~e
<br />1b. some people, developing water
<br />resources and recovering endangered
<br />fish species are mutually exclusive. To
<br />Tom Pitts, the two offer an opportwli-
<br />ty to take a potentially destructiye sit-
<br />uation and make it work.
<br />For the last nine years, Pitts, an
<br />engineer who rep-
<br />resents water devel-
<br />opment interests on
<br />..the Recoyery
<br />Program for
<br />Endangered Fish of
<br />the Upper Colorado
<br />River Basin, has
<br />been working to
<br />integrate water
<br />development with Tom PillS
<br />endangered species
<br />recovery. ,
<br />As negotiator, consultant and fact
<br />finder, Pitts worked from 1984 to
<br />1988 to ensure interests of upper
<br />Colorado Riyer Basin water users
<br />were addressed as the program was
<br />being developed. When the program
<br />was ratified in 1988, those users -
<br />the Colorado Water Congress, Utah
<br />Water Association and Wyoming
<br />Water Deye10pment Association -
<br />selected him to continue representing
<br />their interests,
<br />"Tom impressed us by the fact that
<br />he was able to work with all parties in
<br />a non-confrontational manner," said
<br />Dick MacRayey, Colorado Water
<br />Congress executive director. "We
<br />selected him because he would work
<br />in a positive, pro-active manner that
<br />would be beneficial all the way
<br />around"
<br />As the water user.;' representatlye,
<br />Pitts serves on the Recovery Program's
<br />Implementation, Management,
<br />Biology, Water Acquisition and
<br />Information and Education commit-
<br />tees, ensuring that water users' inter-
<br />ests are recognized as the program
<br />works to recoyer endangered Colorado
<br />squawfish, razorback suckers,
<br />humpback chubs and bonytaiJ chubs.
<br />With other program participants.
<br />Pitts has been inyolved in seyeral suc-
<br />oessful efforts to obtain Congressional
<br />
<br />
<br />7
<br />
<br />'We get appropriations
<br />because there is grass
<br />roots and Congressional
<br />support for the program in
<br />all three states involved ...
<br />We have taken an area that
<br />could be a potential con-
<br />flict - a large conflict -
<br />and turned it into a con-
<br />. ..,
<br />structlve actlvlty.
<br />- Tom Pitts
<br />
<br />for the 15-mile reach for the endan-
<br />gered fish.
<br />"We 'ye laid the ground work. for a
<br />great deal of progress in the next few
<br />years in tenns of acquiring new water
<br />rights, implementing the stocking ele-
<br />ment of the program and gelling facili-
<br />ties, such as the Ouray Research
<br />Facility and Horsethief Ponds, in oper-
<br />ation to meet the needs of the
<br />Recovery Program."
<br />Pitts spends about 40 percent of his
<br />, time on the Recovery Program and is
<br />, involved in endangered species recov-
<br />ery programs elsewhere in the West.
<br />He helped develop a recovery pro-
<br />gram for Colorado squaw fish and
<br />razorback suckers in the San Juan
<br />Basin, He is also developing a conser-
<br />vation program in central Nebraska for
<br />endangered birds inhabiting areas
<br />along the Platte River.
<br />According to Pitts, harmonizing the
<br />goals of water deye10pment and
<br />endangered species recovery gives
<br />him a great deal of satisfaction.
<br />"I think the most gratifying thing is
<br />the fact that we haye a number of par-
<br />ties with diverse interests working
<br />constructively to recover these fish
<br />while we proceed with water develop-
<br />ment," he said. "We haye taken an
<br />area that could be a potential conflict
<br />- a large conflict - and turned it into
<br />a constructive activity,"
<br />
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