BLM Extention Letter

• Description: Documents related to the Upper Colorado River Wild and Sceni Stakeholders Process
• State: CO
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 10/21/2009
• Author: BLM
• Title: BLM Extention Letter
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Meeting

STATE OF COLORADO
Colorado Water Conservation Board .ssa coN 4.A
Department of Natural Resources o P `T �"�o
1313 Sherman Street,Room 721 <: •'moi x
Denver,Colorado 80203 c.1 ' ',L)
Phone:[phone] \�'�°' } !
Fax:[phone] ,
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www.cweb.slate.co.us a r q j''/ ••
September 29, 2009 Bill Ritter,Jr.
Governor
Dave I-iunsaker, Warns U.Sherman
DNR Executive Director
Acting Colorado Director
Bureau of Land Management Jennifer L.Gimbel
CWCi3 Director
U.S. Department of the Interior
2850 Youngfield Street Dan McAuliffe
C WCR Deputy Director
Lakewood, CO 80215
Dear Dave:
I am writing to you to request that you grant additional time for submittals for consideration in
the context of BLM's revisions to the Resource Management Plans for the Glenwood Springs
and Kremmling field offices where the BLM is considering the "suitability"of certain stream
segments for Wild and Scenic designation. My staff has been meeting regularly with your staff
(and a host of other representatives)for the past two years regarding the BLM's process. I am
encouraged by a dialogue that has been initiated with your staff,the Colorado River Water
Conservation District,the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, Denver Water,Trout
Unlimited, Summit County, Eagle County, Grand County, the Northwest Colorado Council of
Governments, the Wilderness Society, Colorado Springs Utilities,American Whitewater,
representatives of stakeholders involved in the lower Blue River management planning process,
and others to explore alternative approaches to protecting Outstanding Remarkable Values while
at the same time considering the State's water supply needs. We appreciate your staff's
dedication to working with the State and local entities to determine whether Wild and Scenic
designation is the best management alternative for these certain stream segments.
As you know, Wild and Scenic designation may or may not be the optimal management tool, but
I am sure you would agree that a collaborative,consensus-driven approach to protecting those
values would be preferable. Given the importance of these water resources to the Bureau of
Land Management, the State of Colorado,environmental organizations,and local communities, I
hope you will be able to support the collaborative process described above. I believe that it
would be in the best interests of the State and the Bureau of Land Management to continue this
dialogue.
Pursuant to your process, which requires you to consider a range of alternatives, we request that
you allow additional time for the State,environmental,and local representatives to continue to
explore alternatives for resource protection by extending the September 30, 2009 deadline by 60
days to allow the stakeholder group adequate time to refine its proposal. While 60 days may be
enough time to resolve the remaining issues,we may seek an additional extension if necessary. I
would remind you that the Platte River Protection Plan took close to ten years to negotiate and
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