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.. .. , . . . STATE OF COLORADO Bill Owens, Governor DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES DIVISION OF WilDLIFE AN EaUAL OPPORlUNITY EMPLOYER Bruce McCloskey, Director 6060 Broadway Denver, Colorado 80216 Telephone: (303) 297-1192 wildlije.state.co.us RECEIVED DEe 08 2006 00l0Iad0 Water ConseNalion 110gr0 December 6, 2006 Tammie Petrone Colorado Water Conservation Board Water Efficiency Grant Program 13 I 3 Shennan Street, Room 72 I Denver, CO 80203 Dear Ms. Patrone, The Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) recognizes the importance of providing high quality natural resource education to citizens of all ages. It is for this reason that we strongly support the Colorado Watershed Network's proposal for funding to hire a Project WET/Water Education Coordinator and provide water education materials and training to Colorado educators. For many years, the OOW has provided not only wildlife conservation education, but has provided a hub for natural resource education in the state. We have partnered with the Colorado State Forest Service (project Learning Tree), the Colorado Foundation for Agriculture (project Food, Land, and People), and the University of Northern Colorado (Project WET) to ensure that our future voters and leaders would be well informed about their wildlife, forests, land, and water. We have provided joint training for our shared network of facilitators, have maintained a database of educators that have participated in the training, and so on. Project WET has not had the support of the other programs, and the OOW has been able to fill in gaps, such as providing the Project WET guides. Our agency cannot continue that level of support. In order to insure that the highest quality water education information, training, and materials reach teachers, we recommend that you fund the Colorado Watershed Network's full request for $122,490. We commit to providing $45,940 in matching funds for Facilitator Conference coordination, tracking participants and programs through our database, regional assistance for workshops and training from our six regional education coordinators, and a forum to advertise workshops and provided information through our Colorado Connections newsletter. Please support this worthwhile endeavor. Water education has never been more crucial. 9~-I.?~ Jeffrey A. Rucks Manager of Education and Outreach DEPARTMENT OF NAlURAL RESOURCES, Russell George, Executive Director WIlDliFE COMMISSION, JefIi'ey Crawford, Chair. Tom Burke, Vrce Chair. Claire O'Neal, Seaetary Mr>m~ R'*-f Rr.>u. Rr.:ari r.lVV'lO. RiI'I< I=ndmm. RiNmrrl R"",. .1......... lArAn..11u .1("", T~