9415

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 9415
• Author: Colorado Department of Natural Resources.
• Title: Species Conservation Trust Fund ‎(HB 98-1006)‎\
• USFW Year: 1999.
• Copyright Material: NO

OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Department of Natural Resources
1313 Sherman Street, Room 718
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone]
TDD: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
January 8, 1999
Honorable Members
Sixty-Second Colorado General Assembly
First Regular Session
State Capitol
Denver, Colorado 80203
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I am pleased to submit for your consideration the first annual request for approval of
expenditures from the Native Species Conservation Trust Fund, which the General
Assembly created last year through House Bill 98-1006.
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DEPARTMENT OF
NATURAL,
RESOURCES
Roy Romer
Governor
Wade Buchanan
Executive Director
Ron Cattany
Deputy Director
By creating this fund, Colorado took a first critical step to get ahead of the federal
government on endangered species issues. While we take the endangered species act
seriously, we also hope to retain control of recovery efforts at the state and local levels.
More important, we hope to take prudent actions to preserve critical habitat and species
before they ever are considered for listing at the federal level. That was the whole
purpose behind HB 98-1006.
BB 98-1006 requires the Executive Director of the Department of Natural Resources
(DNR), after consulting within the department with interested boards and commissions,
to submit to the General Assembly for approval a list of projects to be funded out of the
Native Species Conservation Trust Fund. Since HB 98-1006 appropriated $10 million to
the conservation fund, no additional appropriation is necessary. However, our reading of
the law is that annual legislative approval is required of the proposed project list.
The attached list contains only those projects upon which there was a consensus for
funding within the department. These include projects to aid in the recovery of native
fish in the Upper Colorado and San Juan river basins; projects to aid in the recovery of
endangered birds in the Platte River Basin; projects to prevent the Preble's Meadow
Jumping Mouse from becoming an endangered species; projects to protect other native
aquatic species at specific risk of being listed as endangered; and projects to help
preserve Colorado's prairie grasslands, upon which a number of at-risk species depend.

STATE OF COLORADO
Board of Land Commissioners - Division of Minerals & Geology/Geological Survey
Oil & Gas Conservation Commission - Colorado State Parks - Soil Conservation Board
Water Conservation Board - Division of Water Resources - Division of Wildlife