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<br />The acquisition of development rights is prioritized at the parcel level according to five key <br />conservation criteria including: <br />. Important and substantial senior water rights, <br />. wildlife habitat, <br />. adjacency to already protected lands, <br />. agricultural productivity, <br />. level of threat, <br />. and landowner readiness. <br /> <br />While all ofthese criteria are critical to the decision process, landowner readiness is a key <br />determining factor to the timing of our efforts. As conservation transactions are completed at the <br />option of the landowner, the degree of readiness and the community leadership exhibited by the <br />landowner is very important. It is vital to establish credibility for conservation by working with <br />community leaders who have the respect and trust of neighbors. Leading landowners serve as <br />"anchors" which encourage adjacent landowners to consider conservation easements. Building upon <br />past successes and creating clusters of protected land and water rights along the corridor provides <br />greater future security to water users who share water diversions and ditch infrastructure, helps <br />preserve the agricultural productivity and gives communities greater confidence in the future of <br />agricultural viability. <br /> <br />Meeting the Rio Grande Basin's Consumptive & Nonconsumptive Water Needs: <br />This activity simultaneously meets both consumptive needs of traditional water users and non- <br />consumptive water needs of the environment, wildlife and recreation. Protecting historic water use will <br />help sustain the economic and environmental benefits of traditional water uses in locations and patterns <br />that are critical to the entire Rio Grande Basin and to the State's administration of the Rio Grande and its <br />Compact. <br /> <br />These historic use patterns are at risk due to increasing development pressure and potential conversion of <br />senior surface rights for other uses. If these water patterns are altered, we anticipate a wider gap than the <br />Statewide Water Supply Initiative (SWSI) report projects in our future water needs--and fewer supplies <br />and means for filling that gap. Protecting the historic water uses is part of our community's overall <br />strategy to create sustainability of the water supply for our current and future economic base of <br />agriculture, sustaining wildlife including proactively addressing critical issues of endangered species on <br />the Rio Grande corridor, and working towards a sustainable water supply for all ofthe Rio Grande <br />Basin's needs. <br /> <br />Proposed use ofWSRA Funds: <br />All WSRA funds, which are awarded through this application, will be used to match GOCO, CDOW and <br />potentially other state, federal and private sources, along with generous contributions of value from the <br />landowners themselves. Funds will be used toward the purchase of conservation easements on three to <br />four high priority properties on the Rio Grande. These acquisitions will be possible through the $7.34 <br />million Legacy Grant award that RiGHT received from GOCO on December 3,2007, approximately $3 <br />million of which will directly match the WSRA funds. Overall, the GOCO Legacy grant, along with a <br />total of$2.9 million in matching funds and $3.748 million of donated value from landowners, will <br />leverage the WSRA funds at a 7 to 1 ratio and each individual easement purchase will be leveraged at a <br />minimum of 3 to 1 ratio. <br /> <br />The Opportunity is Now! <br /> <br />Page 5 of 32 <br /> <br />Rio Grande Initiative <br /> <br />Janual'Y 2008 <br />