8F

• Board Meeting Date: 1/22/2008
• Description: CWCB Legislative Priorities and Recommendations - 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
TO: Colorado Water Conservation Board
FROM: Steve Miller, Water Supply Protection Section
DATE: January 14, 2008
RE: Agenda Item 8.f January 22-23, 2008 Boai•d Meeting
CWCB Legislative Priorities and Recommendations -
Colorado Community Forest Restoration Grant Program
Bill Ritter, Jr.
Governor
H:uris D. Sherman
DNR Executive Director
Jennifer L. GimUel
CWCB Director
Dan MoAuliffe
CWCB Deputy Director
Introduction:
This item is to seek the Board's reversal of a previous action taken at the November 15, 2007
Board meeting regarding funding for the Colorado Community Forest Restoration Grant
Program.
Discussion:
At the November 2007 meeting the Board considered two options for funding the Colorado State
Forest Service's Colorado Community Forest Restoration Grant. November 2007 Agenda Item
18.g proposed funding the grant program with between $500,000 and $1 million from the
construction fund. Instead, pursuant to Agenda Item 24. a, the Board adopted staff's revised
recommendation that the Department of Natural Resources ("DNR") submit a budget
amendment to the FY 2008-2009 Budget Request that would increase the Board's allocation of
revenue from the Severance Tax Trust Fund Operational Account by $1 million for the purpose
of financing amulti-year forest restoration grant program to be provided in the form of a lump-
sum grant to the Colorado State Forest Service. In December staff prepared the proposed budget
amendment and submitted it to DNR for review and further action, but subsequent discussions
led to a decision by DNR to not advance the amendment. DNR has now informed staff that
separate legislation will be introduced to authorize and fund the Colorado Community Forest
Restoration Grant Program, and neither a provision in the 2008 Projects Bill, nor an amendment
to the FY 2008-2009 Budget Request is necessary.
Recommendation:
After consultation with the Executive Director of the Department of Natural Resources, staff
recommends that the Board, by motion, withdraw its action of November 15, 2007 regarding
Item 24.a and staff's revised recommendation there considered and adopted to fund the Colorado
Community Forest Restoration Grant Program via a budget amendment to the FY08-09 DNR
budget request.
Water Supply Protection • Watershed Protection & Fluud blitigatiun • Stream & Lake Protection • Water Supply Planning & Finance
Water Conservation & Drought Planning • Intrastate ~F'ater Management & Development