Upper Colorado Endangered Fish Recovery Program and San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program 2005-2006

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W 11DW At= A M. WASHINGTON, DC. M 10 April 8, 2005 The Honorable Crate Norton Secretary of the Interior Office of the Secretary, Department of the Interior Main Interior Building, 1849 C Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20240 RE: FY 2007 and Subsequent Years "Funding for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for the Upper Colorado River and San Juan River Endangered Fish Recovery Programs Dear Secretary Norton: We are writing to request that the Department of the Interior include funding in the FY 2007 budget, and in subsequent fiscal years, for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to participate. in-the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish and San Juan River Basin Recovery Programs. The President's fiscal year 2005 budget for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) "zeroed out" $691.000 in FWS `recovery" funds (Ecological Services Activity, Endangered Species Subactivity; Recovery Element; Colorado Fish Project) for "Colorado Riven fish recovery." The undersigned submitted ajoint ledicr* to the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee supporting restoration of the Upper Colorado Recovery Program's funds in fiscal year 2005 funds and full funding for the San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program.. Congress restored the funding to ensure that FWS' Region 6 could meet its funding commitment to the Upper.Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program. We also transmitted a letter to you dated June 23, 2004 requesting that the committed -to levels of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service funding would be included in'the'President's f+tscid year 2006 and subsequent years' budgets consistent with the Cooperative Agreements implementing these programs. We write to you once again because the,,President's fiscal year 2006 budget again "zeroed out'.' the $691,000 in FWS "recovery" " funds (Ecological Services Activity; Endangered Species Subactivity; Recovery Element; Colorado Fish Project) for "Colorado River fish recovery." Region 2 of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife. Service did not provide funds for USFWS participation in the San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program in fiscal year 2005 nor are the' funds in the President's fiscal year 2006 budget. We will seek to restore this essential funding during the fiscal year 2006 appropriations process. We strongly. urge the Department of the Interior to provide funding for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. to participate in the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish and San Juan River Basin Recovery Programs in FY 2007 and subsequent fiscal years for salaries, expenses and activities of USFWS program directors and program staff to accomplish recovery activities associated with these two innovative and successful• federal- state - private partnerships.