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the Basin Roundtables for their needs assessments, The ER- TRT generated Geographic I nformation Systems (GIS) coverages of important environmental and recreation attributes, Over the next several months, the NCNA Workgroup will ask each Basin Roundtable to review and comment on the GIS coverages of environmental and recreational attributes, as well as to suggest development of additional, important GIS coverages and data layers specifically for their basin, For example, the Yampa/White Basin Roundtable suggested that additional hunting and fishing areas be added as part of their recreational attributes It is expected that the discussion of additional attributes could be the starting point for establishing priority areas and reaches to protect. At the May workshop, the COM Technical Team and other participants will - Enhance Recreational Opportunities propose, discuss and compile some suggestions for Basin Roundtables to - Provide for Environmental Enhancement use in establishing their priorities, For example, the NCNA Workgroup could create a list of sub-objectives from the SWSI Water Management Objectives that touch on nonconsumptive uses In addition, the NCNA Workgroup and Basin Roundtables may decide that only a certain percentage of a watershed identified for a certain environmental attribute needs to be protected for the future - that the watershed would be sustainable even if a certain environmental attribute were not protected everywhere it exists today, To assess whether all areas or reaches are valuable for an environmental attribute, the work group, along with the COM Technical Team and Basin Roundtables may need to develop measure or indicators of how well the state as a whole, or a specific basin is meeting a particular objective for a given attribute, 3.2. Establishing Priorities Once Basin Roundtables have identified the data layers that contain important nonconsumptive attributes for their basins, they will establish priorities This may be an iterative process The Yampa/White Basin Roundtable has suggested that the GIS mapping is a starting place for establishing priorities, while the Colorado Basin Roundtable recommended that first, there be agreement regarding a broader definition of nonconsumptive needs and values, Water Management Objectives - Sustainably Meet Municipal & Industrial Demands - Sustainably Meet Agricultural Demands - Optimize Existing and Future Water Supplies - Promote Cost Effectiveness - Protect Cultural values - Provide for Operational Flexibility - Comply with All Applicable Laws, Regulations, and Water Rights A basin's priorities will be based on both local and state information, Locally, the basin may look at attributes such as water supply watersheds, important recreational areas, including fisheries, RICOs and others, and important ecological areas, such as wetlands, high quality waters or reaches that are of particular value because of the land use designation, In addition, basin roundtable members will be able to consider whether and how to prioritize a reach or area, For example, Is the reach or area currently in good condition, such that the goal is to conserve it in its present state, Is the area or reach good now with respect to nonconsumptive needs, but potentially at risk given other proposed projects or processes such that the goal is to protect the values in light of other development, or Is the reach or area potentially in need of restoration to maintain it as a priority? Basins will also need to look at state-level considerations, both because there may be high priority state recreational areas or reaches, such as Gold Medal Fisheries or state parks, and because certain native species' habitat occurs in multiple basins, so that the calculus of which reaches or areas are priorities for species survival requires statewide information In O:\Rinkt';rM:K\S\VSI\strat~gy n~vist';t1 o IjullO 7 Jt:,'ist:d by BM.uoc Page 3 of5