18g

• Board Meeting Date: 11/14/2007
• Description: CF Section - Reimbursable Investments - Colorado Community Forest Restoration Grant Program
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

STATE OF COLORADO
Colorado Water Conservation Board
Department of Natural Resources
1313 Sherman Street, Room 721
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
wuu . o~n cU. state. co.us
Bill Ritter, 7r.
Governor
TO: Colorado Water Conservation Board xairis D. sheiYnan
DNR Executive Director

FROM: Steve Miller
Water Supply Protection Section Dan McAuliffe
, Acting cwcB Director
DATE: November 6, 2007
RE: Agenda Item lSg. November 14-15, 2007 Board Meeting
Water Supply Planning and Finance Section -Referred Non-Reimbursable
Investments -Colorado State Forest Service/CWCB Water Supply Protection
Section -Colorado Community Forest Restoration Grant Program
Introduction
Section 20 of the CWCB Projects Bill, SB07-122, authorized $1 million from the perpetual 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,
HB07-1130. A primary motivation for this program is to lessen the impact of pine beetle
infested forests on watersheds in northern portions of the West Slope, but there are other aspects
of forest health that may also put sensitive and/or critical forested watersheds at risk. HB07-
1130 as initially introduced called for a five year program of grant assistance, but was reduced to
a one year program before passage. This request is to continue CWCB funding of a forest
restoration grant program for an additional four years at $1 million per year. Staff invited this
request so that the Board could participate in evaluating and prioritizing use of CWCB funds for
these purposes prior to the introduction of legislation in the 2008 session, which did not occur
last year during the enactment of HB07-1130 and the SB07-122 funding provision. In
September the Finance Committee reviewed this request and gave it a "do not fund"
recommendation based on the large size of the funding request and uncertainty as to the fit with
the Board's traditional missions. At the September regular Board meeting (Agenda Item 22)
there vas a detailed status report on utilization of the initial $1 million authorized by SB07-122,
and considerable further discussion of the appropriate role for the Board in these type of
activities. Since that meeting there has been additional discussion with Rep. Dan Gibbs,
principal sponsor of HB07-1130, and EDO staff.
Water Supply Protection • Flood Protection • Stream & Lake Protection • Rater Supply Planning & Finance
Water Conservation & Drought Planning • Intrastate Water Management & Development