BOARD00179 ‎(2)‎

• Board Meeting Date: 5/23/2007
• Description: Director's Report - CWCB Director's Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

Tamarisk Control Update: There is still ~o movement on appropriations for the Salt
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Cedar and Russian Olive Control Demonstr~tion Act signed by the President in October
2006 which authorizes $80 million for the Se9-etary of Interior to assess the level of
infestation, water savings potentials, and to fund a variety of cost-shared demonstration
projects and related research on control and tevegetation over a five year period. We
continue to hope for two large-scale demonstrations, one each on the Colorado and
Arkansas rivers as well as research activities ~t the state's universities and federal
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facilities. The Colorado General Assembly di,d not pass HB07-1038, the proposed $1
million per year invasives control grant pro~am that would have been managed by the
Colorado Dept. of Agriculture utilizing its oWn allocation of severance tax funds. The
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Board will be funding between $70,000 and 95,000 in planning assistance to watershed
groups in FY07-08 in conjunction with the Ta~arisk Coalition. We are still working
with the Coalition to complete the map and in'ventory work by June 30, 2007. This
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involves developing digital files for use in GIS systems and more convenient
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distribution and sharing of the inventory data land final project documentation and
accounting. i
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Forest Restoration for Water Supply ProtJction: Section 20 of the CWCB Projects
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Bill, SB07-122, authorizes $1 million from the Pfrpetual base account of the severance tax
trust fund for allocation to the Div. of Forestry for a one year grant program to promote
community based approaches to forest restoration that are protective of water supplies.
The Div. of Forestry is authorized to conduct this program in new legislation, HB07-
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1130. Both bills are awaiting the Governor's sigpature and copies are attached to this
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report. A primary motivation for this program is to lessen the impact of pine beetle
infested forests on watersheds in northern porti~ns of the West Slope, but there are other
aspects of forest health that may also put sensitiye and/or critical forested watersheds at
risk. In an effort to help the Div. of Forestry imRlement this program in ways that are
consistent with the Board's basic missions we ar~ in the process of hiring a consultant to
develop an "Action Plan" for the grant program. I The "Action Plan" will identify Best
Management Practices and criteria for evaluating high priority watersheds in a targeted
grant program addressing control of infestation, ~ild fire prevention, fire mitigation,
and reforestation. As the "Action Plan" is developed we will be conferring with major
water suppliers, local government groups, and tile Div. of Forestry. We will be using
$30,000 from the current year allocation of severaftce tax operational account funds to
create a draft of the "Action Plan" by June 30, 2007..
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OWCDP Staff Participates in Regional Watet Festivals: The Office of Water
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Conservation & Drought Planning (OWCDP) is scpeduled to participate in four
Children's Water Festivals throughout the State oflColorado. We will be entertaining
anywhere from 2000-4000 children between the agks of 7 to 10 at each festival. OWCDP
has put together an "EVERY DROP COUNTS: BE WATER SMART!" activity which will
help the kids conceptualize how much water we hJve on our planet and, how much of
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