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facilities to create a water-reliant recreational opportunity, water rights sought to protect that <br />investment should be entitled to equal treatment along with more traditional water rights. <br />Counties, cities and towns always have been charged with creating and implementing the vision <br />for their local comxnunities. See Rademan v. Citv and Countv of Denver, 186 Colo. 250, 255, <br />526 P.2d 1325, 1327-28 (Colo. 1974) (stating that decisions relating to the decided course of <br />community development should be upheld, even when the reviewing court may disagree with the <br />municipality's choice). Yet the CWCB, by attempting to dictate the flows for a RICD, is <br />usurping local government responsibility to plan for and determine the degree and intensity of <br />the recreational experience that local tax dollars finance. <br />Specific to Amici Northwest Colorado Council of Governments et al., recreation and <br />tourism represent the largest industry on the west slope. Local revenues generated, both directly <br />and indirectly, aze critical to the local governments, special districts and businesses represented <br />by Amici Northwest Colorado Council of Governments et al. and to the long-term health of <br />Colorado's economy. A recent survey shows that winter and summer recreation in Grand, <br />Suxnmit, Eagle and Pitkin Counties accounted for approximately $2.2 billion in 2002? This <br />represented 41.8 percent of the region's economy and created over 31,650 jobs. Second Homes <br />and Other Economic Drivers in the Eag?le Grand, Pitkin and Summit Counties, Executive <br />Summarv, Table 5, p 14 (Northwest Colorado Council of Governments June 2004) (attached as <br />Exhibit C). In a related survey, recreational opportunities, scenic quality and water <br />quality/quantity ranked among the top four reasons why residents and non-residents came to the <br />region. The number one reason second homeowners bought properry in the region was <br />Z This estimate is most likely on the low side due to the 2002 drought and corresponding fires.