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The Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) maintains the Natural Diversity Information <br />Source (NDIS) ftp server, from which a shapefile showing the locations of State Wildlife <br />Areas (SWA) was downloaded and compiled in Figure 1. SWA's that are shaded orange <br />have been identified by the CDOW as having diversion and/or storage rights. GIS shapefiles <br />and available metadata maybe downloaded by accessing the following website: <br />http://ndis.nrel. colostate. edu/ftp/index. html. <br />The National Wetland Inventory is maintained by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service <br />(USFWS) and is an inventory of the country's wetland habitat locations. It includes <br />information involving wetland type, extent, and status for many areas of the country and is an <br />ongoing effort of the USFWS. GIS data maybe downloaded by 1:250,000 scale quad at the <br />following website: http://wetlandsfws.er.usgs.~ov/wtlnds/launch.html. Currently, only a few <br />isolated regions of the South Platte and North Platte River Basins have been mapped under <br />this program. These are: Greeley, the Denver and South Denver Metro Areas, and central <br />Jackson County. <br />The following information resulted from Task 70 interviews: <br />Colorado Division of Wildlife <br />The CDOW has been buying irrigated lands and their associated water rights, and has been using <br />them to irrigate state wildlife areas throughout the 1950 to 2002 study period. Once purchased, <br />the diverted rights continue to be delivered to the acreage by the ditch company, based on <br />previous operations. Table l lists many of the storage rights and ditch shares that the CDOW <br />owns at its various state wildlife areas. The state engineer does not distinguish between irrigation <br />prior to CDOW purchase and irrigation of acreage by the CDOW after purchase. From an <br />operational perspective, the CDOW tends to use less water on its irrigated land, since the <br />department is not irrigating to maximize crop growth or meet crop demand. This tends to <br />stabilize water use throughout the year in relation to agricultural use practices. Reservoirs and <br />ponds that exist within state wildlife areas are generally augmented under the ditch rights that <br />serve them. <br />According to the CDOW, they do not increase the irrigated acreage on lands they purchase. <br />Since the irrigation diversions remain under the ditch company and there has been no change in <br />irrigation practices, the acreage is accounted for in the irrigated acreage assessment and the <br />associated consumptive use is accounted for in crop consumptive use analysis. <br />The Tamarack Ranch SWA has unique purpose in relation to other state wildlife areas. The site <br />was constructed in 1997 as a recharge area for the South Platte River Recovery Program; athree- <br />state agreement between Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming to keep elevated flows in the South <br />Platte to protect habitat for several endangered species (including the Whooping Crane) along <br />the South Platte River in Nebraska. Water is removed from the South Platte River during high <br />flow periods and stored in the constructed ponds and wetlands within the park. Water is slowly <br />returned to the river during low flow months as groundwater recharge from the wetlands. <br />Through this effort, Tamarack Ranch serves as habitat for wetland wildlife species and helps to <br />moderate flows into Nebraska from the South Platte River. Evaporation from the Tamarack <br />Page 2 of 8 <br />