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.o-e-. 8~ [303] 444-2950 [303] 444-2986 tel fax The Nature Conservancy in Colorado 2424 Spruce Street Boulder, CO 80302 The Nature ":)l Conservancy ~ Protecting nature. Preserving life~. nature.org/colorado 18,2008 January . Colorado Water Conservation Board 1313 Sherman Street, Room 721 Denver, CO 80203 Dear Board Members, The Nature Conservancy urges your support for two legislative measures that would strengthen Colorado's stream and lake protection program. These measures would provide additional protections and resources to water rights holders who choose to work with the CWCB to enhance instream flows. Your staffwill be presenting these two proposals for your consideration at your January board meeting in Denver. The first measure would protect water rights that are leased to the CWCB by private water rights holders for the benefit of instream flows. Under current law, the water rights holder who enters a long-term lease or loan agreement with the CWCB for instream flow may expose or undermine his or her water right in future water court cases. This legislative proposal would protect water rights holders in two important ways - from the loss of consumptive use or presumption of abandonment - during the period when they've loaned or leased water to the CWCR Removing the negative incentives for water rights holders to work with the CWCB to enhance instream flows will provide a significant boost to the efforts to protect stream flows and lake levels in Colorado. ing water for instream flow strengthen or extend We believe that these are two measured legislative proposals that would yield significant benefits to the CWCB's stream and lake protection program and the water users who work with the CWCB to erJ1a..l1ce instre(L~ flo\vs in Colorado. The ne\v protections and additional resources would strengthen efforts to preserve our rivers, streams, and natural environment as critical decisions about its water management future. We urge CWCB suppo legislative proposals at your January meeting. Colorado makes rt for your staff's two . Sincerely, Charles Bedford State Director .