Recreational Instream Flow Workshop Tanscription of Meeting Tape

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4 Bob Burr When we said that the white paper that you put out was muddled was the fact that they didn't own any damn water. They have any concern, they were playing a different game then what a water users is playing. I think you answered or asked a lot of questions as a water user, what is going on within the state with these recreational flows and etc. and like I say, these attorneys want to say that it was muddled. Because they don't own any damn water. And I don't whether they even represent anybody that does have any water. With some of the questions that have been putting across. And I thought it was a very good job, and what you did. I don't know where we are going to go from here. Whether we ought to have some more meetings statewide or etc. That was brought out here on a couple of occasions. Eric Wilkinson I think its unfortunate that we couldn't turn the clock back and maybe get started on this a little bit earlier because we have a lot in basin meetings and those would have been a very good forum to air this out to a lot different areas in the state. Eric Kuhn Lets not forget what Roy Smith said, representing the BLM. I thought he made some very good points. One is that the growth of and those of us that live out there know that the growth of water based recreation on rivers. In rivers that by and large are larger and is closer to the state is growing at an exponential. Its growing, and the, as it grows the economic benefit to the community grows and there is a stage, there is role I think in the there for the Water Conservation Board because there is another federal agency and again I would urge the third path. I would urge neither litigation nor legislation but can we wgrk in some way with the BLM the local agencies to deal with these. And I'm talking I am putting aside the Golden case. I am talking about the large river recreation. Is there some sort of role we can have in dealing with that, when it come to the operations of these some of the projects that will impact these flows. The Aspinall, and some of those things. And it's just a question I have, I don't know the answer to it, but I would hate to get in the middle of a legislation over that issue right, or legislation over on those issues right now. Because I don't think there is a consensus and I agree with Mike I don't think an instream flow right for whitewater rafting where you don't have an in- channel appropriation, I think there are better ways to go. And I would urge use to stay away from that. But Mike, Smith is saying its an issue that BLM, it's not going away. The thousands of rafters they have ten years ago are now hundreds of thousands and the issue is here to stay. Dan Merriman I some of I guess in some regards a you know we are taking part in this GMUG forest planning process as part of the forest plan to work with. We are putting together an instream public process and like I said there is kind of steering committee that's been put together to design that process. We don't know for sure what it's going to look like. And a you know again you got to be pretty open with it but its going to lead down that road. And it may you know yield things that we you know that some folks don't like and others do but to try to identify what the needs are on these federal lands that they have responsibility to manage from a water standpoint. And so you know I think those discussion s are going on. Likewise with some of the things we're doing with Division 2 and 7 as far as reserved water rights issues. I think that those you know these types of things are being discussed other ways so we can come, we can identify what some of these uses are. But Glen said times are a changing there is no question about that. Steve Simms If I could just add one thing. From my point of view having been involved in, I think in all the private instream flow cases. And all the recreational instream flow cases. I think the real issue before the board is whether you are satisfied with the status quo that we has that you have before you now following the Fort Collins case. Or whether you would like greater definition or greater certainty over how these rights come into being and how they affect other water rights. If you are satisfied with the way of the world. If you agree with Glen and to a certain extent Mike. That there's plenty of protections in the existing law to guard against worse case scenarios that those ha% turned out. Then leave it alone. On 40