Memorandum: November 8 2009 Agenda Item 11 Water Supply Protection Section

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Dolores Group participants include DRD participants and representatives from Dolores, Montezuma, and San Miguel Counties; the Towns of Dove Creek and Dolores, the City of Cortez, water managers and water rights holders; grazing and property owner stakeholders; oil, gas, mineral and mining representatives; recreationists; conservation groups; staff members from the USFSBLM; and other interests. The Dolores Group is focusing on using ongoing field research from the Dolores River Dialogue, monitoring and adaptive management, and McPhee Reservoir spill management to develop tools and strategies to protect the Outstandingly Remarkable Values ( "ORVs ") identified on the Dolores River. For example, the DRD's Big Gypsum field site is being used to evaluate the ecological response of the Dolores River to various flow, spill management and restoration opportunities resulting from a combination of weather conditions, water management decisions and restoration experiments. Information on the activities of the Dolores Group, including detailed meeting summaries and presentation materials can be found on the Dolores River Dialogue Website at: http: / /ocs.fortlewis.edu /drd/ at the link entitled "Lower Dolores Plan Working Group." To date, the CWCB has dedicated $99,980 of Wild and Scenic alternatives funding towards this process. Below is a summary of the Dolores Group's activities to date, planned activities, and deliverables produced. A schedule of the Dolores Group's meetings and activities is attached to this memo. Dolores Group Activities Meetings 1 -6 from December 2008 -May 2009 began with an introduction to key laws and documents (including the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and the Dolores River Corridor Management Plan and role of the Dolores River Dialogue), followed by a series of topical meetings relevant to the protection of Outstandingly Remarkable Values (ORVs) including: Meeting 2 — Science, Recreation and Spill Management; Meeting 3 — Fish, Ecology and Wildlife; Meeting 4 — Archaeology, Geology and Wild and Scenic Rivers; Meeting 5 — Potential Protection Tools and the 319 Watershed Study; and Meeting 6 — Minerals, Oil & Gas Development and Grazing. Facts Sheets briefing each of the meetings were placed on the website, and distributed in hard copy to key distribution points throughout the local area. Field Trips in May, July and September 2009 focused on five reaches of the Dolores River delineated by the DRD that fall within the jurisdiction of the Dolores Public Lands Office. A Reach Map depicting DRD reaches 1 -5 as well as how the River is divided into Wild, Scenic and Recreational eligibility classifications is Attachment D. The May Field Trip was on Reach 2, accessible only by raft. Nine rafters volunteered to take Dolores Group members down this unique and isolated stretch characterized by a unique combination of red rock desert canyons populated by large old growth ponderosa pines. The July Field Trip was to the lower end of Reach 1 to discuss research and monitoring of the fisheries, water quality, riparian health and flows. The September Field Trip was along Reaches 3 and 4 which include substantial private property, the Big Gyp Monitoring Site, major tamarisk removal and native vegetation restoration efforts, grazing and the Slick Rock Boat Launch. Dolores Group Meetings 8 -11 will focus on information on the ORVs and small group brainstorming on Management Strategies and Tools for Protection on a reach -by -reach basis. The discussion at each of these meetings will begin with Overall Goals and Objectives for the 1990 Dolores River Corridor Management Plan. The update of the Corridor Management Plan is one of the Management Actions to be taken by the Dolores Public Lands Office based upon Dolores Group recommendations and public input during the subsequent Environmental Assessment process that will be conducted by the Public Lands Center. After Meeting 11, the