Board Metting 01/23/2007

• Board Meeting Date: 1/23/2007
• Description: CWCB Director's Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

Western States Water Council Upcoming l\feetings:

"Water Ouality Committee Meetine" to be held in Arlington, Virginia on March 13,2007

"153rd Council Meetine" to be held in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on May 2-4,2007

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"154th Council Meetine" to be held in Bozeman, Montana on August 8-10,2007

Additional information on meetings can be found at the WSWC website at www.westgov.org/wswc

Family Farm Allicance Conference Scheduled: The 2007 Family Farm Alliance Annual Conference
will be held at the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada on February 22 - 23,2007. Hear
from respected Western educators how the ecological effects ofland use conversion in the american West
affect biological diversity. For more information and/or to register call [phone] or email
[e-mail].

Statewide

Ag Leader Don Ament to Retire From Public Service: On Jan 3, Colorado Commissioner of
Agriculture Don Ament announced his retirement from public service. Ament, 64, will return to his
family farm near the town of fliff in northeastern Colorado.

"Serving as Colorado agriculture's principal advocate has been the most rewarding part of my career,"
Ament said. "I hope 1 have made some measure of difference for a brighter and more prosperous future
for Colorado's farmers and ranchers."

Ament was appointed to the state's top ag post in 1999 by Governor Bill Owens and has served in the
position continuously since. Prior to serving in Owens' cabinet, Ament was a twelve-year veteran of the .
Colorado General Assembly serving four years in the state House of Representatives and eight as a State
Senator.

the Senate, Ament served as Chairman ofthe Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources, he
chaired the Capitol Development Committee and served on the Senate Education Committee.

Lment's public service began with his election to the local school board in Sterling, Colorado where he
~erved fourteen years. He also served five years on the State Board of Education and was elected
bresident of the Colorado Association of School Boards.

~ment is regarded as one ofthe state's top water experts and has been an outspoken advocate for
~evelopment of Colorado's natural resources, such as timber, coal and water.

lment served as president of the Western Association of State Dep~ents of Agriculture and chairman
bf the Natural Resources Committee of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture.
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During his tenure, Ament faced several challenges including several years of drought, an outbreak of
bhronic wasting disease in some of the state's alternative livestock herds, and dealing with the nation's
first case ofBSE. In addition, an economic downturn resulted in a 25 percent cut in the department's
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budget. In spite of these challenges, the agency expanded its domestic marketing efforts, updated its
~nimal health statutes and established a sound financial footing for the State Fair.
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pon's retirement is effective January 9,2007. 1 want to thank Don for his many years of service to the .
State and to this Board.

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