Rio Grande - Rio Grande Initiative_Water Activity Summary_2008

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While all of these criteria are critical to the decision process, landowner readiness is a key determining factor to the timing of the applicant’s efforts. As conservation transactions are completed at the option of the landowner, the degree of readiness and the community leadership exhibited by the landowner is very important. It is vital to establish credibility for conservation by working with community leaders who have the respect and trust of neighbors. Leading landowners serve as “anchors” which encourage adjacent landowners to consider conservation easements. Building upon past successes and creating clusters of protected land and water rights along the corridor provides greater future security to water users who share water diversions and ditch infrastructure, helps preserve the agricultural productivity and gives communities greater confidence in the future of agricultural viability. Meeting the Rio Grande Basin’s Consumptive & Nonconsumptive Water Needs: This activity simultaneously meets both consumptive needs of traditional water users and non-consumptive water needs of the environment, wildlife and recreation. Protecting historic water use will help sustain the economic and environmental benefits of traditional water uses in locations and patterns that are critical to the entire Rio Grande Basin and to the State’s administration of the Rio Grande and its Compact. These historic use patterns are at risk due to increasing development pressure and potential conversion of senior surface rights for other uses. If these water patterns are altered, the applicant anticipates a wider gap than the Statewide Water Supply Initiative (SWSI) report projects in our future water needs--and fewer supplies and means for filling that gap. Protecting the historic water uses is part the community’s overall strategy to create sustainability of the water supply for their current and future economic base of agriculture, sustaining wildlife including proactively addressing critical issues of endangered species on the Rio Grande corridor, and working towards a sustainable water supply for all of the Rio Grande Basin’s needs. Proposed use of WSRA Funds: All WSRA funds, which are awarded through this application, will be used to match GOCO, CDOW and potentially other state, federal and private sources, along with generous contributions of value from the landowners themselves. Funds will be used toward the purchase of conservation easements on three to four high priority properties on the Rio Grande. These acquisitions will be possible through the $7.34 million Legacy Grant award that RiGHT received from GOCO on December 3, 2007, approximately $3 million of which will directly match the WSRA funds. Overall, the GOCO Legacy grant, along with a total of $2.9 million in matching funds and $3.748 million of donated value from landowners, will leverage the WSRA funds at a 7 to 1 ratio and each individual easement purchase will be leveraged at a minimum of 3 to 1 ratio. Urgency In contrast to many highly fragmented river systems in the west, the Rio Grande in Colorado still has many of its traditional farms and ranches, along with senior surface water rights and important wildlife habitat, relatively intact. The Rio Grande Initiative's mapping analysis indicates that approximately 54,000 acres of private land remain in 80 acre or larger, as yet unprotected, parcels along the river. The applicant aims to protect approximately 50% of these acres over the life of this project, for an estimated overall conservation easement value of over $100 million. This first phase, using the GOCO Legacy award, WSRA and other matching funds, targets six of the highest priority parcels and will protect approximately 5,600 acres and 19 miles of river corridor, along with the senior surface water rights that irrigate each ranch. Additional acreage is already in line for protection with willing sellers, as quickly as additional funds can be raised. - 2 -